10 Porches With Personal Design Style
These comfortable outdoor rooms get their charm from repurposed pieces, vacation mementos and salvaged finds
The porch should be an inviting space for hosting friendly cocktails, gathering for casual family meals and savoring outdoor naps. It’s a place where you can let go and relax. That’s why porches are the perfect place to ease up on the design rules. If you’ve been hesitant about expressing your personal style in your home, start on the porch. And take inspiration from these clever homeowners, whose creativity shines through in their spaces.
Mexican brio in Boston. A trip of a lifetime to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico inspired the festive style on this 9-by-12-foot Boston balcony. Interior designer and homeowner Dane Austin added bamboo shades for warmth and privacy, while layers of lights, lanterns and a mix of colorful textiles get him and his husband into a party mood. He did the stenciling on the ceiling himself.
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Eclectic farmhouse style in North Carolina. Alys and Alex Protzman extended the existing porch on their 1880s farmhouse to gain more breezy living space. A tobacco-drying basket and haint blue ceilings are distinctly Carolina. Special finds like a vintage wagon and birdcage add more personal touches.
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Wicker furniture: Loom Collection, Lloyd Flanders; outdoor rug: Crate & Barrel
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Wicker furniture: Loom Collection, Lloyd Flanders; outdoor rug: Crate & Barrel
One man’s trash is a thrifty gal’s treasure in Vancouver. Designer Jennifer Scott loves to hunt for treasures, and she’s not above dumpster diving. In fact, that’s where she found the colorful toucan painting that serves as the mascot on her family’s covered deck. She also likes to mix new items, like the modern Ikea chairs, with her vintage finds.
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Shabby Chic inspiration in Williamsburg, Virginia. The pressure to go Colonial in Williamsburg, Virginia, is hard to resist, but blogger Jennifer Holmes of Dear Lillie gave the look her own stamp. On the screened-in porch of her townhouse, ladderback chairs and silhouettes (on pillows!) are reminiscent of the period, while robin’s-egg-blue dishes, a daybed fashioned from two antique headboards and soft textiles add her own personal style.
Pillows: Dear Lillie; tablecloth, pitcher, blue plates: Target; white plates: Pier 1; chairs: vintage
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Pillows: Dear Lillie; tablecloth, pitcher, blue plates: Target; white plates: Pier 1; chairs: vintage
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Clever repurposing in Illinois. Designer Cathy Zaeske loves a good reuse project almost as much as she loves a catnap on the porch. She had her trusty contractor put together this daybed swing from salvaged pieces, including an old shuttered room divider, a door and vintage scrolls.
Other salvaged pieces on the porch include a dresser with its fourth coat of paint, director’s chairs from a family cabin, a Thai root ball Zaeske repurposed into a light fixture and a 100-year-old ceiling beam from a barn.
Swing paint color: Painter’s Touch 2X Satin Heirloom White general-purpose spray paint, Rust-Oleum
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Other salvaged pieces on the porch include a dresser with its fourth coat of paint, director’s chairs from a family cabin, a Thai root ball Zaeske repurposed into a light fixture and a 100-year-old ceiling beam from a barn.
Swing paint color: Painter’s Touch 2X Satin Heirloom White general-purpose spray paint, Rust-Oleum
Learn more about this DIY project
Logged-in and cozy on a Michigan lake. The sunporch on Sam Wotring and Nicole Ray’s log cabin lake home is lightened up yet still cozy. A leaded glass light fixture placed off center, bright green bench, toile host and hostess chairs and a mix of textures result in a welcoming entertaining space.
Dining table: Bjursta, Ikea; rug: West Elm
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Dining table: Bjursta, Ikea; rug: West Elm
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Perking up a rental in Perth. Interior designer Nelly Reffet added all sorts of personal touches and DIY projects in her family’s rental cottage in Guildford, Perth, Australia. Out on the veranda, the exotic and bright colors of well-tended tropical plants inspired a mix of pinks and oranges, and even a flamingo pillow. Classic wicker furniture and a woven rug finish off the space.
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Breaking the design rules in Maryland. When it comes to decorating her 1970s home, blogger Kathleen Wall charts her own design course. Chippendale railings, animal prints, chinoiserie, garden style, architectural salvage, wicker and ruffles all coexist in harmony out on her porch.
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Ski-inspired style in Ohio. Jason Long proposed to his wife, Elizabeth, at Boston Mills Ski Area, and the first piece of furniture they chose for their new home was a refurbished ski lift chair from those very slopes. The signs on the board-and-batten walls are also from Boston Mills. The family designed the porch as a special place to gather and dine with friends — creating new memories while surrounded by old ones.
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Harrison-Ciacchi is a shrewd garage saler and found inexpensive furniture that could take a beating on the wraparound porch. “Because it is all outside, I won’t spend a lot of money on any of it. I find cheap old junk in the trash or garage sales with cute colors or patterns and make it happen,” she says.
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