You may be a homeowner, condo owner, rent an apartment or rent out to vacationers in Dallas, Texas. Regardless of your residence style, having a screened-in porch can be very beneficial and a wanted item in your home.
Screened-In Porches
Many would agree that they are the perfect blend of outdoor and indoor environments. They give out a relaxed, non-formal vibe while protecting its inhabitants from rainy, blustery weather or the ravages of a scorching summer sun and insects of all kinds.
Hybrid Nature of Screened-In Porches
It’s not completely inside, and not completely outside, some folks may wonder just how to decorate their porch or how to make it express their personality. Knowing how to show off your screened-in porch can be quite useful in creating the atmosphere you want.
Simply put, in most cases you can think of your porch as similar in function to a living room. It’s there to invite one or more of these: relaxation, lounging, reading, listening to music, discussion, and entertainment.
What elements can you use to have an inviting living space?
1. Make it Your Oasis
Porches are normally meant to be relaxing, and fun. It’s here where you can play around with color and design in a way you might not in a more formal setting.
One way of doing this is by playing with themes. This is a fun way to bring elements together in a more focused way.
Beach theme: white wicker lounge chairs, light color palette, light white sheer curtains, touches of turquoise and blue reflected in pillows and rugs.
Tropical Island theme: Palm trees, tropical flowers and plants, wild animal sculptures or paintings, brightly colored accessories such as pillows and rugs.
Garden theme: local flowers and plants, insect inspired trinkets such as butterflies, ladybugs and dragonflies.
Farmhouse theme: Neutral palette, lots of wood, rugs in jute, sisal or wool, painted or distressed furniture, greenery against white walls, and rocking chairs.
2. Add Color
If using a particular theme is not to your liking, knowing a bit about color theory can help to create a harmonious atmosphere.
Calming and relaxing colors include pale tones such as pale blue, green, lavender, yellow white, cream or beige.
Bold, bright and enlivening – bright shades of red, orange, blue, green and yellow
Complimentary colors –this color scheme matches two colors from the opposite sides of the artist’s color wheel and the result is high contrast in colors that tend to be bright and bold. A few examples are: Red and green; yellow and purple; orange and blue.
Analogous colors – The colors in this grouping are somewhat similar and sit beside each other on the color wheel, either to the left or right.
Here are a few examples of analogous color schemes: These colors have a layered, more subtle effect than complementary colors. Try mixing these similar colors with accessories such as pillows, rugs, drapes, wall colors, art work etc.
- Yellow, yellow-green, green
- Violet, red-violet, and red
- Red, red-orange, orange
- Blue, blue-violet, violet
The above are just a couple of examples of color schemes.
If you’re new to color design and interested to learn more, there are many books, online articles and even apps that explain color combinations based on the artists’ color wheel.
3. Furniture and Accessories
Wicker, bamboo, wood and aluminum are all popular choices for porches. Wrought iron is also a nice option but is very heavy to move around. If using wood, it’s important to stain it as the sun may fade and even discolor the wood.
The size of your porch will determine the amount and size of the furniture you choose. For a small porch, you may want to limit yourself to a couple of easy chairs or perhaps a small love seat with a side table or two.
Larger porches can add larger pieces.
- Wooden bench with storage or a chest to store blankets for cooler weather
- Porch swing
- Hammock
- Rocking chair
- Adirondack chairs
- Chaise lounge
- Wooden tables for plants
Use mildew-resistant outdoor linens, pillows and throws made of sturdy material, and colorful indoor/outdoor rugs. Keeping mold and mildew out of your sunroom or screened-in porch is easy with these tips.
4. Drapes Add Privacy, Beauty and Protection from the Sun
Even in a screened-in porch, there may be days when the sun is a bit too strong for comfort. Some screens have UV protection added but if that is not the case drapes or blinds are a good option. These will also help prevent your furniture and certain types of flooring from fading.
Lovely sheer white curtains add delicacy and class. Blinds that can be rolled up when not needed are very practical and block out strong rays.
5. Make Your Walls a Design Statement
Whether you have one wall or more in your porch, consider giving it a paint job and make it a highlight of your porch. Whether you paint it in austere white, pastel blue or make it really pop with a bright color, it will provide a lovely backdrop to any artwork, murals, baskets, decorative plates or whatever you decide will show off your porch to its fullest.
6. For Cooler Days and Nights
While you might not use your porch on the coldest days of winter, you can continue to make use of your porch on those autumn and spring days and nights when it’s a little nippy out there.
Most screened-in porches don’t have installed heating but adding a small portable electric fireplace or a simple space heater can add warmth and coziness.
Be sure to add extra cozy throws, fluffy blankets and oversized pillows. If you already have a large rug installed, you can add small plush rugs in front of chairs and sofas to add warmth, color and comfort.
Looking for ideas on decorating your sunroom? Check out How to Decorate a Small Sunroom to learn more.
Sunshine Sunrooms has been helping homeowners design and build beautiful sunrooms, porches, and pergolas since 1993. Call us at (972) 243-5390 for all your design, construction, and repair needs or contact us online to request a quote.
