10 Ways to Enjoy a Screened Porch This Fall
Fall is prime time for enjoying a protected indoor-outdoor space like a screened porch. Here you can take a look at how design pros have set up screened porches around the country for fall fun, dinners, conversations and naps. Let them inspire a new setup or activity for your own porch. If you don’t have a screened porch, perhaps it will inspire an addition.
1. Watch Wildlife
Part of an addition by Hammer Architects, this porch overlooks woods and open fields along the Pamet River in Truro, Massachusetts. The untamed Cape Cod setting is just the spot for watching wildlife with binoculars or listening for birdcalls.
2. Nap
On this small Rhode Island porch, a swing outfitted as a daybed is perfect for a midafternoon nap. A handy basket holds blankets at the ready for crisp fall days.
3. Get Away From It All
Bonaventura Architect designed this dreamy garden pavilion in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The screened structure overlooks a beautiful private garden, providing a calming oasis in the city.
4. Have Intimate Conversations
A long, narrow porch runs along the side of this beach home, located on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Surfside Home made the most of the modest-size space with two armchairs and a woven ottoman, creating an intimate area where family members can catch up, recall memories and share advice.
5. Take In the View
Allard + Roberts Interior Design added cushy armchairs to this screened porch. They provide relaxing seating for enjoying the views and the action on North Carolina’s Lake Lure. The arrangement around the circular cocktail table also encourages conversation.
6. Play Games
This Whitefish, Montana, porch built by Denman Construction allows the breezes to flow through it. While the space has multiple seating options, the game table is where friends and family while away the hours playing backgammon or card games.
7. Catch the Big Game
Football weekends and crisp fall air go hand in hand. Duet Design Studio set up this porch in Richmond, Virginia, as an inviting open-air spot for watching the Virginia Cavaliers play the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Note: If you have an outdoor TV, be aware of how it could affect the neighbors. Keep the volume at a reasonable level or invite them to join you on big game days.
8. Throw a Party
Pursley Dixon Architecture and Kingswood Custom Homes set up this Kiawah, South Carolina, coastal home for indoor-outdoor living. The expansive screened porch has room for plenty of folks to gather, and the bar station makes it easy to have an impromptu fall cocktail hour.
9. Dine Alfresco
The summer heat in Dallas finally relents in the fall, making it a good time of year for casual meals on the porch. Urbanology Designs outfitted this screened porch with comfortably curved and cushioned dining chairs that invite people to linger after dinner.
10. Enjoy a Hot Toddy
Of course, fall can mean very different things in different parts of the country. In Big Sky, Montana, it means the start of snow season. And a roaring fire, blankets and warm drinks are musts for après-ski. The hearty types who hang out on this porch by Centre Sky Architecture can welcome home the rest of their cohort as they arrive down the slope.