These 2024 Trends Will Make The Porch Your Favorite Room In The House
Porch sittin’ is always in style. Here’s how to make sure your outdoor space feels equally up-to-date.
A good porch for rocking, talking, and watching the world go by is an essential part of the Southern home. For us, they’re not an afterthought, tacked to the front or back of the house solely for appearances’ sake. They’re a place where we entertain friends, spend time with family, and catch up with neighbors—a space as integrated into our daily lives as the kitchen or the living room. And given that these outdoor spots are extensions of our interiors, we love making them as welcoming and comfortable as possible. Here are the porch trends our experts are anticipating for 2024.
More Room
These days, when it comes to the size of your porch, bigger really is better. “I am starting to see a trend toward larger outdoor entertaining porches on the back of homes,” says Bill Holloway, partner and lead designer at Hattiesburg, Mississippi’s Lake + Land Studio (who was also responsible for the residential design of our 2023 Southern Living Idea House). “In the last year, I had several clients ask for huge porches so that they can host family gatherings or have a group of friends over to watch a game and grill outdoors.”
Extra-Comfy Seating
Think beyond rocking chairs and joggling boards, and treat your outdoor perches to the same layers of comfort and design that you give to those inside. “One trend that will never go away for a front porch is a rocking chair, however, really cozy seating has taken its place in some ways: oversized porch swings in beautiful fabrics and full of cozy pillows, lush club chairs and ottomans, and outdoor floor pillows,” say Kelly Revels and Bryce Brock, the creatives behind St. Simons Island, Georgia’s The Vine, a gift shop and garden market.
Better Lighting
Illuminate your space more thoughtfully to foster hospitality and conversation even after the sun’s gone down, says Jacksonville, Florida, designer Andrew Howard. “[With traditional approaches to porch lighting], it either seems like they produce an amount of light that would be ample for surgery, or it’s pitch black.” Rather than exclusively using overhead lighting, the decorator plans to incorporate more wall lighting this year, as well as dimmable overhead options—all in the name of a higher quality of light. “I am going to focus a lot more on bulb counts, wattage, and lighting locations to get an amount of illumination that seems just right,” he says. “I feel like we’ve learned how to do this inside our homes, and it’s time to apply those same principles outdoors.”
Charleston, South Carolina-based designer Kate Towill of Basic Projects also uses light to create an inviting atmosphere: “I love a floor or table lamp on a porch with a regular shade that comes in when winds get high. There isn’t a more welcoming look than a glowing lamp on a porch in the early evening.”
Plenty of Plants
Given that porches are an easy bridge between indoors and out, it only makes sense to fill them with lush, living things. “We are still seeing a lot of focus on entry containers, but with an elevated design in the container and the planter,” say Revels and Brock. “Mixing a modern planter with a cottage, for example, can introduce an element of design that you wouldn’t expect, but it works.” The duo also recommends thinking beyond these predictable front-porch displays. “As an extension of your indoor space, consider your plants part of that story as well,” they advise. “Using potted orchids and other tabletop-sized plants on your porch suggests a living space outdoors.”
Outdoor Kitchens and Fireplaces
If your definition of a porch is limited to a nostalgically creaky wooden thing with just enough room for a pair of rocking chairs, think again. The porches of the present—and future—are full-blown destinations for entertaining. “Built-in outdoor kitchens and fireplaces are becoming more common than not on all of our new back porch designs,” notes Holloway.
A Cocktail Set-Up
It’s always nice to welcome friends and neighbors with a glass of lemonade or the house cocktail, so keeping all of the bar essentials at hand is one way to make the porch a more functional and enjoyable space. Before you sacrifice your plant stand or take over a garden table, shop around online for some weather-resistant offerings specifically designed with front porch happy hours in mind. “There are a lot of great outdoor bar cart options out now,” say Revels and Brock.
For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Southern Living.
