Innovative touches and durable decor make a custom home’s back porch fit for year-round living
Porches are synonymous with spring and summer, but this newly built custom home’s expansive back porch is different. Thanks to Trehel Tailored Homes’ innovative touches and Amanda Louise Interiors’ dose of durable elements, it has become an inviting spot for indoor-outdoor living in every season.
A wide cased opening–outfitted with bi-folding doors–connects the porch to the adjacent living room, creating “a seamless barrier between the two spaces,” says Matt Ruth, team leader at Trehel Tailored Homes.
The team at Amanda Louise Interiors infused the porch with the green hues used throughout the interior, starting by selecting the same green paint that coats the office and library for the vaulted ceiling. “It makes it a little bit cozier,” says Amanda Louise Campbell, ALI’s founder and principal designer.
Because the space was designed for enjoyment in all types of weather, Campbell wanted to ensure its furnishings and decor were “durable enough to withstand the elements if it is treated as an open-air porch, and also to make it an extension of the living room.”
The two rooms flow together, thanks to an eclectic mix of furnishings and varied lighting. Antique pieces add another layer to the design.
- “Those two rooms feel like one massive space” when the doors are open, says Matt Ruth, noting that a vaulted tongue-and-groove ceiling and three oversized windows also make the porch “feel more open and spacious.”
- Retractable screens and vinyl panels concealed in the soffits allow the windows to be easily opened, screened, or closed, depending on the weather. Two ceiling-mounted infrared heaters and a wood-burning fireplace–flanked by diamond-patterned windows that complement the front facade’s transom windows–warm the porch in cooler months.
- The wicker sofas and slipcovered chairs resemble pieces “you would have on the interior of your home,” Campbell says, adding that their weather-resistant fabrics feel “more like interior textiles.”
- Two interior lamps—rewired with wet-rated plugs—atop the custom console create cozy yet durable lighting, while the Troy Florian chandelier, in black iron, defines the dining area.
- There’s a faux-bois dining table—Campbell’s carpenter crafted its tabletop with an exterior-rated finish—along with an Asian-inspired bench from the homeowners’ previous residence and a washstand that can be used as a bar. “We thought its washed pine and natural marble would be great in an outdoor space, and if it wore, it would only look more patinaed,” Campbell says.
Want to see more? Learn about the rest of this custom home in the summer issue of atHome magazine, athomeupstate.com.
