If you’ve ever sat on someone else’s screened porch in Calgary, you understand the peace of enjoying the best of summer in the city while getting all the benefits of being inside. If you’ve not had the joy of being on a screened porch, then this has to be the year that you make the ultimate backyard upgrade.
How A Screened Porch Works
A screened porch is a great addition to your outside space because it’s such a simple structure to add. It’s typically built on top of an existing deck (or patio, at a push), and connects to the external walls of your home through screws and ties. The money saving part comes from its construction, which is basically a post and beam format with a solid roof and screen walls. The screens, made from insect proof mesh, is what makes it magical during a Calgary summer. You’ll get all the sunshine, cooling breezes and views out over your garden without having to worry about the strong overhead sun or the biting insects that can spoil any outside time in the city.
Bring The Outdoors Inside
Your new screened porch instantly blends the boundaries between inside and outside given the lack of solid walls combined with a solid roof over your head. You can continue to bring the outdoors inside with some of these ideas:
- Choose outdoor textures – the overall vibe of a room is always about how you decorate the space, and this often comes down to which textures and materials you choose. Picking slightly rougher textures, such as a burlap rug, wicker chairs or driftwood picture frames, will conjure up the feeling of being outside from the comfort of your indoor space. You can complement these touches with some soft furnishings like a soft throw blanket to snuggle under or a large beanbag chair for younger family members to relax in during the summer evenings.
- Find outdoor furniture – another approach to blend the boundaries between indoors and outdoors is to use furniture that you would typically use on your deck or patio. While this could include a set of comfy folding lounge chairs, it can also be an outdoor set of wicker arm chairs and a long sofa. For some extra warmth in the spring and fall evenings, consider a small electric fire pit to use as a central focus point for your screened porch.
- Bring the plants inside – finally, you can make you and your family feel like they’re stepping directly into the garden by bringing some of your potted plants from the garden to the screened porch, and put them next to some of your indoor houseplants that would thrive in additional heat and humidity. Consider having some hanging from the rafter and aim for a mixture of colours and sizes to create a unique visual effect. Finish the outdoor feel to your indoor space by picking out interesting plant pot designs; this can act as your artistic finishing touches while also looking after your plant babies all summer long.
