I took on the renovation of a Queen Anne Victorian house. Our plan was to restore the once-grand family home back to its original state, with appropriate modern improvements.
The things that drew us to this house over others were a mixed bag of details. Although the house was shabby, it had a stellar location in our neighborhood, between another newly-restored Victorian and one of the landmark inns in our beachfront community. A shingled tower rose from the second floor on the front of the house. But the feature that sold me on this house was front and center-a wrap-around porch, with turned pilasters and columns, and the perfect gingerbread detailing near the ceiling of the porch.
We finished the house, spending too much money and taking too much time. But I was proud to call that the finished product my home. One of the best parts of finishing that project was being able to enjoy the view from my front porch.
Not every porch was as grand as ours, but the owners all seemed to enjoy whatever outdoor space they had by selecting porch furniture that was comfortable and stylish, and that supports the way they lived their lives.
Nearly all the other houses in my neighborhood shared Victorian roots and were graced with Victorian porches. People in my neighborhood actually used their porches-they dined there, threw parties, and chatted with neighbors. Each porch was outfitted with different kinds of porch furniture. Besides the ubiquitous porch swings, it was rare to find a porch without a pair of rocking chairs. High-backed rockers, made of wooden slats, painted white or stained natural, were the favored form of porch furniture, next to porch swings. We could find them at the discount department stores, home improvement stores-even the country restaurant sold the rockers that furnished the waiting area outside its entrance. Selecting porch furniture was not a chore at all.
The first birthday I celebrated in my restored Victorian, my family gave me a classic gift of porch furniture--a wooden porch swing. We painted it to match the trim on the house, and added accents that matched the gingerbread detail. That gift got me started loving life on my front porch.
An antique store near my house carried a line of rustic porch furniture made from wood salvaged from neighborhood construction projects. At $35 each, I bought four Adirondack chairs that still serve me well.
I noticed that a second-floor porch often held porch furniture that was different from porch furniture on a ground-floor porch. My next-door neighbor hung a hammock on the porch outside the upstairs master bedroom. She had a second-floor back porch, too, and she outfitted it with a small dining table and chairs, so she could enjoy morning coffee above her small back yard.
A more unusual choice of porch furniture showed up on more than one upper porch-a day bed. Before the days of air conditioning, it was not unusual for a family to move out to their upper porches to sleep. The idea remains popular; day beds with weather-resistant mattresses are available from porch furniture stores, catalogs, and websites. I can imagine taking a nap on a Sunday afternoon or even sleeping overnight on a summer night.
After you choose porch furniture, consider accessories to make your porch a little more like an outdoor room. Outdoor lighting-both lamps and sconces-lets you enjoy quiet evenings outside. Add a few plant stands, end tables, and outdoor rugs, and your porch becomes a true outdoor living space.
