Home Porches Sunroom Sanctuaries To Swoon Over Meet your home’s next great escape. By Grace Haynes Grace Haynes Grace is a former Associate Homes Editor for Southern Living. She covered a variety of topics for print and digital, from design and flower arranging to cottage gardens and pets. Before moving to the Homes team, she joined Southern Living as a copy editor. Off the clock, find her strolling through neighborhoods around the South to admire the houses and snapping photos of colorful front doors. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Imagine relaxing in a sunny spot, curled up with a good book or a beverage, that feels like you're enjoying the great outdoors without actually being in the great outdoors. Enter the sunroom, the ultimate sun-drenched retreat for soaking up some much-needed vitamin D. What is a sunroom? Also called a Florida room, a sunroom is a glass-enclosed porch or a living room. These spaces usually have large windows or glass walls on three sides (plus skylights, sometimes) to maximize natural light and show off outside views. Practicality reigns in these indoor-outdoor rooms; enjoy morning coffee or evening cocktails in these bug-free zones rain or shine. They're also a prime spot for houseplant collections. Three-season sunrooms are built without AC and are enjoyed in spring, summer, and fall (usually with a ceiling fan for cooling off during hotter months). Other four-season, insulated versions can be lived in year-round. Find inspiration for your home's next great escape with these five sunny sanctuaries. Wall-to-wall iron rods with rings allow the curtains to be pulled easily to reveal the full expanse of windows or block strong sunshine. Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Because the front door opens to the sunroom in decorator Lindsey Ellis Beatty's Birmingham home, she needed it to make a splashy first impression. She transformed the former porch with plush upholstered pieces and a mix of vibrant textiles. Laurey W. Glenn Designer Grace Kaynor turned a dark office into a breezy solarium in this New Orleans home. She wrapped the space in sky blue latticework and installed black-and-white checkerboard tile flooring. Tidy topiaries connect the room to the courtyard outside. Marili Forastieri; Styling: Barbara Schmidt For her parents' Charleston, South Carolina, home, designer Jenny Keenan dressed up the sunny space with a geometric floor design and a quartet of comfy armchairs for cocktails and conversation. Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Kiera Coffee The upstairs sunroom (set just off the primary bedroom in EJ Brown's Florence, Alabama, cabin) feels like a treehouse. She filled this cozy retreat with a collection of vintage and antique finds. Laurey W. Glenn In his New Orleans rancher, designer Shaun Smith swathed this sun-laden lounge in Farrow & Ball's Chappell Green (No. 83). With a seagrass carpet, woven shades, and a leafy green palette, the sunroom feels like an extension of the backyard. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Designer for this Atlanta home, Allison Allen, relied on throwback elements, like treillage, to ramp up the nostalgia in the sunroom. When a local craftsperson’s quote for creating this look proved to be too expensive, the owners installed The Home Depot’s ready-made lattice with help from a friend. Allen reupholstered pieces she found in the attic in an indoor-outdoor buffalo check and hung an oversize paper lantern. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit