Outdoor living spaces surging in popularity

HUNTINGTON -- Porch sitting could be considered an art form.

It's a place where one can perfect the enjoyment of a cup of coffee in the early morning or exercise their skills of observation. It's a place where the art of conversation is exhibited. It's a place of meditation and contemplation as the day winds into evening. The beauty of it is that it takes years to perfect this art form.

Porches can be a gathering place for friends and family. Huntington resident Crissy McDonald and her family enjoy their porch year round.

"It's another living space for us," she said. "My husband and I enjoy sitting out here watching the change of seasons. We can keep an eye on the kids playing and visit with neighbors."

The McDonalds are an example of how many folks are bringing the inside outside.

Architecturally, the porch has been around for a long time. The Europeans brought their versions with them as they settled North America, and we have altered them to fit our purposes. In the south, the sweeping verandas with great trees shading them brought a respite from the heat of the day. In the north, they were an additional cover from the winter weather.

Porches have been ever popular with the American public except for a brief period of time after World War II. This was the era when we were building the ranch-style homes with carports and just a stoop instead of a porch. We were busy embracing air conditioning and turning inward. However, the trend didn't last. Porches are just too enjoyable to ignore and today's floor plans embrace these outside rooms.

Many folks are looking at renovation to add porches. Jackie Craven, who writes a Guide to Architecture for About.com, has several suggestions for folks looking to add a porch to their home. She suggests that the size needs to be in keeping with the proportion of the house, and the roof lines need to be in sync with what is already on the structure. An added-on porch also needs to align with the character and detail of the overall home. This may be a good opportunity to consult an architect who can help plan an addition that will show a home to its best advantage.

In older homes, the porches tended to be to the front or side of a house. An example of this can be found on Huntington's south side where many of the homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s. Homes were close to one another, and neighbors did, and still do, visit from porch to porch.

Some even go so far as to drop the term porch and call them outdoor living rooms. With many folks screening their porches, adding music systems and outdoor kitchens they truly are making an additional room to the home. One source suggests that making porches an all-year room is as simple as adding an outside heater.

It's now common to see people decorate their porches from ceiling to floor. It's a place where a bit of whimsy, such as painting a ceiling sky blue, can take over. Porches are practically made for plants, plants and more plants, which help add privacy, coziness and beauty to this outside area. Furnishings for porches are nearly limitless with new upholstery that is colorful and weather friendly. Whether big white rocking chairs or comfy wicker sofas, the furniture styles are as varied as the people who enjoy the porches.

If porch sitting is an art form you would like to learn more about, then the first step is to have a porch. Once that is accomplished, the rest is easy.

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch

Karey Elizabeth McClellan, 5, and her brother Charlie McClellan, 3, eat some apples while sitting on their grandmother’s porch April 12. Next door is the McDonald family playing Scrabble and waiting on some breakfast.