We Southerners are well known for loving our porches. Is there a nicer memory than eating meals with your family on screened porches or swinging the night away on a beautifully crafted porch swing? We make up for our mild winters with hot, humid summers, and despite the fact that contemporary air conditioning may have rendered the deep porches of yore superfluous, the Southern way of life simply cannot conceive of a home without a porch. Our outdoor areas, which range from patios to porches, are an extension of our homes and can serve a variety of purposes depending on our requirements, like entertaining guests or serving as a private retreat (or both!). It’s time to add some personal flair to your outside space once you’ve decided on the purpose of your porch or patio. Check out a few

1.Bring the Indoors Out With Plush Furnishings

LAUREY W.GLENN

Furnishings with an interior influence like the rug, sofa, and lamps look great in an outdoor room too. Colorful blooming containers in varying sizes create a garden setting. With plush furnishings, you can elevate the traditional farmhouse porch into a vibrant place to relax with a cold beverage, watching the sun go down on a warm afternoon. Here, shades of coral adorn pillows, which play well with the bustling, flower-filled containers. All of the flower displays are housed in neutral containers, which blend seamlessly into the porch setting. The neutral hues, with a bit of subtle, visual interest added by gray and tan bands at the top, ensure that the containers are always prepared for an evolving color scheme.

02.Mix Eclectic Prints for Modern Cottage Charm

PHOTO: ERICA GEORGE DINES

Just off the kitchen, this Athens, Georgia, screened porch connects the interior to the patio for seamless entertaining. An enormous, dazzling wall of windows brings the outdoors inside for the sensation of al fresco living and dining. This porch is a master class in print and pattern mixing. The bench cushions are upholstered in a sea-inspired print, which, while a pattern, serves as a grounding, neutral base for the panoply of patterns represented in the porch’s throw pillows. The cream base ties it all together, providing a soothing and connective backdrop for the pillow hues—assorted peaches, greens, blues, navies, and grays. A distressed table and chairs add to the ambiance.

3. Screen In A Happy Place

ALISON GOOTEE; STYLING BY DAKOTA WILLIMON

The screened porch is original (haint blue ceiling and all!) to the respectfully restored parsonage turned home that it’s attached to, but homeowner Sarah Tucker updated the space with new floor tiles, a swinging porch bed, and a small dining table perfect for early breakfasts or late-night dinners. “It’s one of my favorite spots in the house, especially when it rains,” says Tucker. She styled the outdoor spread with scalloped rattan place mats from Crate and Barrel, dishes from Kate Spade, and a centerpiece in a Lettuce Ware Pitcher from Tory Burch.

4. Mix Modern Touches With Southern Classics

PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURA MOSS, STYLING: NATASHA LOUISE KING

On this porch, or piazza, classic white wicker furniture is dressed with zesty, bold pillows in a fun pattern. Together, the classic white wicker and the modern India-inspired motif are marked by striking color, natural textures and materials, and classic Southern design with a modern, upbeat edge. The elegant white, barrel-style garden stools are multi-purpose. In this porch vignette, they are positioned in front of the sofa, creating extra seating or a perfect place to rest a book, lamp, or drink. The plants on this porch are subtle, with a red flowering planter that complements the hues included in the sofa pillows and a classic fern in an earthy golden pot.

5. Invite Nature With Organic Textures and Tones

PHOTO BY NANCY NOLAN

The stone fireplace creates a focal point, adds a heat source, and visually links the porch with the rock columns inside. The fireplace is practical and stunning. Flanked by container-columns that hold chopped wood, it is a year-round focal point for the room, and in winter, it becomes a practical feature, ensuring that no one will need to go outside to chop wood in the cold weather. The light-wood furniture is arranged in a “U” formation to create an optimal seating arrangement for the space. The cushions are covered in a lovely, soothing, ocean-toned fabric, which complements the light wood of the furniture and the earthy, light sandstone hues of the fireplace.

5. Call On a Craftsperson

DANE TASHIMA; STYLING: BUFFY HARGETT MILLER

“We hired a cabana whisperer,” says the homeowner of this Mississippi escape. “I dreamed it up and drew it out; then our builder, J.R. Walsh (of One Coast Homes), made the dream come true!” The homeowners found the fern-frond chandelier on Chairish. The sturdy vinyl mat on the ground, which convincingly mimics the look of Portuguese tile, came from the online shop Hudson & Vine. The resulting bounty reinforces what the couple calls the Palm Beach-meets-Bahamas-meets-Fantasy Island vibe.

7. Combine Rustic and Cozy Pieces for Relaxed Style

PHOTO: LAUREY W. GLENN

The ideal place to watch Texas sunrises and sunsets, this porch makes the most of its surroundings. A traditional white wooden porch swing is made cozier with blue-and-white cotton pillows from HomeGoods. Below, a warm, tan-toned rug with a subtle, neutral pattern grounds the space. A rustic bench serves as a side table, which is styled with a functioning lantern—perfect for adding ambience to starry, midsummer nights—and a simple, fuschia flower arrangement which adds a pop of color to the blue, white, and tan color scheme. A basket underneath the bench is a nice place to tuck away extra pillows and a few cozy blankets for crisp nights when the Texas weather turns slightly cooler.

8. Update Wicker With Bright, Modern Details

LAUREY W. GLENN

Wicker has officially transcended its stereotype. We’ve heard rumors that wicker can be seen as old-fashioned and fussy, but we think that, styled with bright, modern details, there’s nothing prettier, more delicate, and porch-perfect. These small-scale white wicker seating pieces were purchased at Pier 1 Imports. Their size and style ensures that the furniture will not overpower this small back porch. This condensed vignette doesn’t trade scale for style though. Beige-and-white striped cushions were made to fit the chairs and sofa, and the effect is one of a polished, inviting outdoor space. Clusters of bright flowers in vases and porch corners filled with low-to-the-ground green plants in woven baskets complete the scene.

9. Pick Furniture Pieces to Scale

At only 130 square feet, Southern Living Editor Sid Evans’ porch is too small for a dining table or sofa, but it’s the idea place for conversation and a cocktail. The solution: a stunning coffee table made from four slices of a maple tree, a set of four casual leather-wrapped rattan chairs, and a bright cobalt rug to cover an unattractive brick floor. Two fiddle-leaf figs frame the space, which are ideal plants for a small space with great light. Two small, simple potted plants are set atop the cross-sections of maple, as well as a few favorite books. Not pictured: a simple stocked bar with all the fixings for a classic Old Fashioned.

10. Complement Elegant Surroundings With Understated Styling

PHOTO: LAUREY W. GLENN

With surroundings as elegant as these—oaks dripping with moss and stately columns—less is more in terms of porch styling. A zinc-topped cypress tree-trunk table blends seamlessly into the landscape, as do the weathered urns and pots the designer found at Atlanta’s Scott Antique Markets. Topped with an arrangement of gorgeous, vibrant hydrangeas, the flowers provide one pop of color, and one is all this porch needs. The rest—white and beige and green—create the most sophisticated Southern scene. For evening lounging, the chandelier is lowered on a rustic rope; when its candles are lit, the magical scenario is complete.

11. Go Nautical With Classic Details

PHOTO: LAUREY W. GLENN

A front porch gets the nautical treatment, without looking cliché, with blue-and-white patterned pillows and a striped rug. Carved teak furniture and a rope-woven side table—in honey-warm tones—complement the sea-inspired blue textiles and home’s deep-green exterior. White details—upholstery, coffee table, lampshade, ceiling, and trim—add brightness and contrast.

12. Balance Transitional Style With a Rustic Surround

PHOTOS BY JEAN ALLSOPP

Substantial, sturdy outdoor furniture sets the scene for front porch dining. Transitional styling—simple lines and natural teak—make this lovely dining set at home anywhere, including the primitive exterior of this cottage. It complements the tree trunk columns without exactly matching the woods of the cottage’s exterior. This adds additional visual interest and intensifies the rustic theme of the setting. With a porch long and wide enough for different furniture moments, here we have one side of the porch ideal for a breakfast, lunch, or dinner for six, and a casual seating area on the other side of the porch, perfect for mid-day lounging or after-dinner drinks.