Southern Living Porch Style

By Meredith Corporation

The South's most iconic room - the porch - stars in this special collector's edition, full of outdoor decorating ideas and design inspo. Whether you have a front porch, patio, deck, veranda, screened porch, lanai, or even a tiny balcony, you'll find ways to arrange furniture, throw a party, accent with pillows, frame a view, and more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meredith Corporation
• Release date: Mar 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780848701901

Book preview

SOUTHERN CLASSIC

Haint Blue

It’s not a Southern porch without a ceiling painted a unique shade of aqua. Here are our picks for the perfect hue

Spend a weekend house-hunting in Charleston or strolling the streets of Savannah and you’ll likely notice that many of the houses have one thing in common: a sky-blue porch ceiling. While the practice is widespread across much of the South and has even made its way beyond the region, the tradition of painting porch ceilings blue began with the Gullah Geechee communities of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. The Gullah Geechee people painted their doors, window frames, shutters, and porch ceilings blue as a means of protection. They believed the color would act as a sort of repellent for haints, or spirits of the dead, who might try to enter their homes. But if you’re not one for believing in haints, you may still want to paint your porch a nice light blue for a more practical reason: Some say that the color prevents wasps from building nests. —Betsy Cribb

ROGER FOLEY (BASKET)

FRESH IDEAS

The Tree-form Hydrangea

A classic Southern showstopper gets a shapely makeover and a creative new use on the porch

The Big Idea

Bring billowy blooms up to eye level—or higher—with a hydrangea tree. The simple but ingenious concept takes the popular shrub and trains it to grow into a tall and proud tree. If your local garden shop doesn’t carry them, check out some online sources such as the White Flower Farm (whiteflowerfarm.com).

The Details

For this container, we chose a ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea. Selections of panicle hydrangea are the toughest, most adaptable plants that can be grown in tree form. These include Pee Gee hydrangeas, which you can train to grow into 25-foot trees. ‘Limelight’ and ‘Little Lime’ are smaller selections that reach 6 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet tall, respectively. Set it in partial shade, and water whenever the soil is dry to the touch.

KNOW-HOW

Perfecting the Porch

Throwing an outdoor party? Get your porch ready with tips from Senior Editor Zoë Gowen

LAUREY W. GLENN (PORCH); J. SAVAGE GIBSON (SWING)

WE LOVE THIS! Wicker or rattan rolling carts can be set up as a side table or bar. Look for vintage ones or new at serenaandlily.com.

DO A THOROUGH CLEAN.

Spend a morning sweeping away any pollen or leaves and hosing down everything (screens included) so the space is spotless.

DECORATE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

The most laid-back outdoor experiences happen when you're comfortable being barefoot, so slip an outdoor rug onto the floor. This adds coziness to the atmosphere. Remember, it's not a Southern porch without a haint blue-painted ceiling. See for our paint color picks for that.

PICK FURNITURE FOR LONG SITTING SESSIONS.

It doesn't matter where you find it or whether it all matches. (Our advice: Pull from inside your house too.) Seek out sturdy and plush pieces where you and your friends can gather and relax for hours.

MIX UP CONTAINERS AND COCKTAILS.

Make a run to your garden store to buy something hardy and green (such as a potted palm tree, which should last all season) to complete the connection to the lush outdoors. Serve plenty of drinks (including water) to beat the heat.

INSTANT UPGRADE

New Uses for Rope

Try these quick ideas for adding farmhouse charm

PORCH SWING For an instant—and super inexpensive—makeover, hang your wooden porch swing with rope (instead of the standard chain) for a new look.

HANGING BASKET Another brilliant use of rope: Use it to secure baskets of ferns or flowers on your porch with a large pulley.

KNOW-HOW

Happy Hour

Every good hostess has a