By Jennifer Shapira
Mary Kirk Menefee has comforting memories of childhood visits to her grandparents’ house in Louisville, Kentucky. The summers there are like those here, she says, calling up everyone’s favorite oppressive-climate adjectives: “sweltering, hot, humid.” There was a certain charm associated with those lazy afternoons, she says, in the dog days before air conditioning became ubiquitous.
For her, the history of the front porch’s purpose is personal. In terms of its connection to the South, she says, the porch was where you went to escape the heat, where a cool breeze would blow through. The experience was communal: Neighbors would sit outside in their rockers with cold drinks and call out to one another.
“I spent a lot of time on that front porch, sitting out there eating homemade ice cream or sitting in the glider watching people go by,” recalls Menefee, a landscape designer for Merrifield Garden Center. “It’s an old-fashioned experience, and I loved it.”
She has drawn up countless such spaces for clients, always striving for just the right combination of private and welcoming. Taking into account a homeowner’s personality, likes, dislikes and activity patterns, Menefee sets about creating an open-walled outdoor room by factoring in air circulation, lighting and seating. She ticks off a mix of perfect possibilities from furniture to fans to ferns.
“An entry is not complete without plants,” she says, adding that container gardening continues to grow in popularity. “Hanging baskets are an absolute must for front porches,” she says, citing their unexpected eye-level appeal. We are so used to seeing plants at ground level, she says, that hanging them above adds an element of surprise. It’s especially nice to hang pots between a porch’s columns, “like frilly, full flowers or great big Boston ferns like you see down South,” she says. “It does so many things to have plants; it’s an instant softener. It’s human and delightful and not harsh in any way,” she says. And as a bonus, they provide a transition between a home’s public and private spaces.
“Ferns look so porch-y to me,” agrees Arlington homeowner and porch enthusiast Sharon Davis. Her Victorian home’s wraparound porch has served as the backdrop for a number of local events. From flowers to furniture, she likes to try her hand at different color combinations. She spent summers on Long Island and recalls the whitewashed wicker furniture on her grandparents’ front porch. Ultimately, she strove to recreate that nostalgic scene, adding a romantic porch swing and a couple of rocking chairs. Davis embellishes with accent pillows in colors like yellow and turquoise and mixes in her own standbys. She’d like to score some rocking chairs that match the cranberry trim of her windows, but for now she’s sticking with white ones because she says “they show up so nicely” from a distance.
And that’s important for a front porch, says interior designer Kelly Pitcairn Holland, owner of KPH Studio in Arlington. Think about the size of your porch, and scale the furniture accordingly. Having a few great pieces of furniture like a swing or a pair of rocking chairs as opposed to smaller items “is cleaner and more peaceful,” she says. “You see front porches, if you’re driving by, from a distance, so it’s nice to see a couple of things you can recognize.”
Some of her favorite items are “nice, big lanterns—ones that are two and three feet tall with candles in them are really nice to have. To see that glow coming from a front porch is really pretty.”
She also loves the flexibility of a pair of garden seats. Use them inside as end tables then bring them out to the front porch for extra seating. For the color-shy, choose subdued hues and patterns; for those who want to go bold, go for splashes of color.
When it comes to cushions, experts say even indoor-outdoor fabrics should be well-cared for. To prolong their lives, clean furniture and cushions and shelve them inside during winter. If storage is an issue, Holland and other local experts favor Christopher’s, a Fairfax-based company that will pick up cushions, clean and warehouse them then return them sparkling and ready for spring. Another porch must is a classic ceiling fan. The whirring cools down the space and keeps away mosquitoes.
Simply put, a front porch should be welcoming, says Holland. It’s a landing point, a place to pause before you walk into someone’s home.
But even without a defined or dedicated porch space, there are ways to improvise. Kick up a front stoop with a couple of bright-colored ceramic pots. Test out your green thumb and plant something of interest. If you like to cook, try growing a favorite herb. Like cut flowers? Pot some Gerbera daisies in a color of your preference. Just be sure to take into account your home’s sun or shade exposure.
Think about extending your outdoor living space even just a few feet. Make a couple of quick upgrades and create a place to wind down with a cold drink on a warm night. And that just might evoke some feelings of nostalgia.
(April 2015)
