Spring is finally in full swing and we all want to enjoy every second of it, whether it’s a little cool or wonderfully sunny and warm. If you’re one of those fortunate human beings who owns a home with a sunroom, this is probably its season of glory. Sunrooms are fabulous spaces when well-appointed. But they do entail an innate challenge: how exactly to make them the best version of what they are, that indoor space with the pretension of being an outdoor one. Let’s look at some tips that will take your sunroom from drab to dreamy, making it a place you will relish this season and all year round.
1. Colors: Given the type of space, I would stick to anything that brings out the brightness and outdoor feel so typical of a sunroom. If it’s a sunny place with no huge trees blocking the sunlight, light colors or white are great. Touches of light and fresh greens add to that feeling of freshness too. Natural, organic colors work wonderfully too.


2. Materials: Use hard floors as a base for a sunroom. Tiles, wood, stone, or even a nicely installed cement floor in a modern sunroom can look great. Anything that emphasizes a natural feel in general works well, including wood, bamboo and wicker. To soften the space and add color incorporate pillows, rugs and light fixtures. Use area rugs to soften floors. No wall-to-wall carpets though!! That’s just gross. The exception to this would be sisal or seagrass. Those are obvious options, and beautiful too!



3. Furniture: It’s kind of a given, but furniture for a sunroom should add to that relaxed outdoor feel. Wicker is a beautiful classic, but upholstered furniture also works well for a cozy, comfortable feel. Metal and wood too! Finally, this is the kind of indoor space that allows for a hanging chair or a hammock with all due dignity.


4. The Plants! In general, I like flowers in the home. And here and there I sometimes may like a plant, but I’m very picky about what plants actually look good and enhance the beauty of a home. Most don’t. And I’d actually get rid of most indoor plants altogether. What can I say… But...! Yes, there is always a but… The sunroom is a wonderful place for indoor plants (and even a great place to overwinter your more delicate garden plants). This is probably the one space in the home in which you have an infinity of plant choices: bananas, elephant ears, ferns, palms, orange or lemon trees, and why not, even a bougainvillea, jasmin or azalea. What a glorious space it becomes! Overall, if possible use large plants with big leaves or bright flowers, and complement with smaller ones, such as violets and the like.


5. Window treatments: Keep them light, translucent and airy. They might be important to have in order to protect your furniture, depending on where and what time of day the sun hits hardest. But the sunroom is not the space for dark or heavy curtains. That would defeat the whole purpose of the space.


Happy sunrooming!!
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