This week, we are revisiting some of our favorite summer-centric Gardenista stories. Remember this one?
Screened-in porches are making a comeback, a trend we applaud. After years of dwindling popularity, porches are back on young homebuyers’ lists of “Most Wanted” features, according to the National Association of Homebuilders. Among Millennials, a front porch is more prized than hardwood floors, a master bath with both a shower and tub, or a dining room. And with good reason.
A screened-in porch is your summer living room. It’s a neighborly space, inviting breezes and greetings from passersby. And it’s an iconically American architectural feature. Before the 1860s, “there was no hint (or probably dream of) making a house flyproof,” writes Russell Lynes in The Domesticated Americans. Then, during the Civil War a manufacturer of wire mesh sieves miscalculated demand; the surplus was repurposed and sold as window covering. By the 1880s, screened-in porches were a trend.
In support of the screened-in porch, we’ve rounded up 15 of our favorites from around the country:
Connecticut
Shelter Island, NY

Bellport, New York
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Charleston, South Carolina
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Healdsburg, California
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Cape Cod, Massachusetts

San Antonio, Texas

Nashville, Tennessee
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Montana

Rhinebeck, NY

Hudson Valley, NY

Lamoine, Maine

Connecticut
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The Catskills, NY

Connecticut
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Llano River, Texas

N.B.: This post is an update; it was first published July 2020.
See more of our favorite summery living spaces:
- A Tiny Summerhouse in South London.
- Architect Visit: A Modular Danish Summer House—Ready to Go in 6 Months.
- A Shipping Container Transformed into the Ultimate Holiday House.
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