When you first walk into your newly finished backyard screen room, the new space can feel almost overwhelming. The lack of walls makes you feel like you’re pretty much outside (just without the bugs!) and the new flooring shines beautifully in the sunshine. Your mind will become full of different decorating ideas, so the next big decision is what to put in your backyard screen room.
The furniture and set up that you choose for your backyard screen room will depend on what you want to use it for. If it’s an everyday family room, you will want to make sure that the furniture is functional as well as stylish, and that there’s plenty of space for everyone. If you’re envisaging a more formal room for elegant dinner parties and such, you’ll pay more attention to the overall aesthetics of the room, and the wall decoration will feel more important.
In either scenario, here are some unusual additions when you’re working out what to put in your backyard screen room:
- A fireplace – even though you’ll be using your backyard screen room usually during the heat of the summer days, installing a fireplace will encourage you to use the room at night and into the fall months. You can shoot for the full on log burning fireplace for extra heat and the glorious light cast by flickering flames or, for smaller rooms, an electric or gas powered fireplace will still provide warmth without overpowering the room. You’ll need to talk to your screen room contractor during the planning stages if you want to install a fireplace in your backyard screen room.
- A bar – you don’t have to drink alcohol to appreciate the convenience that a bar at the back of your screen room. Storing everything you need for a cold glass of lemonade or ice tea, from the crystal pitcher to a fresh set of ice, will make your guests feel welcome and add a layer of luxury as you don’t need to get up and go all the way to the kitchen when you’re thirsty. In the colder months, you can turn the bar into a hot cocoa bar; just make sure you have a ready supply of mini marshmallows!
- A swing seat – finally, having a variety of seating options makes your backyard screen room flexible for all types of entertaining and relaxing. A swing seat, secured securely to one of the ceiling beams, adds a playful air to the room, as well as providing a connection to the garden outside. Choose one with a high back and add plenty of scatter cushions to create a comfy seat overlooking the view.
When you’re planning what to put in your backyard screen room, you should also find places to add some natural touches, such as potted plants or hanging baskets from the ceiling. Not only will they add some instant decoration to your room, but they will also create a visual transition from your house out to your garden.
