Install Shutters Outside
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19521569/secluded_perch_shutters.jpg)
When the sun’s intense or the wind whips, louvers let you control the amount of light and air you allow in. Traditional, exterior wood shutters like these start at about $194 per pair; ArchitecturalDepot.com.
RELATED: How to Install Interior Shutters, How to Install Exterior Shutters
Potted Plants
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19521651/secluded_perch_plants.jpg)
Potted plants ease the transition between a porch and its surroundings. Here, plants by the sofa and on tables lend verdant ambience, and a columnar evergreen adds height. For areas with indirect sunlight, we like the hosta Shadowland, about $20; White Flower Farm, and slender Hinoki false cypress, about $43; Monrovia.
Use Outdoor Rugs
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19521682/secluded_perch_rug.jpg)
An easy-clean outdoor carpet softens the floor and defines the seating area.
Similar to shown: Safavieh Hand-Woven Indoor/Outdoor Reversible Multicolor 6-by-6-foot Braided Rug, about $95; Overstock. Thanks to P. Allen Smith Garden Associates, Little Rock, AK.
MORE: