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They say that the theater begins with a hanger, and the impression of the house is formed on the veranda. Therefore, the design of even a small summer extension should be thoughtful: both beautiful and functional. And the design of the veranda in the country is no less important than in a private house. Moreover, you can cope with such a task with your own hands: we will try to throw ideas in the form of numerous photos.
First of all, let’s talk about the general directions in which verandas are most often designed. Styles can be different, but almost all of them have an ethnic direction: Provence, Russian hut, Mediterranean, Oriental, etc. All of them involve the presence of products made of wood or other natural materials – rattan, bamboo. These elements are present both in the design of walls and ceilings, and in furniture. Then everything will look harmonious.
If we talk about color design, then basically these are soft pastel colors, the closest to the colors of nature. Why in the main? Because a few bright color spots are not only allowed, but also desirable. They enliven the picture without violating the overall harmony.
How to equip a veranda: choosing a style
So how do you choose the style that’s best for your occasion? First of all, the choice of style is influenced by the location. If it faces north or east, the British colonial style will look better. It includes a rocking chair as a mandatory attribute, as well as wicker rattan furniture.
If you want to completely recreate such an interior, you can lay out a fireplace. On a closed veranda, it will also serve for its heating. It can be kindled at dusk on cool evenings. When creating an interior, do not forget about the only main wall in this room: the decoration of the veranda includes its design. The wall is often painted in the prevailing tone, sometimes, if it is appropriate and fits into the idea, it is trimmed with stone.
So that a decent area is not empty, shelves, flower holders, decorative elements – panels, lamps can be hung on it.
If the veranda is directed to the south or east, it will have a lot of sunlight. Such rooms are well decorated in the Provence style. It is characterized by beams on the ceiling, natural furniture in light colors with some color accents. Curtains pick up very light translucent. From furniture, in addition to chairs, there is a table, there may be flowers in pots and vases.
The style itself is very diverse and can be “ceremonial”, prim and very sophisticated, or rural. In the photo on the right, this “rural” part of it is greatly exaggerated, but the interior benefits from this.
Vintage is always in fashion at any time: elements of different styles, deliberate negligence, behind which lies subtle calculation and careful processing. Ostromoden recently loft style. Decorating a veranda in this style will require you to show imagination and unusual techniques. For example, you will not need to plaster a brick wall, leveling it, but toning it, revealing its heterogeneity and dissimilarity even more. In this way, disadvantages turn into advantages. In order not to be mistaken, and to fill your hand, practice on some other piece of the wall, for example, in a change house or a shed. When the idea takes shape exactly and what you got suits you, you can apply the acquired skills on the main wall.
As you probably understood, the main task when decorating a veranda is not to overload the room too much. It is usually small, and there should be few items here. Therefore, furniture is carefully chosen: so that it is not bulky, comfortable and reliable.
If you are not happy with all the traditional styles, you can try to decorate the veranda in a modern one. From the same materials and furniture, but in a different combination and layout, you can get a completely different interior. For example, support columns can be made, as in the photo below, to arrange low modern furniture. The railing is the same style (as in the photo), a possible option is tempered glass or polycarbonate.
How and with what to paint the lining (including the brushing technique and the method of painting in two colors) read here.
Almost the same veranda is played differently: the columns are dressed in stone, the same decoration is repeated on the walls of the house.
How to attach a veranda to the house, read here.
Veranda furniture
The veranda is a place to relax. And rest involves the presence of armchairs and chairs. If you are decorating a country veranda, then it is not at all necessary to buy new ones. Such summer dwellings are good because you can put old chairs in them, just transform them: repaint them in an unusual color or sew covers. They transform instantly, and give the room coziness. What is most attractive in this solution: it is easy to change the color, and hence the atmosphere in the room. Read here how to redesign old furniture.
Similarly, you can transform old chairs and couches. Only in addition to the new cover will have to make a lot of pillows. Nothing is conducive to relaxation, like a low small sofa or a cozy armchair, littered with pillows.
Separately, it is worth mentioning tables and tables. If you plan to eat on the veranda, you can’t do without a dining table, albeit a small one, as well as without chairs or benches near it. If this is only a recreation area with low couches (as in the photo above), then the table is set low, the table top is on the same level as the seats.
Solid sofas are also set, but only the area should be appropriate. You remember that the room should not be overloaded with furniture. And although the light colors of the upholstery can slightly improve the situation, there should not be too much furniture: there are sofas, which means there are no chairs, maybe only one or two, or a rocking chair.
Of the traditional pieces of furniture – that’s all. Shelves that are hung on the wall of the building can also be used. If there is a blank end wall, it can be turned into a shelf on which to place all the little things you need on vacation.
You can read about the manufacture of a small (and large) table or floor fountain here.
Flowers in the interior of the veranda
The design of the veranda in the country may include flowers or plants in pots. In the summer there are probably a lot of them under the window, but having them inside will not worsen the situation at all.
Read about the basics of landscape design here.
Curtains
It is possible to use curtains for open verandas only if the roof overhang is very long – more than half a meter. Then the summer showers will not spoil them much. There are no such restrictions in closed verandas. In the photo below, the fabric is additionally protected by columns. If necessary, the curtains are stretched along a baguette nailed under the ceiling. A great way to isolate yourself from everyone if you want privacy.
When choosing a color, there are two approaches:
- repeating the tone of the color accent, as in the photo above;
- light, light, translucent, which will not burden the interior.
Light curtains on the veranda are the easiest to coordinate. With them, finishing the veranda will not be problematic. You need to choose the right fabric. Synthetic fibers are more suitable here: they are less capricious in care and, despite the fact that they are synthetic, they pass air well.
Less romantic, but no less attractive are roller blinds or Roman blinds. Ceremonial fabrics are useless here, but something more practical is very handy: the illumination during the day is easy to adjust, the wind almost does not shake them.
For open verandas, you can use bamboo curtains. They are not afraid of rain. They will not completely protect against splashes, but the amount of water that has got inside, as well as the wind, will be significantly reduced. Bamboo curtains can rightly be called “street”.
For those who want to completely protect the open extension from precipitation, there are PVC film curtains. They are sewn like awnings for cars, but mostly transparent films are used. Their tailoring must be ordered, accurately measuring the required dimensions.
Veranda lighting
Finishing the veranda is not complete without lighting. For open verandas, lamps are used that belong to the “street” class. They have increased water resistance and higher impact resistance. The protection class of such lighting equipment cannot be lower than IP44. It is indicated on a sticker on the back of the lamp or is in the passport. Devices with lower protection can be used in a closed glazed veranda, but outdoors, the numbers must be at least 44 (you can also 45, 55).
After clarifying the technical details, we will find out where lighting fixtures can be installed on the veranda. Traditional seat ceiling. You can use flat ceiling lights. This is necessary if your ceiling is lined with something and its height is about 2-2,5 meters. At a higher height, you can already install hanging lighting fixtures, but there are not so many of them with the required degree of protection.
With the advent of LED recessed ceiling lamps, porch lighting has become much easier, while it is brighter, more expressive, and consumes less electricity. Their only drawback: relatively high cost, since a lot of small lamps are required.
They can have a different scattering angle: create a directed stream of light or scattered. They are available in different colors and sizes. During the day, they are almost invisible, they do not decorate the interior in any way, but they do not spoil it either. But at night everything changes.
Outdoor veranda lighting is often done on the railing. Here you can install both lamps with conventional or economical lamps, as well as LED ones. Craftsmen can generally mount LED lighting into the railings themselves.
Often mount lamps for the veranda on the wall of the house. This is convenient: you don’t need to pull the wiring far and usually there are no problems with installation. To make the lighting more even, several pieces in the same style can be installed on columns or on the ceiling. In the area that needs to be better illuminated. The picture below is the table. Above it, in addition to the wall lights, ceiling light sources were added.
An interesting effect is created by the lamps on the columns, directed inwards. They seem to cut off the darkness outside the illuminated area, creating a sense of solitude. Such lighting of the veranda is easy to make: put directional spotlights or other similar lighting devices.