Make your porch an outdoor paradise

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Q: We have a screened porch, but we never use it. How can I make it a spot where we want to hang out?A: Chances are your screened porch spends its days all alone because it's uncomfortable and unattractive. With the warm summer months just around the corner, this is the perfect time to transform this dusty wasteland into one of your favorite spots to entertain, lounge and dine.In order for your porch to lure you outside, it must be an oasis for your tired eyes and weary body. For years, I've been a big believer in dressing your porch just as you do every other room in your house, with beautiful furniture, gorgeous linens and fun accents.People think I'm nuts, but I've always used indoor furniture outside on my screened porch. On a large wooden hutch, I display things like artwork, dishware and seasonal accents and set up a small bar for entertaining. The slip-covered chaise longue and daybed are our favorite places to lounge on Sunday afternoons.Since Dan and I enjoy entertaining al fresco, we also have a round table and chairs tucked into a corner of the porch. For accent lighting, I frequently hang a lantern or candelabrum over the table and decorate it with seasonal greens.Before you begin your makeover, clear out your porch and give it a good spring cleaning. Now, think about how you'd like to use this spot. Do you want a place to sit and read? Do you want to hold dinner parties out here?Once you pinpoint how you want to use this outdoor room, scout for the right furniture. Do you have any old pieces you could bring outside, like a comfy chair or a hutch? Is it time to invest in an outdoor table and chairs? Remember: Anything you put out there will get dusty and damp and will need frequent cleaning, so choose accordingly.Next, add charm and personality to your porch with linens. Are you partial to hot citrus colors? Then pick cushions and pillows in the zippiest of hues. Do you prefer a soft, romantic look? Go crazy with muted florals, stripes and little checks. Just remember to pick fabrics you can launder easily.I know this is a no-no, but I'm all about using cotton and linen fabrics outside. Since these delicate textiles fade in the sun, I replace them every few years, giving me the perfect excuse to remake the look of my porch.This year, I'm getting my inspiration from a new line of dishes I've developed for the Mary Carol Home Collection. The cream-colored plates feature a delicate fern frond in the freshest of greens. So, I'll slipcover my chaise longue and daybed in cream fabrics with green accents. (I love these light colors for seat cushions because I can launder them with a few drops of bleach, then put them back on the cushion forms damp, so they dry in place, wrinkle-free.) Since I'm nuts about monograms right now, I'm going to put a leaf-green monogram in the center of at least one of the cream pillows.With your linens in place, it's time to add the accents that will pull the space together and make it luxurious and welcoming. How about some great outdoor lighting, like lanterns or a candelabrum? Last year, I added an inexpensive floor lamp to my porch and loved how it bathed the space in soft light.Do you have a fun set of dishes reserved for outdoor use? If not, get some that make you smile. When I entertain outdoors this summer, I'll use an old quilt as a tablecloth, then create unique place settings with my new fern dishes mixed in with some dishware, goblets and silver I use all the time. To polish off the look of the porch, I'll repeat a few of the dishware pieces and accents in the displays in my hutch and side tables. I can't wait to get started!(Mary Carol Garrity is the proprietor of three successful home-furnishings stores in Atchison, Kan., and the author of several best-selling books on home decorating. Write to Mary Carol at nellhills(at)mail.lvnworth.com. For more stories, visit scrippsnews.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)