Creating The Perfect Southern Porch
The beloved porch is the focal point of the latest issue of Southern Living magazine where editor Lindsay Bierman reflects about the simplicity of life. A good porch no doubt plays an important role. “While the rest of the world has fixed on all the ways we can stay “connected,” it turns out that the South has been at the forefront of the hottest new trend sweeping the country: finding ways to stay rooted.”
One of the best ways people are staying rooting is spending time on the porch with family and friends. The upcoming Southern Living Idea House at Fontanel, which Castle Homes has just completed, accomplishes this with 2,800 square feet of porches and patios!
These spaces are being dressed-to the nines by nationally renowned designer and Southern Living columnist Phoebe Howard. You are going to be inspired by porch vignettes throughout the main farmhouse and the four additional guest retreats full of pretty candles, Ballard Designs all-weather wicker furniture, gorgeous farm tables and beautiful Southern Living Plant Collections containers of flowers.
As you look past the dreamy settings, you are going to want to notice some of Castle Homes’s favorite building elements which make a huge impact to the great porch experience.
As major proponents of all-weather, sustainable materials, Castle Homes used MoistureShield decking of the Idea House so annoying splinters or badly faded wood will never be a problem. Available in a variety of colors, the decking is made of 95% recycled content and is easy to clean.
When your view is the gorgeous hills of Fontanel, you certainly don’t want your sight obstructed by wooden railing if possible. For years Castle Homes has been looking for just the right project to use cable railing. This building innovation balances safety with the desire for clean lines of vision to the scenic courtyard.
Another problem solving building innovation are the decorative downspout gutter chains. Fashioned like small pots, the water artfully falls from the galvalume metal roof.
The icing on the pretty porch cake are the striking copper Bevolo sconces scattered strategically throughout the porches. Gas lanterns flank the door but the perimeter fixtures feature pink ambient lighting. U.S. made in Louisiana, the pink lighting cast a prettier nighttime glow and is an energy efficient bulb. According to Bevolo, the sconces are “projected to last 300 years and lights feature are most energy efficient burners in the world. “
One of our most popular porch projects to date was the 2011 Southern Living Showcase Home built by Castle Homes in Brentwood, Tennessee. An all-weather gorgeous Skimstone concrete floor with a pretty Modello design is the backdrop for the outdoor living space with a charming fireplace and screen tight sliding doors opening to the pretty backyard.
The nation’s only Southern Living Idea House at beautiful Fontanel in Nashville is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. from June 29 through December 29. For more information, visit Southern Living’s website.
A Nashville-based design-build firm, Castle Homes earned the 2012 Southern Living Custom Builder of the Year Award. With Fontanel Properties, LLC as project developer, the 2013 Southern Living Idea House team includes architect Historical Concepts, interior designer Phoebe Howard, Page|Duke Landscape Architects with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the benefiting charity.
