How To Turn Your Porch Into The Most Interesting Part Of Your Nashville Home

With some thoughtful multi-functional design and creative thinking, your porch can have a second cooking area, adding to the way you live outdoors. It’s much more than just increasing the amount of livable square footage. It’s all about spending time together, even during everyday activities such as cooking.

Inside, Outside, Or Even Under Your New Porch, Let’s Explore Some Ways To Really Get Cookin’

Some of the most interesting functional ideas we incorporate into our outdoor living porch designs come from our clients. A great example is the ground-level alcove under the new backyard porch that now houses this portable outdoor 5-burner gas grill until the family fires it up for big night of grilling.

It easily rolls out of its weather-protected space onto the patio pavers adjacent to the staircase that leads to the porch above it. What we think is really smart is how this separation from the porch proper eliminates residual barbecue smoke from entering the porch and remaining outdoors.

This outdoor alcove also doubles as a hidden storage area for outdoor living accessories and niceties until they are needed.

Outdoor Living In The Lap Of Luxury

This screened porch, with an interior flat roof, incorporates as many spaces as you can possibly have. The handsome, earth-tone porch interior is warm and inviting – as well as visually interesting.

Floor-to-ceiling wood beams act as an architectural accent while defining the outdoor kitchen area from the adjacent sitting room. 

At the far-left end of the space, exterior window shutters provide both privacy and beauty, especially as the outdoor landscape dresses them with dappled shadow and light.

Speaking of luxury – and necessary design – notice the two vent hoods to facilitate grilling ventilation – one over the 3-burner gas grill and another to its’ right over The Big Green Egg.  Any smoke or fumes are channeled out of the dining area by the stainless-steel vent hoods.

The adjacent farm table is conveniently located to the right of this configuration making prompt serving as easy as it can possibly be.

An Open Air Porch Is The Logical Location For An Outdoor Kitchen, Two Steps Away From Its Interior Counterpart

Two short steps from its interior kitchen counterpart, this classically designed outdoor kitchen bathed in white looks like a natural extension of the floor-to-ceiling French patio doors. Notice the copper kickplates at each end to facilitate an easy entry back into the home after food preparation and grilling. Once the door is opened sometimes a little nudge makes dinner delivery much easier, especially when your hands are full.

What we especially love about this open-air porch is how beautifully illuminated it is by nature. The two ceiling skylights are the right mix of daytime light filtering, beautifully balanced with the open-air light entering the space off the adjacent patio. This resulting surround of natural light makes this Southern classic a true standout.

The chef’s grilling tool necessities, platters, and cutlery are conveniently nearby and yet, out of sight stored within our white PVC cabinets. Also, out of sight – virtually – is the oscillating black fan, strategically located in the right indentation of the four mullioned doors to blow smoke and aromas off into the backyard open air.

The Best Porch Design Planning Starts With You

As they say, two heads are better than one. During your complimentary design consultation, we will carefully listen to what your porch vision is and what features you see in your mind’s eye.

Our goal at The Porch Company is to then bring that concept to life using the best construction materials available to give you the space and building experience you’re looking for.

We welcome your inquiry, right here on our website.

As an alternative, for design and construction questions, give us a call during business hours at (615) 662-2886.