Porch Life: Modern Porches Step It Up

Porch Life: Modern Porches Step It Up

Close your eyes and think of the word “porch.” Chances are, you’re imagining a wraparound veranda on a farmhouse furnished with rocking chairs and a porch swing. However, modern architects have been reinterpreting the porch for years, stripping it down to the most basic components while keeping the benefits and uses undamaged. Occasionally they remove “with another roof” from the definition, producing covered spaces underneath roof overhangs and balconies overhead.

A porch not just has delightful uses, but it also is a powerful design element that may alter the facade of a house. Here’s a look at some modern and modern porches that will change what the word “porch” conjures up in your mind.

More Porch Life: Wraparound Porches | Sleeping Porches | Screened-In Porches

Tom Hurt Architecture

Traditional porches normally have another roof by definition, but modern rooflines often offer porch protection via an overhang from the primary roof. This keeps the traces minimal and the porch’s addition seamless and streamlined. A rainbow of butterfly seats punctuate this outside with color.

I have to play favorites here. This really is a former small barn in my neighborhood in Atlanta and is among my all-time preferred houses. On the left is a two-story addition made by Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee. The front porch with its metal roof and easy lines creates a perfect transition between the vernacular structure along with the modern addition. The merry Eames rockers deliver midcentury flair into the mix.

Side note: Mockbee’s Rural Studio is still going strong now.

Thomas Shafer Architects LLC

contributor John Hill acknowledges that entrance canopies are the front porch.

More about modern entrance canopies

Koch Architects, Inc.. Joanne Koch

An expansion of the roof past the exterior walls provides protection against the elements while keeping the blank lines of the house intact.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

This front porch extends the roof’s strong diagonal line out within the entrance region. The thick beams serve as a sneak peek at the structure of the house.

The Brick House

Over at The Brick House, slats of timber add an excellent contrasting detail into the front of the house and offer protection against the California’s desert sun.

Architect, Lorin Hill

This back porch, paired with folding doors that open fully, erase the boundary between inside and out. The porch is the transitional space between the two.

Steinbomer, Bramwell & Vrazel Architects

The wide-open space of the screened-in porch has thin industrial allure, from the concrete floor up to the large metallic ceiling. The placement of the open walls requires full advantage of the breeze. The space also serves as a dogtrot.

Cornerstone Architects

This roof overhang on the back of the home functions as a porch between the house and the pool. The line of the overhang continues across the side, providing shade above the windows and so keeping the house cooler.

Gardner Architects LLC

The bold straight lines of the porch, in addition to other details like the Japanese-inspired windows and light fittings, gives this traditionally shaped and shingled cottage a modern facade. It reveals how the design of the porch may alter the overall design of a house.

Read more porches

More:
12 Ways to Prep the Porch for Summer
Breezeways: Architecture’s Cool Connections

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