Let the Light In

Like this jungle-inspired sunroom from @arteferro decor, the perfect three-season space lets in the maximum amount of light from all angles. Whether you use it as a formal dining room like this designer did or you create a second living area, a great sunroom will likely become the most well-loved room in your home. (With views like these, it’s easy to see why.)

Create a Bonus Living Room

Sun + televisions = “I can’t see anything!” and glare. However, once the sun starts to set, a sunroom makes for an ideal summer spot to cuddle up and take in a movie.

Consider an enclosed porch, such as this one courtesy of Deckorators, like a bonus living room. The removable screens make for all-season living, especially with the addition of a loveseat, a coffee table, a television, and (if you’re lucky!) a fireplace. Throw open a few windows, hope for a light breeze, and voila! You have yourself a dream summer night.

Play Up Texture Through Natural Materials

Think of a sunroom as a bridge between inside and out. To ease that transition, consider utilizing an array of natural materials, as shown in this sunroom designed by Giles Campbell. You may not need a stack of firewood—though if you have a wood-burning fireplace, lucky you—but there are plenty of other ways to include touches of natural materials.

There’s the brick wall and jute rug, for starters, which also bring much-needed texture to the space. You could start smaller though, like with a piece of driftwood on a coffee table or a wicker side chair.

Hang a Swinging Sofa

Picture it: you’re cozied up on this swinging sofa, taking in the glow of the sunrise or sunset in your sunroom on an ideal summer day. Maybe you’re catching up with a loved one, or maybe you’re taking a moment to start or end your day with peace and quiet.

Either way, this sunroom designed by Becca Interiors has us adding a swinging sofa to our shopping wishlist, since it pairs the cushy comfort of a loveseat with the gentle rocking of a glider. The ropes it hangs from add a beach house-like feel too, even if you live far from a coast. Win/win/win.

Outfit a Sunroom with Window Coverings

While it may feel like a crime to cover up a sunroom’s windows with shades or curtains, sometimes there’s simply no getting around it. Window coverings may be necessary for privacy or energy efficiency purposes. (Cooling or heating a room surrounded by three walls of windows is no small feat.)

In that case, take this gorgeous space by Pure Salt Interiors as inspiration. This room sits adjacent to a primary bedroom, so shades were required both for privacy and sleeping’s sake. The light, airy window coverings don’t impede on the brightness of the room during the day though, yet still providing plenty of privacy at night.

Make the Most of a Cozy Space

Though this sunroom from Curbly is tight on square footage, every inch is used efficiently, creating the perfect nook for evening cocktails with friends. The bamboo furniture and accessories provide a modern-yet-vintage feel, and the loveseat fits just right. (Don’t forget to measure!) If you don’t already have a sunroom in your home, this quaint-but-adorable room proves you don’t need a lot of space to add a great little addition.

Shed-Turned-Sunroom

Do you want a glowing sunroom, but don’t have the funds to create an expensive addition? This chic sunroom from The White Buffalo Styling Co. was once an unused, dingy shed—but it’s been given new life. By replacing the siding with screen panels and adding a coat of fresh paint, this once unsightly shed has been transformed into a place you’d love to hang out all day long. Add some string lights and a few fresh plants, and this becomes the perfect backyard oasis—no major renovation necessary.

Black and White

This stunning sunroom seen on A Beautiful Mess proves that two basic colors can pack a punch. This three-season room is reminiscent of a chic New York cafe while providing a calming, airy place to unwind. Bonus: the green of your beloved houseplants will not only pop against the black and white color scheme, but they’ll also likely thrive in your sunroom by getting the perfect amount of light.

Go With the Flow

If your sunroom feels more like an extension of your home’s living room, creating a seamless flow—as seen in this room from Lavin Label—can effortlessly expand the space and make your home feel even larger. The wide archway doors allow the space to feel airy, and the hanging bamboo swing provides the perfect whimsical (yet modern) touch.

Embrace a Rustic Look

Sunrooms can be light and bright with white-painted walls and neutral-toned furniture, or a sunroom evoke a warm feel in a different way. For a rustic appeal to your sunroom, take inspiration from this sun-soaked space.

It includes a mix of furniture and accessories that balance a well-worn look with others that are nothing but modern. (Like that lucite coffee table, for instance.) It feels like every piece has a story, which you can regale your guests with while entertaining them in your welcoming and oh-so-comfortable sunroom.

Try an Outdoor Fireplace

Do you want a way to get a few more months out of your sunroom? This fun space from Nellie Bellie has ​one standout feature: a fireplace that can keep your sunroom alive through the winter months. Adding a sunroom fireplace can turn your three-season room into a four-season one—as long as you don’t mind cozying up with a blanket and a pair of fluffy slippers.

Move Your Office “Outside”

Working from home is the norm for many of us now, so consider repurposing your sunroom to make an energizing spot to take Zoom calls. Creating an office sunroom such as this chic space from The Pink Pagoda can make those long workdays that much more pleasant. A comfortable desk chair and dependable Wi-Fi are all you need to create a home office that will ensure you never want to commute to work again.

A Sunny Play Place

Are you worried about your kids spending too much time inside? This playroom from Walk Among the Homes is stylish and functional, creating a perfect sunny space for your kids to play in all year long.

Add a Hammock

The best sunrooms bring both the best of the indoors and outdoors together, and there’s no better way to blend them than with a hammock—as seen in this space from The Little Corner on Tumblr. You can’t help but feel like you’re on vacation the minute you lay down in a hammock, so why not indulge in an indoor one and get a dose of that relaxed feeling all the time?

A White Palette

If you want to make your sunroom feel like an extension of your home, this all-white color scheme from @homebunch has a chic, living room-like feel. Styling a monochromatic white room can help a space feel open and breezy and offers a high level of versatility that should suit almost any sunroom.

Porches Work, Too

Though a sunroom typically has windows or screens, this cozy porch from The Every Girl proves that with smart design, even a front porch can feel like an extra room. The carefully decorated coffee table and loveseat with throw pillows give this porch a living room-like feel, creating an extension of your entertaining and relaxing spaces. If you’re looking for even more porch ideas, there are endless ways to create another living space outside.

Go Plant Crazy

The best sunrooms have just the right amount of greenery. This look from SF Girl By Bay is filled with unique and eye-catching indoor plants and offers a jungle-like feel. A great sunroom gives you the sense of being outside while still protecting you from the elements, and this plant-filled sunroom is the perfect oasis.

Add a Mini Library

A sunroom that lets the perfect amount of afternoon light inside has the ultimate reading nook potential, and this room from Bolig includes a small built-in library. If you’re looking for the perfect space to create a home library, your sunroom offers a refreshing alternative to a dark, dusty study.

Create Another Guest Space

If you’re short on guest space, this sunroom from Savvy Home is a great way to help accommodate your friends and family. It has a built-in window seat that transforms into a guest bed whenever you need one. And what guest wouldn’t want to spend a summer’s night under the stars? Just be sure to provide blackout curtains, and you have a multi-use space that your guests will be clamoring to stay in.

Greenhouse Sunroom

The sunroom by Sommarbacka is reminiscent of a greenhouse in all the best ways. If you have an unfinished sunroom, transform it into a home for all of your favorite plants, add a hammock or a lounge chair, and voila—you’ve got a rustic three-season room that’s low on effort and big on style.

Add a Vintage Rug

Some of the best sunroom looks include a stunning rug that really completes the space. This office from Studio Mcgee features a Turkish rug that makes the space feel finished and well-defined. There are endless options when it comes to adding a rug to your sunroom, and it can help provide a cozy landing pad on those chilly mornings.

Make it Minimal

To let the beauty of your outdoor space speak for itself, keep your sunroom’s design minimal. Don’t overthink furnishings, colors, or accessories—his one by Heritage Homes does just that.

Painting the walls white and keeping the furniture to neutral tones allows the greenery of the backyard to catch your eye—just as it should. Embracing a clean, minimal space also highlights the luxuriously tall ceilings, which enhances the open air feel of indoor/outdoor living all the more.

Block the Sun

Depending on the climate where you live though, all sun all the time may not be ideal. That might make the space unlivable and not at all energy efficient. In that case, take a page from this Giles Campbell-designed home, which provides plenty of shade with a generous overhang.

The wall-to-wall windows and doors filter in lots of light, but since the overhang blocks direct sunlight from streaming inside during the peak hours, you won’t have to worry about reapplying sunscreen while simply sitting inside.

Open It Up

Consider this elegant sunroom indoor/outdoor living all glammed up. Close the sliding doors and you have a fully enclosed room to spare you from pesky mosquitos or summer storms, while still allowing you to take in the view. On summer’s most beautiful days though—and spring and fall’s, too—you can swing open the doors for a seamless flow of air and conversation, no matter where your guests are standing.

Double it as a Dining Room

There’s nowhere we’d rather take in a meal with friends and family than in a luminous sunroom. One look at this ultra sunny space and Becca Interiors may have you rethinking the purpose of your sunroom. If you have square footage to spare, a sunroom can make the perfect spot for a dining room, where you can host friends and family throughout the year.