Do you have a 3 season room?

[Aristomommy]

Not sure if that is the right term, but we moved into a home with a 3 season room or sun room. It has a baseboard steam heat system, but isn't really meant to be used in the winter time.

Anyway, my question is: how did you decorate this type of room? I am not a wicker or rattan kind of gal. I like more contemporary or simple lines in my decorating and furnishings. I like darker woods and bright fabrics. How do I make this room a functional part of my house?

 

[AKL_Megs]

You can decorate it any way... just as you would any living room or family room.

 

[OK!]

We had a sun room in our first house in MO. The furniture that we had in it was heavy wood patio furniture (like there was a chaise lounge, side tables, etc.) I don't remember if it was teak or exactly what it was, but it looked nice. More substantial than wicker or rattan, and we had thick bright floral cushions on it. This was back in the early '80s so I don't know if such a thing exists anymore (or if it should exist anymore, ha ha), but that seemed to be the best way to compromise on what was kind of a semi-indoor-outdoor room (it was all glass walls and there was a door that connected to an uncovered deck).

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

We have a 3 season room. We have a wood tounge and groove ceiling with a copper ceiling fan with wood blades. Ceramic tile floor. Right now its not really decorated as much. We plan on putting some good windows in it to make it a 4 season room.

 

[Angelhalo]

OP if you do a Google image search for "Contemporary sun room" You can see some good ideas.

 

[Aristomommy]

Thanks for the ideas. I have done a few google searches and can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for. Since I have a living room and a family room, I don't want it to be another living room. And the view is beautiful so I want to enjoy my morning cup of coffee there.

 

[kirstenb1]

Thanks for the ideas. I have done a few google searches and can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for. Since I have a living room and a family room, I don't want it to be another living room. And the view is beautiful so I want to enjoy my morning cup of coffee there.

I have a friend who had a similar room. She put a TV, chair, sofa and table out there and was done. She didn't do wicker, but tried to choose less heavy looking pieces, and light fabrics.

 

[4nana]

Yes, we have a sunroom my DH built. It has carpet tiles, catherdal ceiling w/sky lights, surrounded w/big windows with a rattan leaf type ceiling fan. Can't help you with decor, as our couch, love seat and chair are rattan furniture as we love the tropical outdoor look. We dedicated it as our 'peace & quiet' sunroom , so only has stereo, no TV. At C'mas we have the tree in there, as the lights reflect in all the windows and is beautiful. We also enjoy having our mornng coffee in there while watching all the birdies feed fest and wildlife. Have fun decorating and enjoy your room!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I chose light colors. Walls are pale yellow with with trim. Draperies are white. I do have white whicker with green/white stripes, green/white tropical, and blue/green woven fabrics interchanged on the furniture.

I have a couch, love seat, club chair with ottoman, 6 person glass table with chairs (it's mainly used as a buffet table) and entertainment center. We have a lot of bird & humming bird feeders, which is fun.

My absolute favorite time is when we have a blanket of new fallen snow! It is just beautiful. Then the kids go outside and it is all over.

 

[barkley]

take into consideration how weather proof the room is (is it water tight or might it get a bit damp in the winter-even if the dampness is just in the air?), and what the average temp. might be at the height of both winter and summer.

reason being is most "in door" furniture performs best (longevity wise) when it's kept at away from dampness and absent wildly varying temps. stuff that has veneers can prematurly crack and peel, and some fabrics can wear faster/disintigrate in temps they are'nt designed to be constantly exposed to (and with some upholstered furniture you can get mold inside if it's not covered with appropriate fabric).

i knew a little about this when i worked in a furniture store-there were certain items we did'nt put in the window displays because the temps were higher due to the sun, we did'nt put some items near the door because the temp varied too much due to opening and closing.

there's some beautiful outdoor living space furniture on the market these days-that's ideal for these types of rooms. they look just like in-home furniture, but the fabric and the woods/metals are chosen to be long lasting in these types of spaces (and right now you could probably get some good deals what with the summer season ending).

 

[NMAmy]

reason being is most "in door" furniture performs best (longevity wise) when it's kept at away from dampness and absent wildly varying temps. stuff that has veneers can prematurly crack and peel, and some fabrics can wear faster/disintigrate in temps they are'nt designed to be constantly exposed to (and with some upholstered furniture you can get mold inside if it's not covered with appropriate fabric).

Another thing to take into consideration is the color of the fabrics used. Our sun room is all glass so I've had to go with very light colored cushions because the sun bleaches everything out. I did go with wicker with a very, very light blue cushion.

I also have a dining room table and chairs in the room and we often use this room to play games. Since it's just DH and I at home now and we have two family rooms and a living room in the house, I've found that the sunroom is most often used when we entertain in warmer weather.

 

[golfgal]

We had one in our old house and had nice patio furniture in there-metal frames with big, thick cushions. The kids loved to sit out there and eat breakfast, do their homework, etc.-weather permitting. Our 3 season porch was all windows so "decorating" it really wasn't much of an option.

 

[Aristomommy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Right now it's 66 and sunny outside and the 3 season room is a toasty 86! I would imagine that it will be a cold room in the winter time. Thanks for the person who posted a tip about humidity. I am leaning toward some type of indoor-outdoor furniture that can handle the changes.

This room has windows on 3 walls, but each corner would have room to put a set of curtains "bunched up" for a splash of color. I imagine the room to be bright and the perfect spot for my morning coffee.

Where is the best place to look for this type of furniture? Online probably this time of year right?

 

[hulagirl87]

I just found out that we do I've always referred to it as our family room. 2 people have recently called it a 3 season room and I have never heard that term before! I've lived in this house all my life (grew up here and then bought it from my mom, now DH and I live here with DD). We are actually in the process of redoing the room from scratch. All new insulation, drywall, we raised the ceiling, DH is actually upstairs mudding and taping the drywall right now. I can't wait for it to be finished. But it will be treated just like any other family room. Couch, tv, and now with DD, toys, toys and toys.

 

[Micca]

For those of you with a 3 season room: Is Frankie Valli allowed there? (geezer reference).