PORCH appeal
CREATING A RELAXING AND INVITING SPACE written by SUE OLP photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN
NOTHING SAYS SUMMER like a welcoming porch that makes outdoor living relaxing and fun. How do you create that warm and inviting space? We invited Billings experts to weigh in on the essentials for capturing that porch appeal. Jeremiah Young, creative director for Kibler & Kirch, an interior design firm, notes that front porches are an American invention. “I can’t think of another place in the world where porches are,” Young says. “I think they are a uniquely American experience.” The covered area jutting out from the front of a house blocks the sun while allowing in a refreshing breeze, he says. That makes it a pleasant place for family and friends to enjoy time outside on a hot summer day. Talking specifics about designing a comfortable porch, Young suggests groupings of furniture, like chairs and small tables, to facilitate conversations or make it easy to grab a bite of cheese or a sip of iced tea eat while reading a good book. Young’s preferred place to sit is a rocking chair. He employed them to great effect on one of his favorite assignments, a bunkhouse in Big Horn, Wyoming, that was transformed into 76
YVW MAGAZINE
a house. Accenting the long porch, two pairs of rocking chairs faced each other, with small tables in between. He chose Grove Park rockers from Old Hickory, what he calls “classic American kind of stuff.” “Rockers are something I love to have on porches,” he says. “It’s not only prototypical, it sits up a bit so you can see over a railing. The steady motion lets you fidget, and typically they’re light enough to let air pass through.” Rockers, which also make it easier to stand from a sitting position, are as American as porches, Young says.
SUE OLP, writer Sue Olp worked for many years as a reporter at the Billings Gazette, covering everything from healthcare and education to county government, tribal issues and religion, not to mention plenty of humaninterest stories. Now retired, she is a freelance writer and enjoys gardening, reading and spending time with her family, including her grandchildren.
