A screened-in porch is the perfect spot for relaxing, enjoying nature

Whether you're enjoying a warm summer day cooled by a ceiling fan, snuggled under a comfy sweater enjoying a chilled breeze, or dozing off to the acoustics of rain landing on the roof, a screened-in porch is a sweet place to be.

"Screened-in porches are a great way to extend the seasons and enjoy the elements of nature without all of the problems associated with outdoor spaces," says Dawn Cook of Dawn Cook Interior Design in Shaker Heights. "I always treat it as an extension of the outdoors -- the whole bringing-the-outdoors-in-and-the-indoors-out concept."

Says Lane Cummings, writing for ehow (tinyurl.com/d7ug3em), "A screened-in porch gives you the best of both worlds: an unfettered vision of nature and the surrounding landscape and protection from the elements."

But that indoor/outdoor hybrid element can also complicate decorating decisions. To offer some examples of homeowners who have pulled it off, James T. Farmer III penned "Porch Living" (Gibbs Smith, $30), a 140-plus-page hardcover filled with color photographs capturing porches ranging from elegant to rustic.

"Porch Living" isn't quite the size of a coffee-table book, but, with splashy photos and minimal type, it's overflowing with "steal this" ideas.

Porches featured in Farmer's book aren't all screened-in. Some are open-air. But being tastefully decorated and dripping with the homeowners' individuality is what they have in common.

In a telephone interview from his home in Kathleen, Ga., Farmer says porches have become more sophisticated.

"My clients pay as much attention to how they decorate their porches as they do the rest of their house," he says. That doesn't necessarily mean break-the-budget furniture and accessories.

"Porches are edited and are utilitarian for what they [the homeowners] need it for," Farmer says. "And that idea transcends budgets," he adds.

Some photos in "Porch Living" are tight shots of decorating details, such as beautiful tablecloths, fruit in pretty bowls, petite plants and more.

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A screened-in porch is the perfect spot for relaxing, enjoying nature