One of the best days of the year for me is the day that we put the rug, the furniture, and the other essentials back in their places on the front porch.  It is a second living room/den/dining nook for us from the first warm day in April to the last almost-warm day in the fall.

Pittsburgh is blessed with many old and healthy neighborhoods with porches on almost every house.  Big, small, wraparounds, screened, fancy, or plain, each of them is just asking to be the site of someone’s next sit down.  And it amazes me how few people take advantage of them.  Porch-sitting is relaxing, interesting, and a great way to meet neighbors.  You see your home and your world differently from the porch than you do from the inside.

The basics for a good, livable porch are simple.  A few seats and a table or two to hold drinks, snacks, books, phones, and other necessities of life.  And of course, as many plants as you can muster.  But to really make the most of your porch time, it pays to go a little farther.

A rug is the first thing to think about adding.  I don’t bother with the indoor/outdoor versions.  If I pop out for a porch moment when I’m shoeless, I want to feel a nice soft rug, not woven plastic. If your porch is covered, the rug will last for about 4-6 years*, fading a bit more each season, but that adds to the beauty.

Next, a table lamp.  You may not want to end your porch sitting when the sun sets, and a small, inexpensive table lamp will provide a much nicer feel than an overhead porch light.  

A soft throw or an old quilt or blanket should also be on the porch with you.  It might get chilly before you are finished reading or talking or whatever, and having it right there is much better than having to go in search of one in the house.  Once in, you might not even come back out!

And on the other side of the coin, a fan is an essential for hot afternoons.  If you have a ceiling fan, that’s great.  We do not, but we found a great little retro table fan that makes the porch a comfy place even when the temps are high.

Okay, now we’re getting into the lesser items, but I must confess that many of these are absolutely essential to me as well.  Here’s a list to get you started:

• Comfortable cushions
• Waterproof tablecloth 
• Treats and water for the dog
• Charging places for our devices
• Candles and matches
• Scissors
• Pens or pencils
• Paper
• Bug spray
• Speaker
• Plant snippers
• A water-resistant lidded box to hold most of these items
• Broom
• Watering can
• And a tuffet

I realize that not everyone has a porch, but the joys of “sitting” can also be had on a patio, a balcony, a deck, whatever you have.  But if you have a front porch, I highly recommend that!

*NOTE: Rugs, other textiles, and small items should be removed in the winter.  Leaving the furniture out might be fine depending on the type of furniture you have.