'My favorite room in the house is the porch,' opines Martha Stewart in an old clip from her show, posted by Martha Moments, a popular archive of some of her best work.
But she didn't always feel this way. In the clip, the icon explains how she upgraded her porch for everyday use, transforming it into the entertaining oasis we see today. If your home has a back porch, but you don't have strong feelings about it, chances are, you need Martha's advice.
First, she enclosed her porch with glass windows to extend its lifespan across seasons. Martha explains: 'It was just a screened-in space when I first got this house, and a friend of my daughter's mother was throwing away these beautiful windows she was putting in sliding glass doors, and we had just enough windows to glass in the entire space.'
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Martha uses Wedgwood plates as the basis of her table design, and these subtly patterned China plates are a beautiful option. I love the simple stripe along the edge of these plates.
These red white and blue plates have a stunning lattice design and hand-painted details, as seen on Martha's table. They are perfect layered with a simpler charger for a stylish contrast.
A linen tablecloth just oozes sophistication, and this neutral one is ideal as a foundation for any natural tablescape. It might not be as savvy as the linen tablecloths Martha makes herself, but this one will do in a pinch.
These glass windows transformed the porch into a three-season room that offers views and a dining space. Martha continues: 'Well, it's really pretty, especially in the winter on a sunny day. You can see all the way across Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson, and in the summertime, it's a great place to have early dinners or late suppers.'
To make the ultimate space, Martha then turns her porch into an outdoor dining room with a beautifully set table.
She explains: 'The table's set now for supper and it's a mix and match table very similar to what I like to do. There are Wedgwood plates underneath these lovely pierced edged plates. I think these must be French. They're all hand-painted with scenes of leaves and flowers, and birds. I just think they're great.'
It wouldn't be a Martha moment without a little DIY, and her linen setting is one of the most beautiful outdoor table settings we've ever seen.
Martha states: 'The linen tablecloth and the napkins are homemade. I like to find linen that's the right color for this house, and with a serger, just make edges. This is the kind of stuff that really makes the house a home.'
With the right treatment, a porch is much more than a platform. It can become a way to enjoy your spring and summer all the more.
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