These airy spaces deliver alfresco vibes without the weather worries.
While having an outdoor living space is a perk few people would turn down, a sunroom is arguably even better. These airy spaces let you soak up the sunshine and feel connected to the outdoors while keeping you warm in winter, dry when it rains, and cool when temperatures climb. If yours could use a little TLC, you’ve come to the right place. We curated the best sunroom ideas to inspire your own space.
Below, you’ll find color-drenched, traditional, wood-paneled, and other unexpected sunroom designs. Though each has its own distinct style, they all make the most of natural light and celebrate the beauty of the outdoors—as every great sunroom should.
Additional copy by Meghan Shouse.
Cocoon It In Wood
In this airy sunroom, designer Jenny Keenan wrapped the space in pecky cypress, something her client really wanted to incorporate somewhere in the home. This was the perfect place to do it.
Panel the Ceiling
In this colorful home, designer Krista Nye Nicholas of Ramsay Nye chose to let the view do the talking in the sunroom, lending the space a rustic touch with the wood-paneled ceiling. It helps bring a brightness to the space, especially on cloudy days.
Put In a Custom Dining Nook
A whimsical shell pendant light crowns the custom dining nook in this sunroom by Claire Thomas. It was designed to be a sunny, joy-filled space, complete with a jungle of houseplants and an abundance of natural light, and the banquette makes it an ideal and frequent spot for the family to hang out.
Roll Back the Doors
In this Florida home designed by Janie Molster, a three-season porch quickly becomes weather-friendly with help from retractable windows. “Storm shutters can enclose the space completely—or disappear into their tracks—at the touch of a button,” Molster says.
Paint It a Bold Color
Because sunrooms get ample natural light, feel free to use an extra moody paint color. Here, designer Marie Flanigan opted for a high-gloss oxblood for this sunny den. The reflective paint finish helps the sunlight bounce around while still creating a cozy atmosphere.
Be Clever With Details
To play on this home's coastal setting, designer Lucy O'Brien hung striped window treatments with boat cleats rather than a traditional rod. “It’s a different technique than you often see for hanging window treatments,” she says, “and adding the boat cleats is a fun nod to the location as well as thinking outside of the box!”
Curve the Sofa
If your home is blessed with interesting architecture, design your sunroom to highlight those features. Here, designer Sarah Vaile chose a curved, blue sofa that mimics the angled walls. To create a color-drenched effect, the upholstery was color-matched to the walls painted in Farrow & Ball's Green Blue.
Filter the Light
To ease the transition from the sunroom to the cornflower blue dining area, designer Sasha Bikoff installed floor-to-ceiling sheer drapes in a similar hue around the entire space. The gauzy curtains provide privacy without completely blocking sunlight.
Paint a Bold Trim
An all-white sunroom can easily feel too stark, especially with all of that light being reflected back to you. Take inspiration from this space by designer Wendy Labrum and choose a deeper shade for the woodwork and window frames. The black paint ties in with the floor tile perfectly.
Make a Game Room
While often formal, your sunroom doesn't have to be a place to just sit. In this Nantucket home designed by Stephanie Hall of Nantucket Looms, the sunroom instead serves as the primary hangout zone. A foosball table, a slew of board games, and ample seating ensure everyone who wants to play has plenty of room to do so.
Maximize Your View
Designer Jeremiah Brent chose custom seating for this Vermont sunroom so that the seat remained low enough to not hinder the expansive views. “Encompassed by soft light and views of the ski slopes, the sunroom has a lighter feeling than the rest of the home," Brent says. “We designed the banquette to be perfectly parallel with the curves of the walls.”
Disguise Unsightly Details
This window-filled addition, dating to a previous renovation, maximized the views of the historic home's garden. Designers Deborah Costa and Kristine Renee of Design Alchemy went full throttle to hide the functional ductwork and utility panels and highlight all the beauty. After learning about memorable gatherings in this home, they knew music would need to be a major theme, so they filled the space with rhythm and flow—and a piano!
Add Some Sunshine
To connect this indoor space with the outdoors, Claire Staszak of Centered by Design utilized old-school treillage, putting it on the ceiling, and painting it yellow to mimic the sun just beyond the French doors. "You can have the doors open and not worry about draperies getting dirty or the sun fading them," Staszak says of the serene space, which now flows naturally onto the patio.
Choose a High-Gloss Finish
Dallas-based interior designer Doniphan Moore brought this serene sunroom to life by painting it in pool-blue lacquer. The light streaming in reflects off the ultraglossy walls for a beautiful effect.
Create a Front-Row Seat
Maggie Griffin designed this living room made for a family. The windows frame the beautiful view, so it's easy to pause the television and take in the sunset without any distractions.
Cozy Up Your Seating
Park yourself in front of your window to get some vitamin D and see what your neighborhood is up to without stepping outside! Charles Cohen installed this custom sectional to make the room feel larger and maximize seating and lounging space.
Add Some Ambience
Close your eyes and imagine: you, a book, and the morning sun streaming in. For days when you just want to kick your feet up and relax, there's no better spot than this coastal dream of a sunroom by Erin Sander. The lamp will come in handy when it's time for a nightcap—you won't even notice how fast the time went by.
Choose Luxe Fabrics
In this conservatory-style sunroom, every seat is the best seat in the house. From a feather-soft cloud couch to a velvet armchair, it's designed for losing track of time while relaxing.
Add Some Glamour
Gilt details, antiques, and painted wood floors make this sunroom by Nina Nash Long feel like an old-world parlor. The graphic black-and-white checkerboard pattern makes the piano pop, while the pale gray-green walls and skirted table reference the greenery outside.
Add Some Life
Modern green patio chairs, a verdant accent wall, and tons of potted indoor trees make this lush green dining sunroom by Brigette Romanek feel like it's actually alfresco.
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