A well-designed porch is like a welcoming committee that
invites friends and family to share stories, catch up on
neighborhood news, or quietly enjoy the breezes of a sultry summer
evening. Porches bridge our public and private worlds, and convey
the essence of one’s home.
In more than 250 stunning photographs of forty homes, Perfect
Porches illustrates how varied these iconic American spaces can be.
A wealth of structural appointments are presented, such as the
extended eaves of a rain porch along the Gulf Coast, the shimmering
copper flooring of a converted Amish cattle barn in Bluegrass
country, and Outback-inspired painted thresholds in California’s
wine region. Unexpected ornaments, including Moroccan pendant
lamps, a vintage watering can collection, or a majolica menagerie
can transform even the most modest porch into an oasis. This book
also reveals a host of practical ways to bring privacy to urban
porches, chic accents to old-fashioned verandas, and coziness to
modern environments. Home owners share colorful stories about using
their porches as communal stages for magical and sometimes
mythological events, telling of ghosts encountered, arias sung, and
families reunited.
Whether you seek to reawaken a cherished memory of a childhood
porch, create an adorned haven of your own, or take an enlightening
journey across the nation, this volume is certain to become a
treasured companion as well as a source of fresh inspiration.
PAULA S. WALLACE is president and cofounder of the Savannah
College of Art and Design. Under her leadership, SCAD has received
awards for architecture, design, and sustainability from the
American Institute of Architects, the Art Deco Societies of
America, Fashion Group International, and the National Trust for
Hispanic Preservation, and she is the recipient of Elle Décor’s
Vision Award for her work fostering emerging design talent. Wallace
is the coauthor of A House in the South.
CHIA CHONG’s fine art, portraiture, and lifestyle work has been
shown internationally and has appeared in numerous publications,
including Cosmopolitan, Elle Décor, and Vogue. Since earning her
BFA degree in photography from SCAD, she has traveled worldwide on
photography assignments. A native of Penang, Malaysia, she now
lives in Savannah, Georgia.
ADAM KUEHL’s atmospheric landscape work has been exhibited widely
and is featured in both private and corporate collections. His
fashion and interiors work has appeared in numerous publications,
including Metropolitan Home, the New York Times Style Magazine, and
Vogue. He is a graduate of SCAD’s BFA program in photography and
has been recognized in 25 Under 25: Up-and-Coming American
Photographers, Volume II.
