Sunrooms boost space, light

When the Kelly family replaced the screened-in porch at their Fairfax Station home with a sunroom, they added a three-season room.

In May 2006, the Kellys hired Pamela Harvey Interiors LLC, also in Fairfax Station, to install the sunroom, decorated with a beach theme using wicker furniture and sand tiles.

“It definitely was worth it because we use the space so much more, and it’s very relaxing to feel like you’re outdoors without having to deal with the pollen,” Karen Kelly says.

The Kellys use the sunroom for reading, eating breakfast and socializing most of the year. In winter, it’s a little too chilly.

“I enjoy it more in the spring, summer and fall. It’s nice because with all of the windows, it’s like sitting outside, but it’s climate-controlled, and it’s quiet,” Mrs. Kelly says.

A sunroom — also called a Florida room, patio enclosure or solarium — is a structure on the side or back of the house with glass panels that let in natural light while protecting against the elements. The structure can be built onto an existing deck or patio or onto a new foundation and typically has a slanted roof that can be made of glass or regular roofing materials, possibly with skylights.

“When I think of a sunroom, I think of a room with a lot of windows that accesses the outdoors. I think of a room with a view that has a lot of light,” says Page Palmer, owner of Page Palmer Interior Design in Northwest. She is a member of the Washington Metro Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), a professional organization for interior designers based in Northeast.

“The first thing you have to decide is what you’re going to do with a sunroom, whether you want to make it a living space or a leisure space,” says Dean Schwartz, acting president of the National Sunroom Association, an industry trade group based in Cleveland. He is general manager of SunPorch Structures, Inc., a factory-direct sunroom dealer.

Adding a sunroom onto a home can cost from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the intended use, Mr. Schwartz says. A living space has to be built to the same standards as a home with heating, cooling, electrical and lighting systems installed, while a recreational space does not need those systems, he says.

The sunroom can be purchased as a ready-to-assemble kit for the do-it-yourselfer, a company-installed product that work crews install on site or an all-new construction, Mr. Schwartz says. Sunrooms consist of a frame, such as wood or aluminum, support walls and specialty or low-e glass that lets in light while blocking ultraviolet rays, glare and heat, he says.

“Your sunroom is made 90 percent of glass,” says James Ruppel, director of marketing for Four Seasons Sunrooms, a manufacturer of sunrooms with 300 franchises, including ones in Falls Church, Warrenton and Winchester, Va., and Annapolis and Gaithersburg. “If you don’t have the right type of glass, it will be difficult to impossible to keep it cool in the summer.”

Low-e glass and glass treated for UV protection helps protect the finish of wood furniture, upholstery and other fabrics in a sunroom, Mrs. Palmer says.

UV film can be added to existing glass panels to provide this protection, says Pamela Harvey, ASID member and owner of Pamela Harvey Interiors.

“The real key is to bring as much natural light into that space as possible,” Ms. Harvey says.

The design and decorating of a sunroom should reflect what can be seen outdoors, Mrs. Palmer says. For example, if blue is the color scheme inside, the color could be repeated in blue hydrangeas or periwinkle, while a red indoor scheme could be matched with roses or azaleas, she says.

Using busy fabrics can interrupt the outside view.

“It’s like a piece of art. You want the whole thing working together,” she says. “When you go into the space, the first thing you should do is look out the window.”

Trees should be included in that view to provide shade, says Chris Shoemaker, assistant store manager at the Brentwood Home Depot in Northeast.

“You want lots of trees outside. You want plants outside, so you don’t build this glass furnace,” Mr. Shoemaker says.

Deciduous trees are a good option because they provide shade in the warmer months and lose their leaves in the colder months so they do not block the sun when it is desired, he says.

Putting plants, such as palm plants, ficus trees or hanging baskets, in the sunroom gives the space an outdoor feeling and extends the garden indoors, as does using lattice decoration, ceramic garden seats, indoor water fountains and other items typically found in a garden, says Christina Haire, ASID member and owner of Christina Haire Interior Design in Bethesda.

Mrs. Haire recommends using floral pillows and materials in vibrant greens to bring out the colors of the garden.

“In a sunroom, you want that open sweep. You don’t want it all crowded like a store or something,” Mrs. Palmer says. “Using larger furniture opens up a room, but small pieces will close in a room.”

Wicker, rattan, bamboo and wrought iron are popular furniture choices for a sunroom, Mrs. Haire says.

Decorating a sunroom with furniture that has weather-resistant or commercial-grade fabrics — which provide sun, stain and soil protection — or that is designed for indoor-outdoor use, such as deck or patio furniture, is another protection from fading, Mrs. Palmer says.

Using window treatments also helps protect furniture.

Flooring materials typically used in a sunroom will depend on use, with choices ranging from treated hardwood to tile, carpet and rugs. For example, carpeting could be used for a sunroom that serves as a family room, wood if it’s used as a dining room and tile for a hot tub or spa enclosure, Mr. Ruppel says.

Painting the floor can give it a beach feeling, or using outdoor rugs can bring in some of the outdoors, Mr. Shoemaker says.

For nighttime use, the area surrounding the room should have some source of lighting to avoid looking out into a black hole, Mrs. Palmer says.

“There should be some light in the garden or whatever is out there to extend the look of the space and to take away any glare,” she says.