Southern Traditions: The Porch Life
I find that the culture of the porch life is something unique to us Southerners.
Granted, I haven’t lived anywhere else, but I don’t think I’ve seen books written on the topic of how to grace the many different porches written elsewhere. I’m referencing James Farmer’s Porch Living.
Some of my favorite porches here are grand ones, like the 1842 Inn, and the grand homes on College Street in my hometown of Macon, Georgia.
The Jekyll Island Club has another favorite and famous winding porch on it’s grounds. Like something straight out of The Great Gatsby, as I have written about before.
Then there’s also the porch at The Cannonball House, not large but still stately and graced with those iconic Greek Revival columns which have become so synonymous with the South.
There’s also porches which are a second home, like that of my friends Robert & Mariana. Complete with a porch swing, plenty of seats, and drinks that flow for days alongside amazing food and even better friends.
Even just driving around town, I see many varied uses of the porch culture.
A favorite of mine is when you can take a side porch and use greenery with it. This is actually a friend of mine’s home, but I was shy and didn’t want to knock on her door for a photo. She’s a very talented photographer herself! Can anyone guess whose home this is?
The simplest porch will do, but with lively home colors it can stand out even among the fanciest.
Landscaping can add to any porch as well.
I can even walk a block in my neighborhood and see countless ways the porch culture is being used.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, plastic chairs will do, it just needs to be welcoming. An extension of the home.
Even a porch made of stone stands out.
Now… I need to get a start on mine! Whoops. Any suggestions?
A good sweeping might be a start 😉 And moving that swing around…. phew!
Where are some of your favorite porches in the South? Did you recognize the ones we posted?
Love to all y’all,
Molly
