I'm Dreaming of a Sleeping Porch

Victorian home with a sleeping porch on the second floor. Usually built off a bedroom, the sleeping porch was screened in on three sides for maximum air circulation.

We assume in Virginia that hot weather will eventually arrive, which sets me to wishing again that I had a sleeping porch. So often in the summer, it is a lot cooler at night outside than it is in or there is a soft breeze outside that invites enjoyment. But we are stuck sleeping inside our homes with the windows shut and the hum of canned air. At these times, I start fantasizing about building a porch outside my bedroom window.

The screened-in sleeping porch enabled adults and children to sleep outside with protection from rain and insects during the hot summer months. With the advent of electric fans and air conditioning, it was erased from blueprints for new homes. But perhaps the high price of energy these days will bring about its revival, or families will start building them on their own. Here are some inspirations.

I like the way this porch is right up there with the trees--almost an enclosed treehouse.

Here's a first-floor screened in porch used for sleeping--and reading during the daytime?

At her home in Florida, Margaret Rawlings, author of The Yearling, wrote her books on a table on her porch and also slept there.

This sleeping porch also has windows, so that it can be used in the colder months also. These types of rooms also make nice studies or dining areas.

The sleeping porch offers us an opportunity to be more aware of our natural surroundings.

My personal favorite: the night-time nursery outside.