Combine all of your ideas for a carefully planned sunroom because they are about to come to life! Every detail you could imagine of your home can be put into a sunroom. From a delicate morning coffee nook zone, richly vegetated space, or a fashionable retreat area, a sunroom can do it all! The sunroom is unlike any other portion of a house as it features the merging of both comfort and style, allowing for the creation of a zen-like zone for relaxation.
You would have studied or searched for working/study room tips (if you haven’t yet, take a look at the recent article “Study Room Ideas” I published!). Cozy spaces with a blend of the outdoors alongside the indoors summarise what a sunroom encapsulates. There is a lot to work on and decide on when it comes to materials and designs for a sunroom, and these ideas are a brilliant starting point. Brace yourselves as I reveal the approaches that can make any sunroom shine, literally and figuratively.
Sunrooms feel like they belong in a fairy tale. If you have one in your home or are thinking about expanding your home, you probably know how delightful these spaces are for relaxing and enjoying some personal time.
These decor ideas will transform your sunroom into a cozy retreat for winter and a relaxing haven during summer. We have curated gorgeous ways to style parlor rooms to create unique and stunning interiors, maximized for comfort and vibrant patterns. This is your happy place.
Conservatory Sunroom
This sizable space, which was modified during a renovation, has many windows to take in the views of the garden. Design Alchemy’s Deborah Costa and Kristine Renee went above and beyond to conceal the working duct and utility panels. After hearing about the remarkable events that took place in this home, they understood that music had to be a central element, so they immersed the area with rhythm and flow and even included a piano!
Garden Trellis Sunroom
Claire Staszak of Centered by Design used vintage treillage to integrate this indoor area with nature. However, she altered its placement by attaching it to the ceiling and painting it yellow to resemble the sun waiting outside the French windows. While showing me the space seamlessly integrating with the patio, Staszak said, “You can have the doors open and not be concerned about the draperies getting soiled or the sunlight fading.”
Classic Blue Sunroom
Dallas-based interior designer Doniphan Moore brought this peaceful sunroom to life by applying some pool-blue lacquer to the space. Now, the incoming light reflects off the ultra-glossy walls beautifully.
Entertaining-Ready Sunroom
Maggie Griffin designed this living room for a family. The provided windows frame the beautiful view, enabling everyone to refrain from the television and soak in the stunning sunset over the horizon.
Cozy Sunroom
You can observe your neighborhood’s activity without stepping outside. Simply position yourself in front of a window, ready to soak up all the vitamin D you can. To increase the lounging and seating space, Charles Cohen customized this sectional sofa for the room to make it feel larger.
Wide-Open Sunroom
Now, close your eyes and envision this: you are sitting and reading a book with the sun shining on your face. There is no better spot for those more relaxed days than this sunroom by Erin Sanders Coastal Dream. When it’s time for a nightcap, this lamp will surely help you wind down without you even noticing time go by.
Green Sunroom
Every seat in this sunroom, which is styled as a conservatory, is considered the best in the house. It provides the comfiest, cloud-like couch with a velvet armchair, allowing you to relax and forget about time.
Musical Sunroom
This sunroom, designed by Nina Nash Long, has a touch of Old World parlor, with its sunlit interiors softened by gilt details, antiques, and painted wood flooring. The piano is accentuated by the bold black-and-white chequered pattern that complements the pale grey-green skirted table and walls, which hint at the greenery outside.
Plant-Filled Sunroom
With the addition of an ornamental accent wall, an extensive assortment of potted indoor trees, and modern green patio chairs, this stunning green dining sunroom by Brigette Romanek gives the illusion of being outdoors.
Quick Tip: Incorporate indoor plants to bring a refreshing, natural vibe to your sunroom while improving air quality.
Wood-Paneled Sunroom
A Robert McKinley Studio modern sunroom blends modern neutral colors, natural materials, and eclectic accessories for a relaxed yet beautifully complex look.
Layer Cozy Rugs
Sunrooms sometimes have unique shapes, which makes decorating them difficult. One challenge is rugs! Instead of forcing a large, oversized rug into your sunroom, try using several smaller ones, like in The Wilde House, a holiday rental and event venue located in East Texas. It adds an interesting visual twist and the soft underfoot materials will make the sunroom feel like part of the house.
Keep Your Palette Neutral
To create a more cozy and relaxing space for the sunroom, try focusing on neutral-toned color palette design elements. Noelle Downing used a soft Sixpenny sofa, Studio McGee chairs, and a Loloi rug in her Hudson Valley home to complete the quiet retreat look with whisper-soft neutrals.
Face Your Furniture to the View
Position furniture for maximum sunroom enjoyment—whether watching your children in the garden or admiring a mountain range. Clara Jung chose two comfortable chaise chairs facing the warm California sun. This side table does not need much else, with comfy furniture to gaze at the view and a side table for food and drinks.
Streamline Indoor/Outdoor Living
The function of a sunroom is primarily to create an area in the house that offers a sense of the outdoors, and an elegant and stylish room offers the best illusion. To add incredible outdoor aesthetics, consider a design that allows easy outdoor access. In this streamlined space that neighbours a beach, Lisa Sherry focused on a neutral palette and plenty of wooden touches to pay homage to the scene outside the screen. A nearby shelf enables a quick escape to the sand by offering copious space for shoes and beach toys.
Create Separate Hangout Zones
If you want to maximize your sunroom’s functionality, consider dividing it into zones. A lounge area and dining spot, like the one in this Lauren Shaver-designed space, are common divisions, but you are not limited to those. There are endless possibilities, including a designated space for exercising, meditating, creating art, or even a combination of all.
Quick Tip: Use light-colored furniture and mirrors to enhance natural light and make your sunroom feel more spacious and airy.
Add a Playful Floor
You have more flexibility regarding smaller spaces in your home, so don’t hesitate to experiment with your sunroom. Sometimes, even a single impactful piece, like bold flooring or wallpaper, is all you need to breathe life into an otherwise mundane room. This is evident in the California-inspired sunroom Lauren Koster (events designer and pro-DIY-er) has, which features her graphic tiled floor. If you stick to your existing decor, try painting your wooden or concrete floors an eye-catching colour.
Play With Nature Motifs
Whatever the current view from your sunroom, you can instantly change the theme and enhance it with the help of oversized nature paintings, wallpaper, and murals. For Ashly Clark’s sunroom, she selected Cole and Son Nuvole wallpaper to blend the etched cloud design with the curtains and ceiling to give it a whimsical outdoor feel.
Incorporate a Large Table for Gathering
There’s no stopping you from combining the purposes of your sunroom; you’re free to use it as a social space or a dining area. This stunning feature was beautifully integrated into the sunroom at Ike Baker Velten’s designed space. Instead of being restricted to the formal dining room, the large table in the sunroom can accommodate all guests, and even better, the natural views can be enjoyed while eating.
Maximize Window Size
Nothing is stopping you from merging the functions of your sunroom; it can be used as a social area and a dining space. This exceptional feature was elegantly incorporated into the sunroom in Ike Baker Velten’s designed space. The large table for dinner is not confined to the dining room but is placed in the sunroom so that all guests can make use of it. Best of all, the guests can appreciate the beautiful views of nature while they are having their meals.
Draw the Eye Upward
Hang a light fixture in the shape of a birdcage, and your sunroom will magically transform. It will undoubtedly prompt plenty of conversation, as people will be eager to look up. Try clearing the space of other art to make your statement piece more dominant, as the MK workshop did here.
Kitchen Sunroom
To the left of Julia Amory’s kitchen, an idle corner transforms into a striking sitting area with garden views because of the painted cabana stripes tenting the ceiling. After breakfast, the oversized sectional (Amy Berry) tented with Sister Parish fabric is the ultimate nesting spot.
Moroccan-Inspired Sunroom
This vaulted observatory incorporates a bit of “carpenter chic” with its simplistic materials and sophisticated taste, resembling Yves Saint Laurent’s Menzeh Room. As the inspiration, designer Timothy Whealon also painted and patinated the walls while the wicker furniture was upholstered in a Robert Kime fabric.
Pink-Drenched Sunroom
With vintage woven chairs and upholstery cloaked in a painterly floral fabric by Brunschwig & Fils, Mimi McMakin’s Palm Beach home is a vibrant celebration of nature. The mint lattice-back chair by Baker Furniture is a playful addition to the pink sunroom.
Piano Sunroom
A playful nod that certainly adds charm to Gambrel’s design is that he painted the New Jersey garden room’s piano to match the room’s light and cheerful feeling. He says, “I realise it’s not entirely in the school of good taste. But it’s exciting and unexpected.”
Screened Sunroom
It is remarkable how the cobalt Richardson Allen dining table brings the mix of rattan Bielecky chairs to life. This, combined with the fact that dinner takes place on the David Kleinberg screened porch overlooking the lake, makes everything come together quite remarkably.
Awning-Striped Sunroom
Todd Romano’s sunroom, with its glass walls and awning-striped ceiling, recalls the understated grace of lawn parties. For lounging after a day in the garden, the Napoleon III lounge chairs, pomegranate-print fabric, and sofa, covered by Bob Collins & Sons, transform the space into a seamless retreat.
Trompe L’oeil Sunroom
Miles Redd decorated this Greenwich sunroom. He accentuated the curved ceiling with a trompe l’oeil tent in light blue. While the chair is upholstered in Sanderson’s rose-printed fabric, the sofa (from a Sister Parish-decorated apartment) has a verdant fabric.
Lakeside Sunroom
Drawn at the lakeside cliff, Fong’s sunroom’s top offers mountain views. Fong’s choice of low horizontal furniture and a narrow colour scheme highlighted the beautiful views.
Quick Tip: Add sheer curtains to soften sunlight and create a cozy, inviting glow in your sunroom
