Surrounded by storage

Southern Living, Sep 2000 by Jernigan, Sarah

Small spaces can present tough obstacle for designers. But as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and designer Jane Kreitzer was prompted to reinvent an old porch. Now it serves new functions but remains filled with warmth and comfort.

"The space was really hard to work with because I needed a cozy seating area combined with storage," explains Jane. Originally built around 1840, the home has seen many changes over the years. One transformed a back porch to this enclosed room, maintaining an exposed brick wall and the former windows that separated the porch from the adjacent dining room.

Jane's first order of business was seating. Stretching across the narrow width of the space, a built-in bench serves as a frame for cushions taken from a discarded sofa. Because the bench fits flush between the walls, Jane had it built taller than a normal sofa to shorten the room visually. Fixed with a hinged top, the base is hollow and just right for storage. "It's such a cozy little corner-perfect for curling up and reading or watching the television on the other side of the room," she says.

Jane used the window openings to her advantage by closing them off on the dining room side with shutters, and then adding shelves. "They create bookcases for the sitting room," she explains, "and the louvers add character and dif fuse light." The ledge functions as an end table of sorts because it's the perfect height for the raised sofa. The trunks are also a convenient display spot, but their real value is found inside as more storage space.

By painting the brick a deep terracotta, Jane made the sitting room feel warm and intimate. Accessories, such as needlepoint pillows and a paisley throw, punctuate the neutral chenille sofa fabric, while the sea grass carpet and matchstick blinds give the room texture. The inexpensive blinds also filter light through the windows without hindering the view to the garden. Sarah Jernigan