3 Important Elements Of A Rustic-Themed Sunroom

Home & Garden Articles

As you are getting ready to put a sunroom addition on your home, you may be wondering how you should finish it. You may already know that your goal is to create a room with a warm, rustic appearance, but you might not be sure how to achieve this. If this is your goal, you may want to consider adding some or all of the following features to your new sunroom.

Wood

Rustic looks usually contain a lot of wood, and there are numerous ways to use wood to finish a sunroom. Here are a few ideas:

• Paneling on walls and ceilings – placing wood paneling on the walls and ceilings is one option you have. There are many types of wood products you can use for this, and this will create a very rustic, cabin-like appearance.
• Planks on ceiling – some people like seeing exposed wood planks (or beams) on the ceilings. These planks are not only there for looks, but they are often there to support the ceiling and roof of the room. Planks on a ceiling look especially nice when a room has a vaulted or raised ceiling.
• Flooring – installing a wood or laminate floor is another way to use wood in your new sunroom.

You can stain the wood any color you choose, but you can also paint the wood white or any other color.

Windows and Window Coverings

A sunroom generally has a lot of windows, and this is one of the reasons it is called a sunroom. According to House Logic, a typical sunroom usually contains around 20 windows.

You can design the room so there are windows on at least two or three of the walls, and the windows can extend from the floor to the ceiling if desired. If you have a vaulted ceiling, you may also want to consider having the contractor put in a couple skylight windows too.

Windows are an essential part of a sunroom, but there are times when you may prefer blocking the sunlight out. To do this, you may want to consider purchasing wood blinds for all of the windows from places like Aero Shade Co. Inc. Wood blinds will not only fit the theme of your rustic look, but they are also nice because most blinds are good at:

• Blocking the heat out of a room during hot, summer months
• Reducing the amount of cold air that leaks through the windows during cold, winter months
• Helping you keep your privacy by reducing what people outside can see when they look at this room

Wood blinds come in many types, and you can choose from a variety of types of wood, colors, and size of slat widths.

Fireplace

One final component of a rustic-themed sunroom is a fireplace. While you may primarily plan on using your sunroom during the summer, you may find that you really enjoy using it in the winter too if you have a fireplace.

Fireplaces are commonly found in cabins and historical homes, and including one in your new addition will make the room complete. A fireplace offers:

• A way to create warmth in the room – if you have a fireplace, you may not even need to connect your heating system to this room during the addition.
• A romantic and relaxing atmosphere – you could sit in your sunroom at the end of a long day, and the crackling, popping sounds from the fireplace might help you relax and unwind.

As you select a fireplace, you should keep in mind that you could choose a gas one if you do not want to mess with handling firewood, ashes, and smoke.

These are all great features you may want to include in your new sunroom, and you can talk to your contractor about this. Your contractor may be able to help you find the best places to shop for all the things you need for this new room, including your wood blinds, fireplace mantel, and hardwood flooring.

15 October 2014