Number Fifty-Three: Decorating a Florida Room with Douglas Elliman Real Estate

I spend an ungodly amount of time perusing Pinterest and Instagram nearly ever single day (you can follow me here and here), so when Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm asked me to design my interpretation of a Florida room I was all in.

Now, truth be told, I have only been to Florida twice in my life, both in the late 1980s and I was in middle school. Awkward. But, I do know that my style and my design obsessions would ring true despite wherever in the world I lived. Plus, it's been unbearably hot and humid this summer, so it's been great inspiration to create this space.

(I would start with this amazing jute rug. I love the two tones and all the texture! It's perfect for that indoor/outdoor feel.)

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Up here in New England we like to call these Florida rooms three season porches. In our farmhouse we turned our three season porch into a mudroom, which was recently featured on Apartment Therapy. You can see all the details here.

(I'd have lots of seating with cozy outdoor pillows...perfect for entertaining and hours of relaxation after a day at the beach.)

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We currently live in a traditional style farmhouse with the large front porch. It would be amazing to screen that in at some point (like most Florida rooms are). I know I would get a lot more use out of the space knowing that there was some barrier between me + bugs.

(Since I'm designing this Florida room for comfort and entertaining I would certainly add in a drink station. This rustic piece is so versatile and could be used as a potting bench when company isn't over.)

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(Whenever I create a room I also love to add in some modern elements. The shape and material of this coffee table definitely fits the bill. And, since it's marble you don't have to worry about wet glasses leaving a mark and ruining a wood surface.)

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I'm slightly obsessed with plants; primarily cactus and succulents and recently shared how I clustered them all together on one table in our living room. If you missed that post you can read it here.

(Plants add life, interest and color to any space so I would definitely be adding lots in for interest. Of course, cactus would be an amazing choice, but it would also be nice to add some in that are native to Florida.)

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At our old house, we were right on top of our neighbors. Right. On. Top. Of. Them. So, to give some privacy so that we could use our back porch, I added curtains. It was the perfect, inexpensive solution.

(I love the idea of long, flowing white curtains on a screened porch. It not only adds privacy, but it shields the sun and adds another layer of texture and softness.)

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I hope you have all been inspired to decorate your Florida room/screened porch/front porch areas! The neutral base of colors and textures that I picked could be used in any area of the country and gives the freedom to add in small decorative elements that reflect your specific region. If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out some Florida real estate for additional ideas.