Hanging beds add comfort to porches
Swings have evolved from a tire on a rope in a backyard to hanging beds on porches.
On the new sunporch at Jackie Garson Howard’s Smyrna home, a handmade bed swing offers a cozy spot for relaxing and reading, and her family piled on the swing to pose for last year’s Christmas card. The swing, which holds a single-bed mattress and is made out of pine wood, was inspired by a visit to friend Marie Nygren’s home at Serenbe, a pastoral community south of Atlanta. Laying in Nygren’s swing was the ultimate in relaxation for Garson Howard, owner of Paces Papers in Buckhead.
Garson Howard designed her covered sun porch, which was finished in 2013, to take in the view of a 200-year-old tree behind her home.
“I laid out the room, laid out the swing,” she said, “so I could sit and stare at the tree.”
The roof protects the swing from rain, and it’s covered with sheets, pillows and an antique quilt passed down from her grandmother.
A hanging bed can be purchased from local retailers and online companies, custom-made or even a DIY project. The Home Depot offers online instructions for constructing a hanging bed for $350 (http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/how-to-build-a-hanging-bed).
Here are four more options for stylish porch swings:
- Authenteak Daybed Swing: Oak wood is used for this swing sold by the West Midtown store. It comes with a mattress, pillows, hardware and Sunbrella or other outdoor fabrics. Retails for $4,000-$7,609 (not including accent pillows; additional configurations will decrease or increase the price), authenteak.com.
- SwingBed: The hand-crafted hanging beds are made out of cypress and available in styles such as antebellum, New Orleans, 1800s and the original style in various colors (red, black, green and cream). The company, based in Collierville, Tenn., also can build a swing based on your own design. The company handcrafts the beds when ordered out of its facility in Olive Branch, Miss., said Terry Allen, owner of SwingBedsOnline.com. Prices range from $1,500-$1,800, on average, and there's also a double SwingBed for $4,900.
- Adirondack swing: It's not a hanging bed, but the slanted back and seat give the swing a seaside style. The roomy swing comes in natural or painted versions. The swings from DesignedForOutdoors.com range from $326.99-$439.99 for a double and $239.99-$243.99 for a single-seat swing.
- Lowcountry Originals bed swing: Swing or sway, depending on the system used to hang these bed swings made out of pine. A Chippendale style is among the options for these swings, which are made in South Carolina and come in different stains (honey, driftwood, ebony, white wash and white). The beds and colors also can be customized, and cypress is an option. Retails from Lowcountry Originals (lowcountryoriginals.net), based in Bluffton, S.C., from $2,800-$3,200 (pillow and cushions not included).
