See how I transformed my mom’s new sunroom into a bright and cozy sitting area with lots of English garden inspiration – including this lattice covered wall.
English Garden Inspiration
This English garden-inspired sunroom interior is anything but average. Some may even say it reminds them of an old children’s tale. When my 9-year-old second cousin walked into my mom’s sunroom for the first time this weekend, he looked around and said, “This is just like Peter Rabbit.”
How adorable is that?
Best Mom in the world!
Indoor Lattice Wall
During the installation of the sunroom, I turned my attention onto the single wall that would be left with vinyl siding and an outdoor light fixture.
I considered a few options such as sheetrock and shiplap, but this photo below is the look I really wanted. So, we painted the walls a lovely green and installed a traditional English lattice fence over painted drywall for some stunning garden vibes.
10 years ago when my Mom built her carriage house, we chose a green sofa for her upstairs living room. Since her house is often full of guests, she decided she wanted a pull-out sofa in there instead. Her original sofa fabric happened to be treated outdoor fabric, so we moved it into the sunroom and it became the starting point for the colour scheme.
NOTE: If you aren’t yet convinced of the importance of mood boards when decorating and shopping online, then you need to enroll in my Shop Online with Colour Confidence course right away! Here’s a look at the mood board for this room.
Remember what happened when I didn’t follow my own advice?
Garden Stool | Similar Green Sofa | Area Rug | Sconce | Woven Chair | Etagere Shelf
Since turquoise and pink are also my mom’s favourite colours, I found an area rug that picked up both the green in the sofa, as well as some turquoise and white.
I searched high and low in Canada for sunroom chairs that I liked and finally ended up shipping these in from One Kings Lane (and bonus, they’re on sale right now). Since the cushions were already white, I decided to leave them since they definitely repeated all the existing white in the sunroom. Then, down the road when they require re-covering, we can find new upholstery.
Floral pillow similar here | Storage ottoman is custom | Similar Sofa | Outdoor Leopard pillow
I bought a piece of glass to make her garden stool a more functional accent table | Similar here | here
8 ft. round outdoor area rug here | Also comes in many other sizes | Lucy was custom made and not for sale 🙂
In the Spring, Mom plants seedlings for her greenhouse and this room is perfect for that. However, in the summer, it gets unbearably hot in the afternoon sun. The only plant that survives in here is a jade plant and a bougainvillaea. Therefore, I bought this faux fern (below) which came in this stand because this spot needed a plant!
I’m ignoring the pink beige vinyl decking since, as it turns out, there is very little selection and availability in outdoor vinyl decking, as I posted about here.
White dining chairs here & more options here | Table was from Craigslist Similar
Triple sconce light fixture | well-priced fixture that also comes in single and double
Plant stand HomeSense | Similar here
You can see the small heater through the Etagere, I also chose this style of shelf so it wouldn’t cover up the lattice wall.
This is a 4-season sunroom that requires a second portable heater to keep it warm in the winter. So when it gets really cold we don’t use the room since it would be expensive to keep warm.
My Mom loves this room so much! Since a carriage house has to be built with a garage on one side, this places the living room upstairs, not so convenient since most people prefer to be close to the kitchen. This room adds much-needed seating as an extension beside her sitting room inside.
From her new sunroom, she can watch their pet goats, view her apple trees, and enjoy all the lush greenery outside! I’ll often find her sitting in her favourite spot, knitting in the afternoons. Except in the summer, when we’ll most likely find her in the garden!
Here’s the before & after of the exterior of the sunroom I posted about here.
In the past 18 months, who else added onto their house or created a studio in the backyard? It seems to be a trend!
My two-day live, virtual Specify Colour with Confidence workshop is now open for registration! For those of you interested in the Business of Colour AND/OR the Business of eDesign, those courses will be available for purchase at the end of September and you’ll be able to watch them at your leisure!
PS. We are receiving a lot of inquires about our New Build and Renovation packages, they will be available for purchase at the end of August, get on the waitlist to be notified here.
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Maria – It is gorgeous!! I want to sit in that room. So cozy.
And yes, I built a coach house in my backyard during COVID. It’s finished and I love it. So grateful I took your courses through Killam Colour Academy.
Enjoy your time with your Mama in her new sunroom.
Sheila
****Beautiful***** ~ love it! Your dear Mom must be thrilled with it all…..well done! Love those precious pictures of the two of you…you are both so lucky to have each other…..xx
I love the lattice wall treatment. I would love to do something similar on my screened porch.
Is the lattice backed with something? I don’t see siding through the lattice.
Thanks.
Lisa
They put up dry wall inside the sunroom (either in place of the siding or right over the top of it), then the lattice on top of that. Scroll up to the inspo photo – the note under it talks about the wall treatment.
So pretty.
I remember when you wrote about the flooring. Your mom is going to be pleased with it in the long run.
We have the same vinyl on our deck/balcony. We had it installed (replacing a failed different make) in 2009 and it is exposed to the rain and our blasting Okanagan sunshine. We cleaned it the other day (the smoke had made it filthy yet again this year) and the only wear we notice is a tiny bit of fading that we saw when we lifted the protector carpet that is under our natural gas bbq.
Too bad about the afternoon heat for the plants, it is hard to have a spot that is good for all 4 seasons. You might try also a Hoya plant, it these like you they will bloom with beautiful and scented pink flower clusters.
Maria, that is sooooo pretty!
Michelle
For me, the tropical and animal print pillows are not Peter Rabbit enough. But I adore everything else!
I don’t get the leopard at all.
I love this so much!
I’m curious about the siding that was on the wall that now has the lattice on it. Did you take the siding off and replace it with something else? Or put something on top of the siding? Please say a bit more about how you created that wall.
What a stunning and functional new space for your Mom:)
Warmly,
Carolyn
It’s gorgeous! And totally unique and filled with love and sun. Thank you for sharing!
Love the sunroom and the colors! Do the windows open up or are they solid glass ? You all will enjoy this room so much.
Gorgeous! Born and raised in England, this I can visualize for afternoon tea! And oh, I would love to have some fresh rhubarb, but too hot here in Florida.
Oh lovely, what a great space. Love the lattice and green sofa, but not feeling the pillows on it. They seem disconnected with the rug and other more tropical tones and garden inspired design.
Your mom must be thrilled with her new additions and having her girls so close.
Your pup is so cute! First pic, I thought s/he was a stuffed animal! 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Such a pretty and useful room! It’s been fun to see it happen.
Maria, would you mind helping some of us understand your thinking behind the black and brown animal print pillows? I looked and looked for something that relates to them in the sunroom and can’t figure it out. Your explanations always teach me something. 🙂
Hi Liz, Honestly, I found the Design Guild floral pillows BEFORE the rug. Then when I found the rug, it was so good because it picked up her sofa colour AND the turquoise shades she loves that I bought it, all the while intending to replace the pillows with a custom fabric. But then I found the leopard which goes with everything and I love them with the green sofa so I included them. Then the lamp with the black lampshade. So yes, technically, we need black in the rug, but I actually really like the pillows in the room right now and since they are easy to change, I can do that later! Good eye Liz. . . I was hoping to distract everyone from noticing that with the styling 🙂 Maria
Thanks Maria! I see your reasoning. I think it was the brown rather than black that puzzled me, since only the furniture is brown and the leopard doesn’t “connect” closely…for me they feel “heavy” rather than cheerfully tropical. But if you and your Mom like them, that’s what matters. I appreciate your response. 🙂
Hey! The leopard pillows relate to the puppy dog! A little leopard is always fun.
In the first picture the sofa looks blue. Is this in the sunroom or her living room? I love the blues and greens.
I just realized that was your inspiration photo!
It’s divine Maria. 😘
What a lovely addition! Your mom will get so much use out of the space. So smart to build it level with the house doors. The lattice wall is amazing and really makes the room. Would love to hear more about that process and installation. My design barometer includes how peaceful I’d feel as I picture myself in a room and I can tell you I’d be very happy and peaceful spending lots of time in that inside/outside sunroom! 🙂
Everything was so colorful and well done, I didn’t even notice the pick vinyl decking! When you mentioned it I had to go back and see what you were talking about. Those are some excellent pictures of your mom, Lucy and you! I never thought about a colorful couch before reading your blog but I’m warming up to the idea. So cute!
Perfect! I could just go out there and relax or listen to music! I love the tropical colors. So refreshing! The chairs are wonderful and I just love your garden coffee table. Have always liked the lattice effect. The room is brilliant. Your mom is blessed to have you and vise versa. Lucy fits in very well too!
It’s truly beautiful! I wonder if you’d be willing to share budget info on your posts like this. I understand not wanting to, but it’s really helpful if you can find a way. For instance, I am now wondering if this was $10K, 50K or 80K?
Great question. The sunroom was almost $50,000! Maria
This is such a sweet spot Maria! I love it!
Very lovely!! What a pleasant and inviting space to enjoy the outdoors. I hope to have something like that one day too! I’m wondering if you could add some semi-sheer long fabric panels that could be used in the summer to protect the plants and cool the area in the middle of the day?
Curtains will not help to keep out the heat in a room filled with this much glass but my Mom is in her garden in the heat of the day anyway, or napping 🙂 Thanks for your comment! Maria
Hi Maria,
Have you considered something like a sunshade on the exterior of the window?
There is so much to LOVE, with this project, Maria!!!
Maria, it looks gorgeous! I follow you faithfully because you teach me soooo much! Two details I would have added, since I am a caregiver for my elderly grandmother. First, a stylish banister for the steps leading out to the backyard. Second, leveling the yard at the base of those steps. My Granny can lose her balance in a New York Minute! Otherwise, I believe you pulled this off beautifully, dear!
Maria, this sunroom exudes pure joy! Your mom is so lucky to have a daughter with your talent and vision in taking a blank canvas and turning it into such a beautiful and inviting space. I would literally live full time in this room.
The cheerful green + white lattice + soft gold etagere is perfection.
And the Finnish/Folk touches take this over the top!
Love all of it. It looks so cozy and inviting. Your mom is loving it, too. She has a lovely daughter and vice versa.
Such a bright and pleasant room to relax in. I would spend most of my days there. Well done.
Great rug! My 10-year-old design-conscious daughter chose that very same rug on her own for her bedroom refresh, along with Benjamin Moore Baltic Sea (accent) wall paint. The rug looks great and also ties together other elements in her room, and it’s great that it’s an outdoor rug so that we don’t have to worry about messes. I joked with her that she should have been born in the ’80s with all the fern and tropical prints of that era, but it’s great to see that design experts are also re-embracing those great patterns these days.
Love the green wall color with the latice! Could you please share the name/brand of the green paint color?