My Dream Florida Room

...which is why when one of South Florida's top real estate companies, Douglas Elliman, asked me if I would create a style board for my ideal Florida Room, I immediately responded with a, "Heck, yeah!" Here are some of their Florida listings if you want to do some browsing!

A Florida Room is typically a screened-in sun porch or glass conservatory--basically any room that is surrounded by windows and can often be used year-round to give one the impression of living in sunnier, warmer climes. These rooms are a haven for indoor plants, and are typically decorated in Floridian themes ranging from nautical to serene to preppy/glam Palm Beach style.

I didn't have to think long or hard about what my Florida Room would look like if I was lucky enough to have one. All I had to do was essentially create my dream room, incorporating all my favorite design elements. Here is what I came up with:

My Florida Room would be a combination of my two favorite interior design styles: Bohemian and Mid-Century Chic. It seems to me that this would be the perfect space to combine these two styles, which already run rampant throughout my house. They both represent Florida in their own way: the laid-back vibe of the colorful, exotic carpet and pillows, as well as the piece de resistance, the swing hammock; and the Palm Beach-esque clean lines and pastel hues of the sofa and atomic tripod planters.

The wood coffee table brings the hit of rusticity that keeps the room feeling down to earth, and the Sputnik light fixture adds a dose of metallic and ties everything together. And, of course, this being a Florida Room, I could not help but throw in an ode to the Sunshine State in the form of the large flamingo print, which is actually my very favorite thing in the room.

One of the best things about Florida in my opinion (aside from its crystal blue beaches, tropical climate and plethora of outlet malls) is its breathtakingly lush foliage. And the number one element in my Florida Room would be a copious abundance of potted plants that, nurtured by the generous sunlight, would flourish into a veritable jungle where I could pretend I was living like Ernest Hemingway every day of the week.

Thanks, Douglas Elliman, for giving me this challenge that allowed me to dream! Until next time, I will be enjoying these unusually high summer temps that really are reminiscent of what you'd expect to find in Florida...