A River House screen porch makeover in my mind

Last weekend, we spent some time unwinding with our friends The Volks in Wimberley at our family's River House for a few days.  

Just leaving the Austin city limits for the Texas hill country is a relaxing drive.  We didn't grab a lot of photos, which is a sign of a good trip ;), but here are a few:

 {Me & Meredith chatting and having a little R&R on the swing enjoying the day}

Things were a little different than the last time we had some River House time with the Volks.  My kids, Iris and Sam are 5 and 3.  Their kiddos, Noah and Max are 3 1/2 and 9 months old.  Our last trip was March 2009, three years ago, and it looked like this:

 {Iris - 2 1/2, Mike, me, and Sam 3 months old}

 {Me and my little man.  This photo melts my heart.  I know, I'm a weepy mom!}

 {Kurt and his little man, Noah, 9 months old.

Noah is the same age here as Max is this trip!}

And here we all are on the River House screened in porch, enjoying the day and our babies.

  

I pretty much make over the River House a million times in my mind every time we are there.  I would keep all the kitch fun elements that make it the rustic retreat it is while creating an updated, casual modern day River House.

The porch is pretty amazing just for the view of the trees peaking up from the Blanco River and cliffs below.  Most things have been there since um, 1975 when I was one and the River House was "born" including a single day bed which gets a lot of grown men naps, old tackle, fishing poles and random gear and a heap of inner tubes.  

{image via The Design Traveler}

I love everything about this bedroom porch.  What a dream to wake up there.  It's simple and the gas stove with built in log bin and tree planter are exactly what keeps it rustic and modern.  This is really kind of my dream for the River House.

{Scott Newkirk's house in Sullivan County, NY}

Simple, relaxing and fun.  I like the middle bench which turns the beds into couches and becomes a great coffee table.  The slatted bench doesn't add weight to the room and keeps the focus on the wilderness around.

 {image from Poteet Architects San Antonio, TX}

I loved this screened porch addition and the fact that it has it's own little porch.  The simple design, fun lighting (indoor and outside bulbs) and landscaping are exactly what I would love to see for the River House.  

{design by Ken Fulk, House Beautiful}

Another possibility, moving the indoors outdoors to create a dining room on the porch would be dreamy too.  Our reunions always consist of people getting their plates and taking a chair out to the patio to eat so, why not provide a great dining area to start?  Love the mismatched rustic, and modern elements of this porch dining area.


Do you fancy any of these?  I'd love to hear your ideas of the perfect vacation screened in porch design.  I know we could ALL use a big dose of relaxation and how fun to incorporate it into the spaces we have.  Have a great weekend and RELAX!