No matter how big or small a house, there always seems to be a room that becomes the center of it all. Maybe the light is brighter there, the air circulation fresher, the vibes inexplicably better. Maybe its all three.For ELLE DECOR A-List interior designer Sheila Bridges, that room is the large enclosed porch at the back of her Hudson Valley home, featured on the cover of our September 2020 issue. Or perhaps we should say the front of the home, as Bridges prefers that guests walk through her yard and garden before entering the house.This enclosed porch wears more hats than one might expect. Aside from being Bridgess alternate foyer, its also a dining room, a workspace (when she needs a break from her in-house studio), and a place for rest, for reading, and all-around relaxation. I really use it for everything, Bridges says. Its where I love to entertain. I have people over for cocktails in the evening. It accommodates up to eight for dinner. I sit, read, or work on my laptop in the living area. It is flexible and very functional.Frank FrancesAn ottoman from Stair Galleries sits in front of a vintage Janus et Cie chair. The ceiling fan is by Visual Comfort. Even her dog, a Mudi named Loki, has free rein: A dog door allows him the run of the property, inside and out. But aside from the freedom and variety the space offers, its access to the natural world is what Bridges finds most appealing. This preference has defined the designer since her childhood, which was filled with tennis, horses, and skiing with her family. I love the outdoors. I wouldnt have a house in upstate New York if I didnt, Bridges says. A screened-in porch combines the best of both worlds: an interior space and an exterior space.I love the outdoors. I wouldnt have a house in upstate New York if I didnt.The three-season room (Bridges avoids it in winter) extends the full width of the houseunusual for a porchwith screens instead of windows on three sides. In the morning the breeze pours into the room. Ceiling fans turn in the hottest months, when the porch offers fresh air without the annoyance of insects and other critters. The love affair mosquitoes have with me is incredible, Bridges says. At dusk shadows creep poetically through the space. The room gets amazing natural light, but because it faces west, I also get the sunset, she says.Inside Sheila Bridges' PorchSince the room is not insulated, Bridges uses furniture suitable for the outdoors. Guests gather around a Saarinen Tulip table, with custom rattan chairs in black, brown, and blue (the palette of the room), and eat off Wedgwood china of Bridgess design and cutlery she inherited from her parents. The lush green of the surrounding maple, oak, and white birch trees acts as a cocoon, with a green sofa and lanterns bringing the hue inside.In those dreamy hours between day and night, Bridges might take a nap here, play jazz from her concealed speakers, or simply sit, look, and listen to the rich, layered world around her. This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE