Guest Contributor: Tammy Wartell
My husband and I moved into our house in November. We had a lovely screen porch that just sat there with no furniture or any decorations. Our porch was neglected and boring. It was now April, and we needed help. We definitely needed Matt Keane Design to help with our porch space planning! I had met Matt Keane, a Norfolk interior designer over the summer. He helped our family stage our old house before we put it up for sale. I liked his no nonsense style and the ease of how he could just look at something and transition it into a space that was more beautiful than I pictured.
Matt Keane can just look at a room and have a great vision. I went on his website emailed him at matt@mattkeanedesign.com and said here is the budget, would you be willing to help us design this space? We let Matt know our budget right away, and he was able to work within our budget. He was quick to reply and say let me look at your space. We made the appointment for a consultation and he sat down with me and asked what we pictured as he got a feel for the space. He took some measurements and we talked about what our family absolutely wanted and what we really didn’t want. As a family of five , we needed a table for my daughter to do her homework, a place for my youngest to take a nap, but most of all an inviting family space. We talked about colors and what could work in the screened in porch.
Within the next few weeks I communicated back and fourth with Matt and he scheduled a day to meet with me to show the three options which were printed out and he had some hand drawn renderings of where to place everything. He had priced everything out within our budget and we got to pick one of the three options. This was definitely a fun event! All three plans were quite lovely, but there was a definite winner! Matt and I even did some shopping together for some of the accessories and larger pieces. We worked out how to purchase and when we could set the porch up and payment.
The screened in porch furniture and accessories has exceeded all expectations. It’s a warm inviting but comfortable living space. It’s perfect for working quietly or taking a nap, or for just enjoying outside space. Matt Keane went above and beyond and made our boring before space into a space where we all gather together as a family at the end of the day.