20 Resort-Worthy Lanais That Take Indoor‑Outdoor Living to the Next Level

In Hawaii (where the term originated in the 19th century), a lanai porch is an indoor-outdoor room that shares a roofline with the rest of the home that usually extends from the ground floor on the side or back of the property and offers mostly-open access to the elements (though it can be screened). A bit like a veranda, a bit like a porch and a bit like a patio, the lanai (or Hawaiian porch) is a popular place to extend outdoor-entertaining season with shade and shelter (to protect from the sun and storms) and retractable glass walls and screens (to shoo uninvited insects).

A lanai can be a small, semi-outdoor space to enjoy a cup of coffee, or it can be a soaring, glass-walled great room; if you’re Blanche Deveraux from The Golden Girls, it can even be a patio with a partial pergola (the ladies’ backyard space wasn’t really a lanai, but Blanche called it that so often that we’ll let her have it). Here, it’s a fully-screenable sitting area accessible via bifold doors that offers a perch between the (indoor) living room and the pool patio. A lanai is, in essence, an invitation to blend your indoor-outdoor living in a way that maximizes your enjoyment of both, and we’ve compiled the most beautiful Hawaiian-style porches to inspire you to do just that.

HGTV Smart Home 2021 in Naples, Florida, was the perfect place for designer Tiffany Brooks to trick out a next-level lanai. Outfitted with an outdoor kitchen, remote-controlled ceiling fans, durable indoor-outdoor furniture and a 55-inch outdoor TV with anti-reflection technology (a must for outdoor screens), this mint green space has two levels of enclosure from the elements. Motorized mesh screens lower to add a layer of privacy, shade and sun protection; a second layer of clear vinyl lowers to provide climate control and year-round comfort.

A young Colorado family that relocated to Kauai, Hawaii, yearned for old-school spaces that connected to the lush foliage surrounding their new home. This is one of their three lanais, where the exposed roof beams extend beyond the door to provide a bit of additional sun protection in the yard itself. Within the lanai, sculptural aluminum-and-rope chairs surround a rust-colored pedestal table that’s perfect for entertaining (mostly) outdoors.

Twin sisters and Unsellable Houses stars Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb won the judges’ approval (and ended up winning the whole season) in Florida by outfitting this home on Boca Ciega Bay with playful rattan accents like a pair of hanging chairs, intricate woven area rugs, leggy barstools and funky pendants for their semi-outdoor kitchen. They added motorized screens to rebuff bugs and provide access to the palapa and pool area as needed, then accented the simple finishes with deep, jungle-green paint and lush container plants.

Page Turner and Mitch Glew took a lanai on the same block in a chic, high-contrast direction by installing patio pavers in a classic checkerboard pattern. (Unlike sunrooms with plank or carpeted floors, lanais tend to have concrete or tiled floors.) They then installed a hanging daybed and a tambour-framed outdoor fireplace to anchor their principal sitting area. Long curtain rods at the edge of the lanai let homeowners draw breezy white curtains across the space and create a more intimate feel within.

The warm, rich stain on the tropical wood paneling on this lanai’s vaulted ceiling contrasts beautifully with the stone pavers that carry out onto the patio and pool deck. Lantern-topped ceramic garden stools and woven rattan seating in traditional silhouettes give the space a bit of historic character. Plates mounted on the pillars extend the home’s interior aesthetic to this in-between space. With descending screens and climate control, it’s available for four-season entertaining.

While lanais are most closely associated with Hawaii and Florida, this handsome space demonstrates that other regions and architecture can adapt to these spaces just as beautifully. Cedar shake siding and shiplap on the interior walls of this Virginia lanai are both durable and eye-catching, and they create a satisfying contrast with the bluestone hardscaping underfoot. Wall-mounted lanterns that can withstand exterior use perform double duty here as sconces, and why not?

No pool? No problem. This contemporary Texas home’s gracious lanai offers spectacular views of a natural water feature just beyond the backyard. Natural stone that extends beyond the fireplace creates an organic focal point, and smooth flagstone hardscaping complements it. The lanai’s main seating area is arranged to make the most of the riverside vista, and a daybed placed just inside where screens descend from the ceiling is the perfect place to take in those views and enjoy a bit of shade.

While lanais often feature open walls that can be screened or sealed, that isn’t always the case. Like some traditional structures in Hawaii, the open-air lanai at HGTV Dream Home 2016 in Merritt Island, Florida, doesn’t seal up at all. The pale blue shutters that surround the edge of its roofline are purely aesthetic, serving as a visual distinction between the home’s principal outdoor entertaining area and its much narrower loggia. Multicolored Mediterranean stone picks up that tone, and creamy white paint on the pillars and paneled ceiling makes the transition between the entertaining spaces and the pool patio feel seamless.

Clean, contemporary lines and a less-is-more palette heighten the drama in this modern lanai, where a long, narrow fireplace is the showstopping centerpiece of a stacked stone wall. The room’s retractable, energy-saving screen wall disappears seamlessly into the ceiling, and the smooth, pale stone underfoot flows without interruption to the pool patio. Armless chairs and a love seat create an understated sitting area, and a streamlined pendant hangs high enough that the lanai’s architecture frames the sunset just so.

Architects ornamented this sleek lanai’s tray ceiling with pale beams that complement the outdoor furniture and warm fireplace beneath them. The sandy-hued coralstone hardscaping is halfway between the walls’ and beams’ tones and layers the lanai’s palette even more; the jewel-bright throw pillows on the sectional in front of the hearth, in turn, pick up the color of the pool glistening just beyond the roofline.

This luxurious hybrid space in Florida combines lanai areas — that is, open-sided seating spaces like the one under the cypress-paneled roof here — with a massive steel-and-glass pool enclosure that provides protection for the patio and outdoor kitchen (which has its own louvered pergola within the enclosure). Porcelain pavers and turf add a bit of refinement to the “outdoor” area, which provides many of a more traditional lanai’s benefits without exposure to the elements.

Pale blue paneling that mimics the late-afternoon sky over the coast crowns this expansive lanai. Deeper, ocean-blue tiles on the kitchen backsplash continue the motif along the wall at one end of the space, and nearly-navy batik-style outdoor fabric covers the cushions. As you select colors, fabrics and finishes to outfit your indoor-outdoor area, let the elemental nature of the space itself guide your decisions; a waterfront lanai is intuitive in sandy neutrals and moody blues, while a space with lush garden views would lend itself to dimensional greens.

Classical interior and exterior arches and pillars frame this lanai, where dark-stained beams add drama on the soaring ceilings and one-of-a-kind touches like the massive, tree-trunk coffee table layer the design. Oversized, handmade copper lanterns define the seating areas, and dark shell stone studded with paler details mimics the dramatic look of dark marble flooring. This elegant lanai’s quiet luxury feels every bit as stately as the home’s terrace lounge and its interior spaces.

This sun-drenched stunner features magnificent views of the Oahu coast and charming architectural details like a woven wicker ceiling crisscrossed with tropical wood and multicolored molding. When your surroundings are this magnificent, ornamentation is practically unnecessary; here, teak furniture with bright cushions and a handful of tabletop plants are all that’s needed to make the space feel quintessentially Hawaiian.

This playful lanai demonstrates how well-chosen outdoor pieces can harmonize with a home’s interior aesthetic; consider, for example, how the wicker dining chairs evoke the classic Panton S shape. Rope accents on the sofa and armchairs continue the midcentury vibe, and a colorful outdoor rug beneath the whitewashed stump coffee table adds life and movement to the design. Dark-stained panels on the ceiling, in turn, give the eye a place to rest.

This oceanfront retreat near San Pedro, Belize, was designed to embrace the outdoors while making the most of local materials — and its expansive lanai does just that. The ground-level lanai beneath the home’s second story features barely-there pillars that offer views of the ocean and jungle and disappearing pocket doors connecting the space to the interior. Both the stone underfoot and the lanai’s woven ceiling honor the environment.

The lanai at the HGTV Smart Home 2018 enjoyed interior/exterior access via a crisp pair of sliding doors and next-generation screened-porch functionality — a must in South Carolina. Smart screens open up and enclose the space with the push of a button. Lush potted palms, easygoing boho furniture and a generous sideboard beckon guests to stay awhile.

From sliders that disappear to a barely-there glass railing and acrylic dining chairs, this Maui lanai’s decor is all about making the least of anything that isn’t that priceless view. When your indoor-outdoor space enjoys surroundings like these, the simplest strategy of all is to get out of their way.