Wraparound Hospitality

The spacious, wraparound porch on a lovely Victorian house in Edgewood was what caught Lisa Bush's eye when she was house hunting about eight years ago.

"When I saw the 'For Sale' sign" on the house, Lisa recalls, "I said to my husband, 'I love that porch; it's incredible!' That's what drew us in."

The Bush family - John and Lisa and their four kids, ages 10 to 17 - moved into this gracious, five-bedroom home 7-1/2 years ago. The porch, with its Ionic columns, turned-wood balusters and shaped handrails, is integral to the grand feel of the home.

The Bush family uses that porch like an outdoor living room in spring, summer and fall. On Sunday mornings, Lisa and John have their coffee on the porch, and after the kids' baseball games, team members often gather on the porch for pizza and drinks.

Hanging out is appealing and comfortable for all ages as the furnishings include padded chairs as well as rocking chairs and a porch swing (definitely a favorite for the children).

Every spring, Lisa picks out plants for the porch, including hanging ferns, because, Lisa explains, they seem in character with the Victorian-era home.

The Bush family has hosted gatherings of three and four families at a time on the porch, with kids spilling onto the driveway to shoot baskets and hang out. On Halloween, it's a gathering place for trick-or-treaters and their adults; for Christmas, Lisa decorates the porch by draping real white pine around the pillars.

Lisa believes the house was built in the late-1880s, and she was told by an elderly neighbor that it was one of the first homes built on Maple Avenue.

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