Ultimate Curb Appeal: 4 Homes with Wraparound Porches

A fine wraparound porch is a priceless addition to any luxury home, easing the transition from living indoors and out. It’s a multi-season space for receiving guests and entertaining them, whether it’s breakfast in the east, dining in the west—or just curling up in the shade for a good book, a sundowner, or a siesta. 

Our great love for the porch lifestyle actually dates from the mid-19th century’s Italianate, Stick-style, and Queen Anne-style Victorian homes, when catalogs selling factory-produced millwork and ornate brackets made it easy to embrace the main structure with an elegant porch. 

Although the postwar modernism of the 1950s (and the advent of air conditioning) pushed the porch out of favor, the New Urbanism of the 1980s encouraged a return to the front porch as a way to foster a sense of community. The porch is back: Now get out there and relax! 

1. 19th-Century Stone Manor In Baltimore, Maryland 

This grand, Queen Anne-style manor occupies 5.5 pastoral acres in the tranquil Baltimore suburb of Woodbrook. 

Built in 1880, the property underwent an extensive renovation, including all-new plumbing, electrical, heating, and air conditioning, integrated sound/media system, in-ground irrigation, and a generator.  

The striking granite façade has retained all its period charm, as have the columned porte cochere and 13-foot-deep wraparound porch.   

The focal point of the center hall is a woodburning hearth (one of 11 in the home). The main-floor appointments continue with a banquet-sized dining room, formal living room, wood-panelled den, and designer kitchen complex with breakfast area, wet bar, office, and family room. A second kitchen is on the lower level, along with a laundry facility and ample storage space.  

A magnificent three-story wooden staircase rises to the upper-level private quarters. Three en suite bedrooms are on the second level, including the lavish primary suite (with his-and-her dressing rooms and marble baths). The third floor houses four additional bedrooms, two luxurious bathrooms, and an office/study with a Victorian fireplace. 

Surrounding the home are immaculate landscaped grounds with sweeping lawns and old-growth trees, a bluestone patio, original stone outbuildings, and an oversized four-car garage.  

2. The Pineapple Estate in Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis, West Indies 

The Pineapple Estate is nestled at 1,100 feet on the southern slopes of Nevis Peak on the Caribbean island of Nevis in the Lesser Antilles. 

The 3.5-acre property is entered via a private driveway sweeping past a row of royal palms, leading through the lower property and wrapping its way around to the upper lawn.  

The main house is an eccentric masterpiece with cut-stone walls, aubergine-colored wooden shutters, wide wraparound verandas, and a rooftop bell topped by a golden pineapple that glows at night. 

The ground floor features a wood-panelled living room, an elegant dining room with a chandelier made of local mango wood, and a large, welcoming kitchen with seating for eight. Three generous bedrooms each have an en suite bathroom and access to the upper-level veranda.  

The separate guest house, with its grand exterior staircase and two-story veranda, offers three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge, and kitchen. The bold purple palette of the doors and shutters are repeated on the cottage on the lower property.

This has its own much smaller pineapple perched on top. Inside is a blank canvas of light-filled space for an artist’s studio, or, perhaps, a yoga room or private office. 

Related: Explore 5 Exclusive Private Island Retreats

3. Majestic Mountain Aerie in Asheville, North Carolina

This custom-designed mountain home sits on more than three wooded acres in Poplar Ridge, a private gated community in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 15 minutes from downtown Asheville, North Carolina.  

At an elevation of 3,000 feet above the valley floor, the views are dramatic from every vantage. The centerpiece of the 9,124-square-foot home is the great room, with its four stacked-stone fireplaces, cathedral ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling windows. It opens to the rambling, full-length covered porch, where a commodious hot tub has pride of place. 

Farther along are the gourmet chef’s kitchen (with butler’s pantry), dining room, den, two offices, and the owner’s suite, with a private, covered deck and a sumptuous bathroom. 

The terrace level provides a second kitchen, pantry, dining area, family room, bedroom, baths, media room, bonus room, storage, gym/exercise room, and utility rooms. Two levels of decks provide for alfresco living and entertaining, including a stone-encased grilling station. 

The third level, with its dormer and gable windows, offers a light-filled open space for study or lounging that runs the length of the house. The landscaped grounds include a level side yard for games or entertaining. 

Related: Discover Luxury Homes with Stylish Outdoor Furnish 

4. Duplex Penthouse in Paceville, Malta 

This ultra-modern penthouse is in Pendergardens, a luxurious new lifestyle development in the picturesque coastal town of St Julian’s, Malta. 

The 3,444-square-foot turnkey home offers two floors of luxuriously furnished living space with panoramic views of the Maltese coast and the Mediterranean Sea. 

On the first level, an entrance hall flows into a double-height living room with a formal dining area, chef’s kitchen, and breakfast space. Vast walls of glass slide open to reveal a 2,519-square-foot wraparound terrace with a swimming pool, sundeck, and another spectacular vista of the sea and cityscape.  

On the upper level are three spacious en suite bedrooms (two with walk-in closets), a study, powder room, laundry and utility rooms. 

The residence comes with two secure parking spaces and access to the building’s amenities: 24-hour security, catering services, gym, business center, entertainment and retail zones. The Maltese capital, Valletta, is just across the harbor. 

Searching for the perfect indoor-outdoor space to relax or entertain? Explore more luxury homes with wraparound porches.