Winter is a funny time to be blogging about porches, eh? You know, maybe not. For people who have enclosed porches, winter is a perfectly fine time to cozy up in the semi-outdoors. A favorite old teacher of mine has an exquisitely furnished enclosed porch, complete with storm windows that get switched out for screens in the summer, a loveseat and an arm chair, tables, and all manner of funky rural memorabilia tacked up to the walls. In the winter, she and her guests curl up in blankets while they drink hot tea out there. That porch is truly a masterpiece, and it wasn't created by some high end design-build group; just a regular person with some aesthetic sense.

You too can enjoy a cozy porch in the wintertime. Obviously, a screened in porch where you can switch out the screens for storm windows would be best. If you want to decorate a porch that is open to the elements, I can't exactly endorse it as a comfortable place to sit, though you might enjoy looking out at it when your couch and throw blankets are not covered in snow.

1. Treat it like a room: The arrangement of furniture on an enclosed porch should be similar to that of a living room. Create a distinct conversation area, and if there is room create a separate dining area.

2. Fire it up: Your patio, of course, is not well-insulated. Still, it's nice and cozy to fire up a wood stove or fireplace when you are sitting out there in the winter. Bonus: Learn how to build the perfect wood stove fire from Minneapolis heating expert Woodland Stoves & Fireplaces.

3. Stain the concrete patio floor to look like tile: Your plain concrete porch floor could look a lot more like an indoor floor with the help of a skilled concrete contractor.

4. Add warm, cozy fabrics: Warm, wooly throw blankets and throw pillows will make your enclosed patio feel like a fuzzy, yummy haven.

5. Mix vintage and modern furnishings: Mixing up contemporary furniture and down-home vintage accessories is a fun way to keep the look of your enclosed porch warm, but tailored.

Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.