A swing inside the house changes everything. Yes, not everyone has a ceiling high enough for a swing, and yes, most of the photos we found of indoor swings pictured them in lofts, and in lofts you can do many things indoors that people normally do outside. Actually, though, a normal 8′ ceiling is high enough for a regular kids’ swing. And there’s always the more adult alternative of suspending furniture, such as the hanging daybed in the Casa Redonda hotel in Puerto Rico, above, which could easily be hung indoors. And in the photo of the old gentlemen on the daybed in South India (click below), a regular wooden settee has simply been hung from the ceiling – legs and all. Anything is possible. Most ceilings have strong enough joists to hang a swing, but you need to make sure you’re using at least a 3″ – 4″ screw with eyehook and a strong rope, cable or chain. Thanks to Flickr for many of these shots.

Sources:

1 and 2: An incredible Danish house seen on emmasdesignblogg and Remodelista.
3. Daybed swing at Casa Redonda, Puerto Rico. Swinging furniture is more common in the tropics, and that’s probably because air flow past the body is particularly welcome in the heat – the swing becomes a substitute for a fan.
4. Beautiful walnut indoor swing (unknown source). There’s something touching about a swing wide enough for two.
5. Raven, one of Bjork’s tour stylists, swinging in a friend’s NYC Chinatown Loft. Found on Flickr, this shot is by Brian Liu of toolboxdc.

More indoor swings:

Adi on swing, from lemonofpink on Flickr.

Loft swing for two, by joshuagmizrahi on Flickr.

Great loft swing in Williamsburg loft, NYC. You feel you are swinging out into the NY skyline.

Indoor daybed swing for a nice “chat sit” for three old friends in a big old traditional house in Kanadukathan, Chettinad, South India. The practice of just suspending a daybed with legs is common. “They used to chat sit on this giant rocking chair. On the picture, you can see the entrance of the house, you can imagine how big are those Chettinad houses.” From Flickr here and here.

Christi on swing and managing to touch the ceiling, by ewphoto on Flickr.