11 April 2011

porch makeover

The past few weeks we've been working on lots of projects to spruce up the front of the house. Now that the weather is really warming up, we'll be spending lots of time out on this porch.

It's a nice wide porch with lots of room for sitting. We've got quite a hodgepodge of furniture out there--the rocking chairs and metal chairs were inherited from my grandma's house and Matt scavenged the table and wooden sofa on the far end from the dumpsters in his old apartment complex. We've sanded and painted them all so they look bright and cheerful. Matt stained the porch decking a dark color which sets off the furniture and paint colors so perfectly. The outdoor rugs came from Lowe's.

OK, you might have to click this image and view it larger to really see the difference in the before vs. after. (But I've always wanted to do a Before & After photo!) The shutters and front door used to be hunter green, and they are now a lovely smoky blue. It took some experimenting to find the right shade of blue, not too bright but still a nice contrast for the mocha-colored house paint.

Here you can see the blue color better. Pretty! Of course, I wanted to add some fabric and softness to the porch, so I sewed up two cushions for the rocking chairs.

I love the bright pops of color on the dark background of this fabric. The piping adds a nice pop too.

For the wooden bench, I recovered the cushions in a pale green floral print, then made two new throw pillows as well. Natural linen and chambray is my new favorite combination.

We just planted the hanging baskets and pots this weekend, so they are just getting going. Matt put together the combination in the galvanized tub. We're going to have lots of color--blues and yellows but also splashes of red and purple.

One day we'd like to install ceiling fans out here, the nice big rattan ones that spin lazily on a steamy summer day. Ah, steamy summer days--they are coming!

3 comments:

The Vintage Seamstress said...

I love your porch! Wish mine was that big, it is similar but about half that size. Love your old tin tub. I also put an old iron headboard in my flower bed that was the hubbs Grandmother's, its rusty but looks pretty good. I can't wait to go buy some flowers for the front yard. You have inspired me to get off my butt! lol

Marmee said...

You found a perfect use for the photo booth fabric -- love it with the chambray and linen pillows. Love the blue too -- can't wait to see it in person.

Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou) said...

This is so pretty!!! I love the change. We have a big porch too and I want to spruce it up this summer too. Thanks for the inspiration!