Friday, July 31, 2009

Our Porch Makeover

We had a TON of outdoor furniture from our old house because we had two front porches and a pretty sizable back porch. However at our new house, we only have a tiny front patio and a smallish 12x12 screened-in porch. As I mentioned before, I am trying to make good use of things we already own, so I did my best to coordinate our mismatched items. Here's what it looked like...


I called it our "Kumbaya" room because of all the random furniture arranged in a circle around the room. Here's a look from outside.


Somehow I convinced Andrew to help me stain the porch one weekend. I explained that it would make a huge impact for a small price tag. Of course, we seriously underestimated how much time it would take, but it was worth it!!

Here's us working...


Look how amazing that expresso stain looks against the green siding already...


Not only did we stain the railings, but we also painted the cement floor, hung a ceiling fan, spray painted many accessories, put down an area rug, installed window boxes and hanging plants and did some other stuff too. It took us about 2-3 weeks to finish everything.

Oh, and most importantly, we had a yard sale. I told Andrew that I would put all our mismatched furniture out there and whatever money I made would go toward a new patio set. When I didn't sell everything, I put the rest on Craig's List. Wouldn't you know... I sold everything!! And you better believe I bought a new patio set!!

A reminder of the unimpressive before...


Here's the dramatic after!


I originally had my heart set on a different set from Target, but Andrew was luke warm about it. I finally found this La-Z-Boy set that's only sold at Sam's Club... on sale of course. I had to pay $40 for the membership, but it was well worth it. The cushions are so plush and comfortable and isn't the fresh green color so delicious?


Do those lanterns and planter look familiar? See if you can find them in the before pictures... it is amazing what a little white spray paint can do!


I owned the copper window boxes outside too, but they were a grungy galvanized steel. I sprayed them this copper color to match the hanging planters. I love the way they pop against the green siding. I even planted some herbs in them, so they are more than just decoration!


Our new rustic outdoor fan makes it easier for us to handle the North Carolina heat. It is hard to see in this photo, but the glass bowl is actually bubble glass. I have a bit of an obsession with bubble glass so this was a no brainer for me.


No doubt Andrew's favorite feature in the entire patio is this mounted tv. It wouldn't surprise anyone to know that this was one of Andrew's biggest priorities when we moved into this house. I believe it was hanging up by Day #3. We scored the mounting kit on Craig's List, and I found the wire hiding kit at Lowes.


Remember those other two hanging pots I mentioned in an earlier post? Planted with green sweet potato vine and yellow lantana, they now flank our porch.


I am so proud of all the work we did on our own. I love how coordinated the back of the house looks now with the deep browns, soft white accents and vibrant pops of green.


Now you know where to find us on most evenings... enjoying our new cozy porch!

6 comments:

Parker and John said...

Me again! Porch looks great! Where did you get that table and chair set that is outside? I am pretty sure we just bought the same one 2 days ago! I am loving your new place and excited you've found some time to update the blog. Keep up the good work.

Kathy and Andrew said...

Thanks Parker... nice to know that someone is actually looking at the blog! We got the outdoor dining set about 2 years ago from Home Depot. We got an amazing deal on it because we bought it at the end of the summer... something like $450 for the 7-piece set. We love it, however the glass top is a pain to keep clean. Stupid dust and pollen!

Parker and John said...

We're headed to the beach next week, but I will take some pictures for you of our new deck furniture for comparison when we are back and actually get it to the deck - just in time for Finn's 1st birthday. Then you'll have to explain to me how I could possibly have a one year old.

The Schreibman Family said...

LOVE ITTTTTTTT
WOW... Andrew great job for putting up with your slave driver of a wife (jkjk) I know how us women get when we have our minds and hearts set on a project...but this looks phenomenal and sounds like it was totally worth the time and investment.

I too love the stain and the patio furniture is gorgeous! It looks so put together. Do you ever read the blog This Young House? They did a similar patio revamp and this reminded me of it.

Great job. miss you.

Kathy and Andrew said...

Thanks Renee... glad you like it!! BTW, I have an unhealthy obsession with Young House Love. I check it about 52 times a day for updates. They are great!

Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog said...

You did a beautiful job on this makeover! I think the curtains were the perfect touch!