Who Doesn’t Love a Front Porch?

What southern girl doesn’t dream about a big front porch to decorate and serve sweet tea on?  My husband and I had always wanted a big porch and five years ago we moved into our current house which has that beautiful big front porch.  Well, as you know, life gets in the way and until a couple of months ago, this is what our beautiful dream front porch has looked like since we moved in.

Sad isn’t it?  One of the grandsons told me,  “Grandma, Grandpa needs to mow the roof.”

Here we finally have the beautiful front porch we had always wanted and we never use it.  We’ve never decorated it – never enjoyed the beauty it could lend us.   Our driveway ends in the back and we use the back door as the main door.  It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized that the grandsons have always thought the back door was the front door.

In July, I attended a blogging conference in Atlanta (Haven Conference) and I came home with a huge Southern Living Plant Collection hydrangea – I call him Hydrangea George.

Planting Hydrangea George made me decide it was time to make that front porch OURS and we did just that.

First we cleaned it up

Rather boring isn’t it?

And then we spruced it up.

Front door view.

View to the left.

I sewed burlap panels and hung them from a wood closet rod.  Added a brown and black outdoor rug Kannapolis Black from Garden Treasures, a Minwax stained wood swing and some colorful pillows.  Adding the burlap panels immediately softened the corner and dropped the summer temperature.

This little rocker was once white and belonged to my son (who is now 36).  A little Rustoleum spray paint brought life back to the rocker.

The little red chair holds our gardening gloves, pruners and the much needed wasp spray.  This little chair also belonged to my son.   I followed Carmen of Carmen Johnston Gardens advice when planting the container  – something tall (Chinese evergreen), something thick (hydrangea) and something trailing (sweet potato vine).

We’ve had this black rocking set for some time.   They were a gift from my brother and sister-in-law one Christmas.  The boys added the checker set, without my knowledge.  I came outside one day and they were sitting there playing checkers.  I asked them, “What made y’all think to bring the checkers out?”  They told me, “That’s what you do on the porch – play checkers.”  I think they have been to Cracker Barrel a few times.  My brother and son made the checker set when Joshua was 12 or 13.

I painted the sign – “Porch Rules“.  I offer these in my Etsy store too.

Looking down the porch to view the other side.

We created another sitting area with adult and child size Adirondack chairs.  The marble table had been in storage with stock brown legs.  Whipped out that Rustoleum Black spray paint and classed it up a bit.

Picked up these topiaries at half price because they needed a hair cut and the galvanized buckets at Home Depot.

View looking down the porch from the side steps.  Ferns flank the door and we added four hanging baskets.

We also pulled out all the oversized bushes in the front bed and we’ll be replanting the bed later.  When we pulled out the oversized bushes it opened our porch even more.  You can now see the porch when you drive up the driveway which also means you can see past the porch when you are sitting in one of the relaxing seating groups.

One of the views from the front porch.

I love what we did with the front porch.  It makes me feel good to walk out there each morning and sit for awhile.  I find myself out there several times during the day.

 

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