Porch Project In Progress

It’s August. Time for taking it slow and sipping sweet tea. A good place to get productive on relaxation is your front porch. Mine needed a little something-something. We had the two requisite black resin rockers. I found two matching fantastic indoor/outdoor rugs at Pier 1 Imports on sale. I placed them on either side of the porch to create conversation areas. We needed more seating, a place for food and drinks and plants that would survive (maybe even thrive). I found the new pillow and the used wicker table with glass top at Eclectic Finds in Mount Pleasant. They were the absolute perfect colors for the rug. I found the cool ceramic lantern at Home Goods and placed an all-weather blue Luminara flame-effect candle inside. It won’t melt and can handle our summer rain storms.

Damian spray painted our formerly black concrete planters and tall metal urns a bright Carolina blue. Since our swanky Garden store Hibiscus attracted aphids and almost died a slow death by the front door, we weren’t willing to plunk down the big bucks. We tracked down two topiary bushes at Walmart for the urns that flank our front door. I covered the dirt with pretty sea shells we’ve found at Folly Beach and Isle of Palms.

We planted mix of purple trailing Petunias (spill), white Begonias (fill) and what I think may be yellow Coreopsis (thrill) for the concrete planters that sit at the top of the porch steps. Because I typically have a black thumb of death, I’m super proud of my window box which has survived record-breaking heat and direct full sun. I put that together for under $60 at Lowes. It would perish if I skipped even one morning of watering. You’ll notice our porch ceiling is an aqua (Haint) blue. It’s a tradition here in Charleston. The color is said to ward off evil spirits and hornets’ nests. I’d be happy if it just keep unwanted salespeople away.

My husband hung the black resin porch swing. It took impressive skill to find the ceiling joist under the finished beadboard. The stud finder wasn’t doing the trick. So he ran a magnet until it stuck. No holes to fix. Yay for him!

Eventually we are going to replace the ho-hum lighting fixtures by the front door with gas lanterns. Most of the homes in our neighborhood have them and they really add to the Southern charm. Although, my daughter thinks they are a little spooky.

When the weather cools down, we’ll tackle staining the wood porch floor and steps with a white wash. In the meantime, I think I’ll plan a porch party. How have you added pizzaz to your front porch? xoxo