We had our first rain of the season today and it had me itching for some porch redecorating. I have been watching QVC - it is my favorite mindless show that I especially love in the fall for all their decor and holiday inspired food. I have yet to buy anything from them but I love that it leaves me wanting to make my house homier.
They were talking about plants and lanterns on the porch which inspired me to spruce things up. While I love our front yard there are so many things I want to change about the house. Long term I would love to paint the house white. Short term I want to paint the front door. I would also like to paint the porch white as well (it is more of a beige). So while none of these are on my immediate to do list, I found that I could still update the space with just a little rearranging.
While I have my cute outdoor furniture and pillows, the reality is that the space gets crowded with our kids' toys. I wanted our patio area to feel more open and our front door to look a little more welcoming.
The hooks on the side of the house are new from this summer. I wanted a place to hang towels and swimsuits to dry instead of hanging them over the porch railing. It worked out really well and I loved how it gave a nod to a beachy vibe.
The basket/bag I found on Amazon and it holds some of our outdoor supplies like bug spray, kid sunglasses, and the remote for our decorative water fountain in the yard. I wanted a French market basket but they were way too expensive to just hang outside. I would love to find one second hand or perhaps at a real market in France! One can dream.
The two areas on the edge of the brick were designed to hold two of those large brown planters and we have kept them there since we moved in. I had replanted them with ferns from our yard as they tend to stay green all year long. This was a huge improvement from the succulents they had that was dripping over the sides. But I still felt stuck with the planters in the designated space as they poured cement to elevate the pots.
But no more! Former owner's design choices would not be the boss of me. Moving them up to the front door made a huge difference! I love how much more welcoming the door looks. I almost am content with the door not even being white.
My plan is to dig out another fern from our yard and plant it in this empty pot.
Another thing holding me back was the wood detailing on the door. My mom bought this Welcome Home sign for me from Target as we were driving cross country from Virginia during our move. The Nester had it at her house and I loved it (which I got to see in person!!!). I ended up putting in on the porch even though I wanted it on the door but the wood detailing was keeping me from it.
So today once I had the plants moved and was building a little confidence, the sign was just asking to be moved to the door. I gave it a try and I love it! My plan is to fill in the wood detailing with putty before I paint it. The contrast of the black sign elevates the green wreath so much. I love it.
All this to say, with a chai tea in hand and children napping, I got quite a lot accomplished in an hour by just moving things around. I am so excited to decorate this space more for the fall and it felt great that all this was accomplished with simply using what I already had.
