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Front Porch Reveal and a History of Clutter

Oh, our porch. Those of y’all that have been following for a while know what a blessing and a curse it is. We love our porch…it’s HUGE, shady, and pretty much amazing. It is also our dumping grounds…it’s where most activities happen (like projects) and it is normally looks like a disaster. AND it is right out there in the open and the first thing people see. I want it to be a clean inviting place for people to sit, chat, and enjoy a drink. It’s never been that place.

Until now. 

front porch

Now I realize that not everyone likes my style, and that is okay. How boring would the world be if everyone liked the same thing? In order to please everyone I’m going to share my porches previous looks…There’s something for everybody, promise ;)

This look is from February 2011, about six months after we moved in (and the same month I started this blog). Don’t you just love how the red and yellow really pop on that tan backdrop? Stunning.

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Maybe you like your decor on the masculine side. If that’s the case then this look from September 2011 is going to make your heart skip a beat. Motorcycles, wood, tools, a BBQ pit…yes please.

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If you’re a fun-loving gal them this look from Spring 2012 is the one for you. Look at all that color placed so evenly around the porch. Love it.

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Maybe you’re a minimalist and all the above clutter is enough to make you crazy. I have something for you too… we debuted this very simple and somewhat boring look back in December of 2012.

Easy DIY Pillows

And now, the current look as of July 2013….my personal favorite.

large casual front porch - lots of DIY projects!

That green wooden chair that is most of the previous looks? Well, I accidentally left it out in the rain this spring. Then I left it out for five more thunderstorms and a partially flooded backyard….so yeah, it’s toast. That left me with a bench and no other patio furniture…and I decided to buy some. I didn’t feel like hunting down old stuff and being creative with it. It didn’t want to sand or paint anything, I just wanted to hand someone some money and have them hand me new patio furniture.

So I went shopping. I wanted two chairs, made of metal, with cushions…and I wanted them to be green. Target, Home Depot, and Lowes all let me down, as did every online store. Then one day I went grocery shopping and there in the entrance was a set of metal green cushioned rocking chairs…on sale. Still $249, but I was okay with that after seeing the prices at other stores.

Metal patio furniture

So I handed someone money and they handed me chairs. And I was excited that I wasn’t going to have to do any work to them.  Except that you can never get out of that entirely, can you?

Putting together patio furniture

(The included table ended up in our side yard.)

outdoor living room

That rug? Also from the grocery store. Truly a one stop shop.

conversational front porch seating

front porch

And that’s my porch! I’m thinking that besides painting the front door we are basically finished. With the porch, not the house…the house is far from finished.

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19 Comments

  1. Ashley!! I cant decide if i like the porch or the kitchen more. It is so beautiful, a perfect place for a few drinks and laughter on a bright sunny day (well, I don’t know what bright and sunny means in Texas, I’m sure its crazy hot. But yeah you get the point,don’t you?) Aaahhh, it doesn’t look all matchy-matchy, it doesn’t look like the pieces of furniture aren’t related or don’t belong there. It has the “so easily put together” look. I wish I had a porch. Sigh!

  2. Wow! Your porch looks wonderful! You tricked me though, I just knew you were going to stencil those tables.They look great just the way they are! The cool blues and greens are perfect for our hot Texas weather. Relax now and enjoy!

  3. What a breath of fresh air. :) Have you decided on blue for your exterior doors? I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming next.

    1. You beat me to the punch :) Yup, I bought that blue for the front door but haven’t gotten around to painting it yet. We have to remove the whole door and do some work to it first, and it’s just so dang hot outside that I don’t want to remove the door!

  4. Oh my gosh, I love it! It looks so nice and relaxing. I probably wouldn’t have thought to put that green and blue together, but it looks great. Please tell me the grocery store you got them at was HEB. One of the main things I miss about Texas.

  5. Tell me more about the chairs! I’ve been looking for rockers like these…. alas not on the HEB website.

    thanks!

    1. No, they aren’t on the website. I know because I passed them up the first time and went home to see if I could get them cheaper online. I took a picture of the unopened box (you know, just in case) so here’s some of the info off of it that might be helpful… HEB item # 132944, called the “Cali rocker set 3 piece”. There isn’t a brand name…I get the feeling they were made just for HEB. Do you live in HEB territory?

  6. While I really, really enjoyed the “my house crowded porch” look (although I only have a super small porch, we haven’t put our deck on the back yet), I SUPER ENJOYED the organized, non clutter look better. I love your porch to begin with, and the grouping is perfect. And I would kill for those chairs!

  7. It does look lovely. I can imagine myself sitting in one of those rockers with a wine or coffee around sundown! Great to look forward to and great way to unwind. I’m also impressed with your grocery store!

  8. I love the look of your front porch!!! When I saw the three tables I was sure they were going to end up in 3 different rooms. Yes, I love my paint and would definitely either paint the door or the trim around the door. Something to make it pop.

  9. Can’t decide if I like the new look over the bike and bbq look. There’s something very tempting about grabbing a bite as you leave the house when a quick get away is in order.

  10. Your grocery store must be an HEB! I got cast iron patio furniture there with Texas stars on them. I love that place! If not, sounds like a great store anyway. :)

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