Use What You Have Porch Design

There is something romantic about a porch. Writing A Pretty Porch with a Purpose post got me inspired to get my own porch spruced up.

But after updating eight rooms inside over the past four months, I’m low on funds and energy for this project. So I did what any sensible girl would do…I shopped in my own home. The garage, the basement, and those mysterious boxes that never quite got unpacked (who knew!).

Here’s what it looked like when we moved in four months ago…

Here it is with the leftover deck furniture after we moved in. Functional, but mismatched and blah.

And finally, here it is, just $127 later…

First, here are the items I found for free right here at home:

• The rug from the foyer in our last house
• A pine farmhouse coffee table (complete with original crayon drawings) from the play room
• A tray on the table for tea on the porch
• A couple black/white outdoor pillows that I hadn’t used in years
• A black/white vase to use for cut flowers from the yard

And here’s what I spent the $127 on:

• Plants $35: 1 large and 3 small geraniums ($20), and red and black planter set: ($15)
• Red cushions for the chair/ottoman: $40
• Four flameless red lanterns from HomeGoods: $52

My favorite element is the lanterns.  I prefer them to traditional hanging baskets because they won’t die, they provide light, and they don’t block the view.  Call me lazy, but I’m efficient! Aren’t they gorgeous?  (Although they are confusing the local hummingbirds).

And they totally rock at night!

So next time you need to spruce up a room, look at home first! You just might be surprised.

Pssst…me again! I just finished this year’s porch design and blogged about it at HomeGoods!