This used to be a lovely Porch Perfect House with clean, sparkling walls and bright cushions. Now it’s a bug-infested storage spot for bikes and your old family room furniture. You have no idea how it occurred. A facelift may be in order. Definitely, says Valerie Blood, ASID, president of interior design firm Jamison Kay Ltd. in Denver.
Blood feels that even if you don’t have the most up-to-date furnishings and decorations, a well-kept porch may set the tone for the entire house. Cleaning the place from top to bottom should be your first priority, she advises. A fresh coat of paint should be applied to trim, rails and the floor, as well as to the walls.
With an external wood or concrete stain, Joe Ruggiero, a furniture and fabric designer and TV host and producer, loves to add an accent colour to the porch floor or railings. If used properly, stain “will endure longer than paint and provide colour to an unexpected place.” Good.
Bring out the furniture and decorations that will transform the porch into an inviting, snug haven once you’ve washed, stained, and otherwise readied the structure. Previously delicate materials like velvet and chenille are now available in outdoor textiles, making it easier to feel at ease outside. Indoor and outdoor materials are becoming increasingly intertwined, according to Ruggiero.
Start by laying down a comfortable outdoor mat that visually identifies a talking space. Furniture is the next step. Neutral hues like black, white, or beige work well as foundation colours for new or refinished furniture.
Add pops of colour with throw pillows and cushions. Cushions can be brilliant yellow in summer, red in fall, deep green or crimson for winter and pastels in spring since Blood loves to vary the colour of the cushions to match the season. All of Ruggiero’s outdoor pillows, which are made of Sunbrella cloth, include a concealed zipper.
Changing the colour schemes or washing the covers is as simple as removing the covers and tossing them in the washing machine, according to him.
In terms of front porch appeal, hanging porch swings are unsurpassed. However, Ruggiero warns that once you get one installed, it’s impossible to rearrange. He favours deep-seating comfort furniture, such as all-weather wicker with plush cushions, as part of the “indoor/outdoor” trend.
Even if you’ve got a large porch, Blood cautions that it’s important to consider the scale of your furniture before placing it there. “You may only be able to fit two seats, a tiny table, and an ottoman for storage and seating.”
A wheeled cart that can be rolled out when guests arrive is one solution to a small living area. Blood advises, “Roll it outdoors to function as a drinks or dessert table, and stow it away in the hallway closet afterwards.”.
Consider the privacy and comfort of each chair. If the sun is only shining on one side, is it because the neighbours are too close together? Blood has a question. Fixing this is a breeze: Put up an all-weather cloth curtain or a painted lattice board with vines climbing up the side, or use topiaries or evergreens in pots to block out light and sound. On a calm afternoon, an outdoor ceiling fan can keep the air moving and keep you comfortable.
Now for the plants. Blood describes greenery as “Greenery is the icing on the cake,” Rather of starting with little pots at the bottom, she prefers to use large pots for her spiral topiaries. Plant flowering annuals in the smaller pots if your porch receives a lot of sun; otherwise, ivy and impatiens are acceptable alternatives.
In the same way that you began with curb appeal, you should conclude with it. As Blood points out, “A beautiful front door, freshly painted with a clean kick plate on the bottom and a really nice doormat, reflects both the inside and outside of the house,” Blood says. “When people visit, you’ve created a beautiful stage presence.”
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