Oct 10

Oct 10 Quick Back Porch Makeover for Fall

Our back porch has been covered in cobwebs and pollen…since pollen season. The layout was all wrong and the decor was bright pink and yellow. (See before pictures here.) I complained to my husband all summer long how I wished we had a yard where we could spend time outdoors. My house has five, yes, five porches! While we may not have the perfect, flat, grassy back yard, I have plenty of outdoor space. We just weren’t utilizing it!

I took a week “staycation” from work. (I sometimes feel like these are way better than vacations!) and decided this was the week I was going to get our back porch, which is located on the main level and directly behind our family room, cleaned up, rearranged and comfy…just in time for fall weather!

I first started with furniture placement. The porch is long and narrow, so I had originally thought it would be best to have the loveseat on the far end of the porch, opposite the door, so I could then place the two chairs in front of it for a quaint, conversational set up. We then had the grill stationed just to the right of the door to the porch in front of the window. But, this was all wrong. The seating area was very cramped and uninviting and difficult to get to. And while the grill was convenient to the entry to the house, it was also visible from the inside of the house since it was right in front of the window. Not to mention, since our family room is just on the other side of this porch, the view from the family room onto the porch was horrendous and felt out of place. To achieve cohesive and comfortable home design all views in a space should feel clean, organized, purposeful and…well, pretty.

So, first thing’s first. We moved the love seat and centered it under the middle window. This is also where our couch in our family room is located so it just makes sense and easy on they eye. Since the porch is so narrow, I placed the two chairs on either side of the loveseat, but at an angle. This way you still have an intimate conversation setting, but leaves enough egress and also gives everyone a great view of the woods (and sometimes deer) behind our house. I place two side tables I already owned on each side of the loveseat so there is plenty of space to set your coffee…or wine.

We moved the grill to the opposite end of the porch (where the loveseat was) which left that area in front of the other window a great spot for our teakwood table. When the table s folded it down, it looks more like a console table. I added a fall flower arrangement, some fall decor and couple of lanterns. Now, the view the from inside the house is much more inviting and appealing!

Next up: new decor! I had not changed up our outdoor pillows, rugs, etc since we moved in a few years ago. As I mentioned, these were bright pops of coral and pink and just didn’t flow with the rest of our house. Just because the space is outside, does not mean it should not be cohesive with your style. I also, wanted to shift more to a fall theme given the time of year. So, I changed out the area rug with this one from Target. I loved that it was still a neutral color but gave more fall vibes with the plaid pattern. I added more plaid with the lumbar pillows that rest in each chair. And it always looks best when you mix patters and textures with your throw pillows. I never like mine to be too matchy-matchy. I found this color block pillow and floral pillow, both from Target. The blue striped and dotted pillow is one I have had for years that I dug out of the basement. Given the time of year, it’s not very easy to find true “outdoor pillows” but since my porch is covered and also screened in, I decided to buy typical “indoor” pillows. The color block and plaid pillows both have zippered covers so they can easily be washed. The floral pillow, unfortunately, does not have a removable cover and I almost didn’t purchase this for that reason. But since it was so inexpensive and I loved the pattern (I thought it would be a nice contrast to the straight lines of the plaid), I decided to go for it. And I’m so glad I did! :)

I added the wood tray, little pumpkins, candle and vase with stems (all found at the Dollar Spot at Target!) on top of the teakwood console table. To the left of that vignette, I added two black, battery operated lanterns. These, too, were Dollar Spot finds. :) On the fire pit (which also doubles as the coffee table), I found an aged brass-looking metal tray from HomeGoods, added another battery powered lantern, some wooden beads and a candle from Bath and Body Works.

I always like a rug at the door going into the house even though this is a screened in porch and you are never really needing to wipe your feet, I just feel a door always needs a mat…like humans need shoes. For this refresh, I found this scatter rug and this door mat from Target. Do you see how the outdoor scatter rug flows right into the dining room rug? It’s almost like I did that on purpose. ;)

Lastly, I felt like the back corner by the grill need some foliage. I was looking for an actual tree (something about 5-6’) but I was also wanting to keep this project on a budget. I stumbled upon an artificial fiddle leaf at HomeGoods. It was only about 3’ tall, but it looked very real and came in a very high-end looking, heavy pot and was only about $50. I decided to snag it and I just placed it on one of my round end tables that I already had. And, voila, it gave me the exact look I was wanting. I found a couple of other artificial fiddle leaf plant options at Target and at Wayfair.