In a few short weeks, the grass will be green (see you later, yellow!), and my flowers will be in full bloom. They have made their way back from last summer, and I can’t wait to see them bigger and better. My flowers are my favorite thing about my house, and I love sitting on the front porch just looking at them in the mornings with my coffee. With the way our porch was laid out, I felt a little boxed in and claustrophobic. I shared my ideas with Kyle about removing the railings and painting the porch. He always gives me a look when I have an idea. I’m not sure if the look is fear or excitement. He made the same face when I told him I wanted to paint the red brick white, but that also turned out really nice. I’m so happy we decided to do it. 
I thought I’d hop on the blog today to share a few photos of our porch makeover. I will take updated photos when the flowers are in full bloom next month. I’m like a kid waiting on Christmas right now. 
The transformation is exactly what I wanted. The railing made me feel like I was sitting behind a cage. It feels so much more open and inviting without it on there. I looked up a lot of homes that didn’t have the railing on their front porch, and I loved their style. That’s how I convinced Kyle it was a good idea to take it off. And after we changed the color of the concrete and added new furniture, it had so much more character, and it’s now the coziest spot! And if you look close enough at the railing, you’ll notice it’s slightly uneven, which drove me absolutely crazy!
I chose the color Green Tea Leaves by Valspar. The green reminded me so much of my grandma’s house (if you haven’t seen my grandma’s house, you have to check it out. It’s the cutest home in Iowa!) I love that it adds color to the porch without it being too much. My flowers will provide all the color it needs. Decorating with blues and sage is my favorite, especially outside. 
The couch is so cozy and it was pretty cheap! I’m not sure if we’ll keep it there. I think when furniture goes on sale in the fall/winter, I’d like to get a honey oak wicker set. For now, I love it. We originally had it on our back porch but swapped it with the two chairs. 
All of my pots were purchased at a discount store called Ollies. These planters were a steal! I got them for $20 a piece. Once a year, they have all of their pots come in, and I stop there weekly to check to see if they have them. They usually last about a week before they’re sold out. I was so happy when I found these two! I finished potting them last week.
We finally replaced the red cherry plum tree the builders put in with a white dogwood. It fits my space so much better! 😍 The leaves on my plum tree were nearly black. We decided to plant in the backyard, and I actually like it back there. If you want me to do a YouTube video walking around the house and talking about my flowers, let me know!
My end tables are from Hobby Lobby, and we added a polyurethane finish to protect them from the carpenter bees and rain. Right now, we are finishing up pollen season, and I can’t wait to clean everything off. No matter how many times I hose off the porch, so much pollen accumulates! That’s the one thing about the south that I could do without.
These jar lanterns are amazing. Not only do they add cozy light, but they really do repel all the bugs away. I found them at Lowes. 
I can’t wait to share updated photos when everything is in bloom 😊
Questions for you!
- Do you spend time out on your front porch?
- Do you have a paint color that is nostalgic for you?
Your front porch is absolutely beautiful! I love the sage colour. We recently painted the shed in our garden a similar colour. The area of the UK I live in doesn’t really have front porches to the houses, but we do have a back decking which looks out onto our garden which I love to sit on and look at all my flowers. I’ve been a long time reader of your blog (since undressed skeleton) and I really love reading your current blog posts as your house is so different to mine in the UK. I think it must be so lovely to sit out in the evening and see the rest of your neighbourhood from your porch ! There is something really timeless about that.
Thank you, Hannah ♥️
What a gorgeous color to paint a shed! I love that idea. Kyle and I have been talking about doing a few weeks in the UK’s countryside because I love all the gardens and cottages!
Your home is gorgeous! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
♥️ Thank you, Charmaine!
We don’t really have a front porch, but now that its getting warmer here in Southern California we have been out on our back patio a lot. We redid the fence and put up some fun solar tiki lights, we’re trying to go for a tiki bar vibe back there, and I can’t wait to get back to grilling! Do you and Kyle like to grill in the summer? I would love to also put a pizza oven in the back too! Also you’re grandma’s house is adorable, I’d say blue is definitely nostalgic for me <3 or lavender.
I don’t have a front porch, just a stoop. But we do have a large back deck with a great view of the backyard, huge old trees, flowers, vegetable garden, patio and pergola. I love your couch! But I was wondering, how do you keep it and your pillows clean with all the pollen hanging around?
That sounds amazing! 😊
I have to hose them off! But theres really not too much we can do until pollen season is over.
The front porch transformation is amazing! Good call to remove the railing and you helped me decide to NOT add a rail to my front porch! Isn’t Ollie’s the best for great, affordable finds!
What a lovely front porch, that paint color is gorgeous! I still need to decorate my porch for the warmer weather, but I always get nervous about leaving the cushions and pillows on my outside furniture in the heat. Is there a way you keep your chairs clean and looking nice throughout the season?