We have lived and rented in the same townhouse for years now. And it just never occurred to me to do anything with my front porch. Well, no, that’s a lie. I just never prioritized doing anything to it. But this year, by a stroke of luck I had the project practically summon me to redo it! Now, I can’t stop kicking myself for not starting it sooner – it’s our absolute favourite spot in the house at the moment!
I’ll be honest, this was not something I thought of doing a blogpost on, but now that I see it in front of me every time I step out of the house, I just can’t help but be overjoyed.
I realise pretty much all the stuff I’m going to list is either unavailable in stores or not the same price, but I can at least give tips as to how I put together the mood board and the process.
The Front Porch Chairs
These babies kicked the project off! I wasn’t really looking for them, but happened to see an ad on Facebook Marketplace for a super cheap set of chairs (originally on for $30, which I haggled down to $20).
As you can see, they were in pretty great shape to begin with! All it needed was some TLC and refreshing.
I picked up some curbside spray paint by Rust-Oleum in hammered black, and jumped right into it. Just make sure to wipe and lightly sand them before spraying!
Admittedly I ran out of paint. In the end I needed 3 cans to really do the spray job justice. You want to work in thin coats and allow it to fully set before adding more. It took me a full day just to allow it to cure fully and be considered “done”.
Outdoor Cushions
The cushions were a hassle and a half! I took a risk and placed an order on Walmart for a set that didn’t have dimensions listed. Not only did I misspell my email, so I never got a confirmation (which made returns that much more complicated), but it arrived, with of course the wrong size.
So after I returned the poor fit ones, I thought screw it, let’s invest in good quality pillows that will last. These babies were pricey, but the quality is superb! One tip: don’t let them get too wet. We got the same brand for the loungers in the backyard, and they hold WAY too much water in them to be kept outdoors without some cover.
The Rattan Table
Seeing how I found a gem on Facebook Marketplace for the chairs, I began browsing and looking to see if there were other items that were a cool fit for our house. I ran into this basket weave “ottoman” (which by no means is an ottoman) from a thrift store. When I saw it, I realised “holy crap, this thing is huge!”.
Nonetheless, I still got it. And when I placed it on the front porch, it just all clicked into place. The whole ensemble looked perfect!
I already had an outdoor lantern, which I picked up at KSP a few years back. This baby looked like a rusty tin can after its first year outside. But I decided not to give up hope on it, and cleaned and spray painted it as well. I also sealed it with clear anti-rust spray, and so far it’s been holding up great for past 2 years.
Lastly, I also made a wreath to bring in the summer season and make the porch a little brighter and happier. You can check out how I made it here.
The Front Porch Itself
The front porch, despite being well-loved, had a really rough winter, so it looked…well, horrible. However, we gave it a lovely little facelift and made it all cleaned up!
As you can see, we hadn’t tended to the weeds yet, the uneven patio stones, or the randomly placed plants, which we just shimmied around to fit better. But in the end (below) I think it turned out pretty darn cute, considering neither of us has ever done something like this before!
Overall, I’m incredibly happy with this setup. If you’re curious why we are missing an “O” on our welcome sign, feel free to pop onto my Insta to see the story in the caption!
TIPS
If I were to do this again, I would suggest building out a mood board based on the core pieces you acquire. I got lucky mine turned out, but realistically I usually plan EVERYTHING! However, sometimes you just have to trust your gut and jump on a good deal!
Thanks for checking this out! Stay tuned for a whirlwind of exciting content coming up!
