Making a House a Home: Enclosed Porch Design

Hello, friends! I have not had the opportunity to write a new blog post in two weeks (insert sad and ashamed face). We have been so busy packing, moving, and trying to unpack and redecorate (while working) that I was not able to devote time to my shiny new blog…and boy did I miss it! I tried to stay connected on social media, but I did not have much to share since I spent most of my time doing boring stuff like hauling boxes and painting. Our first task was replacing the flooring in about half the house, so we were not able to move furniture into any of the bedrooms for several days. Because of the chaos inside of the home, I chose to make the screened in porch my first project.

The Project.

I have had a “vision board” going for this space since we made an offer on our home. Generally, when I am updating or redecorating, I create a collage so I can see how different items will fit together. When ordering items online, I cannot be 100% sure on color and sizing, but it is a great way to capture the general aesthetic of the space. You can put several options for a certain piece into the collage and see which item looks the best with other items you have chosen. After trying several different rugs and furniture sets, this is what my collage looked like when I started ordering pieces for the porch.

I love lemon and buffalo check, but I never thought about putting them together. After I saw the pillow covers from Amazon, I knew this was the theme for me! It will be easy to change the lemon accessories to transition the buffalo check into fall.

Main Pieces.

The most expensive piece in the room is the sectional. However, it is the type of furniture I knew I wanted AND I found a great deal. I am not sure if it is due to the pandemic, but most of the outdoor sectionals I found were SOLD OUT. I scoured the internet to find something in stock that did not cost thousands of dollars. This set is a smaller scale than many, but it fit perfectly in my space. It shipped from Amazon in about a week. The cushions also come in turquoise and the covers are washable. The set comes with an extra cushion so you can use the table as a seat instead. The pieces can then be moved to create a second and third chaise space.

Buffalo check is popular, so many retailers carry similar rugs. I ordered this particular rug from Wayfair and the price was good for the size. I ordered it on a Sunday evening and it arrived by Tuesday! It is soft and good quality. There are also some available on Amazon.

Accessories.

The pillows are from Amazon and they are a 4-pack. They come compressed in a small box and expand fully in about 24 hours. Most of the expansion occurred in the first hour or so. These pillows are well-filled, soft, and can be used with many different covers.

The pillow covers are also from Amazon. There are many different patterns to choose from, so I am sure you can find a style to suit your decor. They are a thick weave and are soft to the touch. They are affordable and good quality.

I LOVE the string lights. They have large bulbs with the effect of glass, but they are plastic and safe for outside. There are many sets on Amazon, but I purchased these from The Home Depot. They were around $50, which is a bit pricey for lights, but the price is competitive to the sets on Amazon. They add the perfect ambiance to the porch and they are 48 feet long.

I purchased the galvanized steel lanterns in store from Walmart for less than $10 a piece. I actually purchased them for the front porch and was going to get black lanterns for this porch, but I had my husband hang one to get a feel for the size and we liked the color contrast. Lanterns work well to decorate your outdoor living space, as well as inside your home.

My plan was to chalk paint and distress some mason jars (I even bought the jars!), but then I found this lemon planter and I chose to go with that instead. The lemon stems I found had too much green and not enough lemon, so I preferred the look of this premade piece from Kirklands. I purchased it for 50% off. If you want to do a project using lemon stems, I saw them at Michaels, Meijer, and Kirklands.

The piece I did not plan was the dog topiary. I went to Big Lots (to look for the string lights) and there he was on an endcap. He even had a buffalo check “collar” on! I took him home with me and named him Leonard ?. Two of my dogs were not phased by him, but Dougie could not figure out what he was at first. He was very hesitant and it was quite comical. They are friends now!

The Result.

At our last home we had a screened in porch, but we had it set up as an eating space. We used it fairly often, but it was not ideal for lounging. I love this new space and I think I’ll be spending a lot of my summer there. I even worked out there last week for a few hours. With just a couple big pieces and inexpensive accessories, you can transform your porch, patio, etc. into a space you will love.  

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Like most folks in a new space, we have a LONG list of projects we want to tackle. I assume this will not be the last post devoted to making our new house a home!

Where is your favorite place in your home to spend time in the summer?  

Katie G.