Front Porch Project

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom and I have loved looking at front porches as we visited places. I’d imagine hanging out with friends or spending a quiet evening watching a small sliver of the world pass by from my seat. I can’t really describe why I’ve always loved front porches, I just do, and I know I’m not the only person in the world with a small porch obsession. 

When my husband and I started looking for our new house, I waded through photos of hundreds of houses. If there wasn’t a front porch, I was immediately less interested. I was fair – I didn’t write them off completely – but I definitely was partial to houses with porches. So many things about the house we bought make it special, but I truly think the porch is my favorite part. It is deep and covered, so we’re still shaded from the hot afternoon sun (which also helps keep the house cool inside), part of the porch is set farther in, so there is extra space, and lastly, it faces west, so we have a perfect view of the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In the beginning…

What the front porch did not come with, sadly, was furniture that magically appeared in the exact colors and styles I liked, just ready to enjoy. That part took work, but it was fun! It was also totally worth it because I knew how much I’d be enjoying the porch once all the hard work was finished. I also saved hundreds of dollars – patio furniture is expensive! My biggest expense was the cushions, which I bought on sale from Wayfair . There wasn’t really a way to get around buying the cushions – I wasn’t feeling up to sewing my own – I would have spent the same amount or more on decent outdoor fabric and proper moisture resistant filling. Once I had the cushions though, I was ready to start building my furniture. 

I ultimately chose to make a coordinated loveseat and two arm chairs that Ana White published plans for. I loved the clean and modern style and the plans were very straightforward and easy to follow. Since I was making my own furniture, I had the luxury of being able to build it exactly the size I needed for my cushions, rather than trying to find cushions that fit. Adjusting the plans was just some simple subtraction, since my cushions were a couple inches smaller than the ones accounted for in the plans I followed. 

Construction

I simply followed the plans as they were, other than adjusting for my cushion size, so I won’t go through the whole process step-by-step. Rather, I’ll just highlight the basic process.

I cut the wood and assembled the chairs first, since they were smaller. I figured it would help me work out any kinks or mistakes before building the loveseat. I’m not sure why my eyes are so crazy in that selfie – I was working in the garage during a thunderstorm – maybe there was loud thunder? Let’s go with that…

 

Once I had the chairs assembled, I built the loveseat. Then I sanded. The major lesson I learned? From now on I will be sanding BEFORE I assemble anything. It was a giant pain in the neck to sand between all those slats on the seat and the back. I also had to keep turning the chair upside down and over. Seriously, every time I thought I was done, I’d find another spot I needed to sand. It is so much easier to sand first and then just touch up at the end. I learned my lesson and built my planter coffee table like that and it was so much easier.

 

After Sanding

I painted two coats of a simple white paint, using Behr Premium Plus Ultra in the Bakery Box color and exterior semi-gloss enamel finish because it was simple and durable. I already knew I liked the color because I’d chosen it (in a different finish) for the TV console and the base of the coffee table in the family room. 

 

After finishing the loveseat and chairs, I built the pallet wood coffee table with the built-in planter box full of herbs. It can be switched out for a planter box filled with ice for chilling drinks or food. I went into detail and step-by-step instructions for that coffee table in that post, so I won’t repeat it here. Once everything was assembled, I started to decorate!

The exact area rug I ordered from Wayfair is no longer the same as what is listed online, but I went for a slightly faded look – dark blue over gray/white. The rug is very durable and easy to care for, and matches the cushions well. I accented with some throw cushions I’d bought last year from Walmart, and two new ones from Costco. Lastly, I rescued an unused Ikea metal side table from storage and spray painted it bronze. It just seemed like the right thing to do!

Porch Plants

As far as plants go, I mostly used plants that would be fairly drought and heat tolerant, since we had plans to be gone for about a week here and there throughout our very hot and humid Virginia summers. I planted lots of lavender and rosemary, as well as thyme, oregano, and mint. The bonus to having fresh herbs available for cooking is that they are naturally mosquito and spider repellant. I don’t mind the critters when they are in nature but I’d prefer some distance between them and me. Rather than always spraying bug spray before going outside, I wanted something less harmful, and it has worked fairly well. I still find spiders, mostly around the rails of the porch, but almost never anything near the plants. 

I hung two ferns and two baskets of fuschia – they add nice color and I’m a sucker for flowers. It makes everything feel so lush and relaxing. Finally, I also included two pre-made planters of flowers from Costco, just to add more pops of color. Obviously the flowers need more water, but I’ve run a drip hose, on a timer, through the garden, and included the two flower planters along that hose line. I can easily add the ferns and fuschia to that line when we go out of town. Overall, it still is pretty low maintenance. I planted most of the plants in plain terracotta pots. I chose them because they are earthy and neutral. They also look really cool and rustic once the minerals from the water start to settle on the outside of the pot. They also give the porch a Mediterranean feel, which I really like. 

A Whole Extra Room on the Front Porch

The finished porch has added a whole extra living space to the house. I regularly bring my laptop outside to work during the day, and often spend some or all of the evening on the porch reading or visiting with neighbors, family, and friends. In fact, I’ve been outside on the loveseat for the whole time I’ve been writing this post. It is so relaxing to feel the breeze, smell the fresh herbs, and hear the birds and cicadas chirping away. The front porch is truly my favorite room in the house!