Summer Porch Makeover How-to

We have lived in our home for two and a half years and I’m finally getting around to putting some life into our front porch with a Summer Porch Makeover, although our neighbors probably wish I would funnel that energy into the dandelion garden growing in our yard instead (they will have to wait until next year). Inside our home, I try to go with neutrals and pops of blue and green, which I carried out onto the porch; however, the pops of color outside are more vibrant and fun. It basically screams IT’S SUMMER, grab an umbrella drink and kick your feet up!

I’m not quite finished yet, but here are the places I’ve adventured to for my summer porch makeover so far:

At Home

I love At Home (the store) so I ventured there to find some items to fancy up our porch starting with new cushions for our gliding bench. I was happy with the variety of cushion options and colors. After I found the cushions, I strolled through the rest of the outdoor decor aisles and found some succulent metal wall art to brighten up the space outside. You can also find some outdoor clocks, thermometers, and pretty much any decor to match whatever summer theme you have in mind.

Bachmans

You can certainly go to any greenhouse to find colorful plants and pots to decorate your outdoor space with. I was in love with Bachman’s plant selection and how easy it was to grab one that looked perfect. The only problem was that I wanted to walk out with way more than I wanted to spend money on, such is life.

Here is what we got (all annuals): deep rose impatiens, torenia, coleus great falls Niagra, polka-dot plant splash, calibrachoa, and some orange begonias. We hung the begonias and the rest are potted and sitting on the porch. We took some aloe plant babies from our indoor plant and put them outdoors to test how they would do in the Minnesota summer.

Upcycling things around the house

We had a glider bench hiding in our backyard that my aunt and uncle gave us, but it had been neglected for the last few years so it was time for a facelift and a change of scenery. We moved it from our backyard to our front porch, and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it sooner! Take a glance around your current patio or porch and see where you can move things around or figure out a way to give it a face lift.

Do you have a blanket ladder? Yes, me too! Well, I remember reading an article where Joanna Gaines was being interviewed and she listed blanket ladders as one of those things to ditch when it comes to interior decorating. Boy, was she right because I never put the blankets back nicely on that thing. It was time for it to go, so I headed to Pinterest. I had big plans for that blanket ladder, but the space filled up and it just didn’t fit with the potted plants we wound up purchasing so in the garage it sits, but you can easily add some hooks and hang some small plants or add some potted plants to the rungs.

Landscaping

The owners before us really liked rocks. I mean, they really liked rocks. I, on the other hand, hate rocks used for landscaping. I had to think of a way to fill it up to make the curbside feel more inviting. We snagged some iris plant babies from my cousin, so while the space isn’t quite filled up and looks like we just stuck single weeds in our rocks it will look nice when the growth hits. I’m uncertain of pattern, but had to get my husband to stick them in the ground before they died. Who knows, maybe I got it just right! The good thing is, we can always switch it up and move things as it fills in. Other popular landscaping plants include hostas, I also love seeing tulips and lavender used in landscaping.

A Splash of Paint

Our front door is purple. I’m painting it black and getting rid of the gaudy gold hardware. This is an easy DIY and can be done in a day! I will paint the surrounding trim black as well. In addition, we will have to paint our shutters black too, but I will surprise my husband with that tidbit another day!

Signage

I have a friend who makes the best porch signs, you can checkout her work here. We have one inside that she custom did for us, and I’m brewing up ideas for the front porch. I’m thinking our last name above our glider. I’m also a fan of the door hangers that are simple and just say Welcome, adding that to the list!

There you have it an easy recipe to spruce up your porch and surrounding landscape. Everyone needs a good weekend project.