I moved into this house in September but between the time spent out of the country traveling and in DC for work, it wasn’t until about February that I even spent an entire straight week here.
That left plenty of projects, unpacking, cleaning and organizing in limbo and I yearned for some time to really work on this space and make it my own.
Obviously with the current Coovid-19 situation, I’ve had a lot of forced time at home to put some creative energy into making this space my own!
It had always been a dream of mine to live in a little old house walkable to my favorite places in Charlottesville and when I saw this was available to rent I jumped on it. This house was built in 1925 so it’s just shy of it’s 100 year birthday. I’m 2 blocks away from the walking mall, 3 blocks from my favorite taco spot and a short drive to plenty of dog parks and all of my favorite wineries!
The front porch quickly became one of my favorite spots. A perfect place to sip my morning coffee, read a book or just decompress and see the people and their dogs walk by from the front porch swing.
The porch faces south which makes it perpetually sunny and in the summertime that means bright and hot. I’ve always loved the look of outdoor curtains and knew they would be a perfect aesthetic fit but would also help make the porch usable even on the hotter days. I wanted something in a pinch while I was back and forth so much so I initially took some old sheers I had and perched them up precariously on some wonky indoor curtain rods. They looked fine but definitely didn’t do anything to block the sun. See exhibit A of my poor, sweet, pale friend Alex wrapping herself in them to protect herself from the sun:
It was actually mid October and event then it was in the 60s but still felt scorching there. Also explains the blood-stained pillow (halloween decorations).
You can also see how barren the porch looked then and again in December where my little reindeer was sunning himself waiting for Santa.
Because the house is a lot smaller than my last house, I knew extending the living space to the outdoors would make it feel so much larger and expand my actual living space by a ton for 3/4 of the year.
The porch decor technically started with this blush pink velvet chair I spotted at a thrift store for $10. It initially went out on the front porch to dry after I had thoroughly cleaned it but I found that I liked having 2 options to sit outside and having purchased furniture that just exactly fit inside the house, soon realized there was no room for it inside.
I realized it actually fit perfectly into the space next to the front door on the opposite end of the porch where it was basically just wasted space. I eventually added the white garden stool you see above, (you can find it through my amazon affiliate link here!) and hung the ferns to give it some privacy and add a little touch of nature to what felt like a barren space. I also had the “fresh cut flower market” sign from before that never quite made sense inside the house but was perfect for the front porch (alternate options that don’t blow away in the wind can be found here , here and here).
I wanted curtains that were heavy enough to block out heat but still enough to keep things relatively sunny on the front porch. I also have a beautiful dogwood tree in the front yard and wanted to take full advantage of it’s beautiful bloom so I didn’t want anything to block that. I also took a few cuttings from the dogwood so I could enjoy them inside also!
I went with these cloud grey ones here that also come in taupe, winter white, and vanilla.
I also needed heavier duty outdoor curtain rod that wouldn’t rust and would withstand the daily tug and pull of the breeze on the curtains so I dropped 3 of these guys in my cart too. 2 Shorter ones for the 2 ends of the porch and the longer one for the front. Pro-tip. If you have super old hardwood porch beams like I do, the screws that come with any mountain bracket just won’t do, I always recommend having a box of sturdy wood screws around just in case anyway!
The final pieces I added were some comfy cozy pillows and a cozy throw to cover up the old, ugly yellow & green flower print of the cushion. It’s a much less expensive way to update a piece like this without having to buy a whole new cushion or cushion cover which I was having difficulty finding one I liked anyway!
Here are my absolute favorites on Amazon:
Similar Outdoor Throw (also great for a picnic!)
Adorable outdoor pillows (would also totally put these on my indoor sofa or a little kitchen banquette!)
And of course the piece I wanted more than anything, a cute little foldable plant stand that now hosts a variety of flowers and lettuce that’s growing happily on the front porch. It’s also a really great indoor option if you want to start a little potted vegetable or herb garden of your own, or just want to give your plants a little condo treatment. I purchased this one and love its warm wood tones for my space but can also be painted any color you want if you decide it doesn’t match your decor!
I’ve also been looking for a cut outdoor flag for the front of the house, something that just shouted cozy and was a little bit more modern and summery than the other floral-heavy ones I found. I ended up with this cute striped “Hello Sunshine” house flag which now blows beautifully in the breeze on those perfect spring days!
I also picked up a few fun spring flowers to have the perfect balance between outside and in and to add pops of bright, happy colors!
Lastly I moved my large white outdoor rug from the front porch to the back deck because it was too large and overwhelmed the space, so I snagged this lovely natural jute rug for $32. If you need a larger option, I’m obsessed with this one! Also please note, these jute rugs work best for indoors! I don’t get any moisture up on the porch so my jute rug is fine but if you live in a rainer area and/or don’t have a covering over your space, I recommend going with an actual outdoor rug like this one that I have on my back deck!
There you have it! My front porch refresh for next to nothing that has expanded my reading, relaxing and drinking area and is the perfect spot to get some fresh air and vitamin D. Especially now, having a little retreat you can go to that isn’t just in your house is so necessary. Sometimes when I sit out there and see people walking their dogs I can almost forget about this whole pandemic garbage and just listen to the birds chirping and my wind chimes and take some deep breaths and another sip of my moscow mule.
*Disclaimer - all of the links are things I have purchased on my own from Amazon but am sharing with you now as an Amazon affiliate so if you do purchase them you’re helping me out big time! Please use the links to purchase anything you find and love so I can buy more cookies for this goober:
If you do your own little outdoor space refresh or reno I would love to see it!! Share on Instagram and tag me so I can see your fab spaces and get inspired to do even more outdoor living spaces in the future!