A Country Living Inspired Front Porch

Just last week I did a post of a lovely front porch featured on CountryLiving.com.  I was so inspired, I ran out over the Memorial Day weekend and picked up a few pieces to try to recreate the look they had so beautifully achieved.

Here was my inspiration:

And here is our front porch now:

I especially love the new American flag – just in time for Memorial Day!  It’s still a work in progress, but already it’s so much more inviting than before.

  The porch is a blend of furniture from IKEA, which has great and affordable outdoor pieces right now.  A couple of tables I scored for free and painted eons ago that were collecting dust in the garage, a black flower pot, a few flowers from the yard, plus some lovely curtains my husband found, again – IKEA!  Got to love that place!

Tonight we’re going to relax in our new chairs and finish off a lovely bottle of Sequoia Grove.  If you like a full bodied red, I highly recommend it!

Sipping a little wine tonight will making working on the front porch in the HOT Florida sun worthwhile! I think…

A Backyard BBQ

Last night we invited my parents and their friends, Nick and Lee, along with my brother and his girlfriend (I’m going to go ahead and call her his future wife cause a sister just knows these things!) over for a backyard BBQ.  We don’t actually have much outdoor furniture yet, so we improvised using our kitchen table, an old bench, a couple of cushions and three dining room chairs when we got really desperate.

Here’s how we set up for the night.  We started with a couple of lanterns left over from our wedding that we found at IKEA for less than $10 a piece, plus a string of lights from World Market, and all of a sudden the empty patio started to feel more inviting.  We added a Tiki torch I found at Old Time Pottery last year for $2.00 and some yellow gerber daises in soda bottles for my quick and easy go-to flower arrangement.

My husband was so stoked to finally have a grill that I couldn’t tear him away from it all night!  Here he is hanging with Grammy Rose while we waited for dinner.

I can’t believe most of the country is under a blanket of snow and we’re outside in our flip flops having dinner.  You might wish you were here now, but if it’s only February and we’re already experiencing 80 degree days, just imagine how HOT it’s going to be come August!

A Simple Chair

 

A few years ago I was packing for an extended trip abroad.  A good friend gave me some advice I’ll never forget.  She told me to “pack every single thing you think you’ll need, then take out half and you’ll be good to go.”  That is the advice I use when I approach design.  I take all the elements I think I’ll need to define the space, then I take away half of those elements to create a relaxed, peaceful vibe that isn’t cluttered or over-designed.

This photo is a perfect expression of my design perspective.  An IKEA chair for less than $250, a beat up, old $40 table on casters, a cozy pillow and throw and simple accessories including an old root beer bottle and a single Gerber Daisy. Design doesn’t have to be expensive to be beautiful!