If anything 2020 taught us to make our home and outdoor spaces a priority for our family to enjoy! I did quite a few projects on our back porch and we spent hours and HOURS out here last year – every lunch and so many suppers were eaten around this table all spring and summer!
As I cleaned it up this spring when the pollen finally ended, I had a few more projects I wanted to do this year.
For one, the stained and dirty concrete has been bugging me for years! I have pressure washed, scrubbed it, used cleaners and it just doesn’t come clean – thank you GA red clay. I have considered painting it for quite some time and finally bit the bullet and did it. I wish I had done it a long time ago! You can read about the whole process and color I chose in this post.
It made such a huge difference!
The other thing I wanted to address was the rug. I got the rug above last spring from Boutique Rugs (called the Ware rug) and I absolutely loved it! I loved the color, the design, how it defined the space, it cleaned up very well.
BUT once again, GA red clay and kids… it got dirty so fast! The white design part on the design is actually a soft raised design that feels like indoor carpet (but it’s an outdoor rug!) and since they take a shortcut running from the yard to the front door across that front corner it just got so dirty! So I wanted to move this rug up to our pool area concrete where it won’t get traffic running across it from the dirt and get another one that was darker and would hide dirt better.
Ready to see my refreshed porch for spring and the rug I chose?
I just love it so much!! I can’t get over how much painting the concrete completely changed this whole space! It makes it feel bigger because it is all one color with no stains everywhere.
We just absolutely adore this space! The sun comes up on this side of the house so in cooler months I will come have coffee out here… but the rest of the time by lunch time this spot is shaded and we eat lunch out here, I’ll bring my computer out to the table and work while my little girl plays in the back yard, and we eat so many dinners out here!
This past fall we added a DIY stone firepit to the back yard so my potting bench/serving station also became the perfect firewood holder too.
Once pool season begins that coat rack or hall tree is filled with pool towels and goggles on a daily basis.
Every piece of furniture (except the chairs) on this back porch has been built by us! My husband built the grill table at our old house, then I built the farmhouse table completely out of 2×4’s, and also built the potting table and the hall tree as well!
You can find the tutorial and details on all those projects below:
I also built and added the hanging plant wall last year too – find the tutorial here. All the succulents except 1 stayed alive all winter so I just replaced that 1 succulent and added some new basil.
Our back porch isn’t huge but we have tried to maximize every bit of it so we can enjoy it! We had an uncovered deck at our last house so having a covered space that we can grill even if it is raining, a fan to help with the summer heat, and just shade has been such a huge blessing!
You know I love my plants and I love adding plants and greenery out here! I added a live palm tree this year and love it!
I have 2 pots of hen and chicks succulents that did great all winter and are just growing and multiplying like crazy!!
And let’s talk about this rug!
It’s the Fola area rug from Boutique Rugs – linked here. Use code Frugal60 to get 60% off your purchase of anything on their site. This is the 7×10 size and after discount it goes from $360 down to $144 which is an awesome deal for a rug this size!
It is black, gray, and white but this one has more of that flatwoven outdoor rug feel to it which won’t allow dirt to stick to it and be seen on it nearly as much.
Can’t wait to set up our pool area with the previous rug – it will be great up there!
I’ll link to anything else I can here:
- watering can
- black lanterns hanging by door
- bird planter
- Citronella candle on table
- Adirondack chairs around firepit
- DIY firepit tutorial
- table tutorial
- hanging plant wall tutorial
- hall tree/coat rack tutorial
- potting bench tutorial
But can I just encourage you to spruce up those outdoor spaces! Make them be a place where you want to spend time, have people over for cookouts/games – can’t wait to host many friends and family this summer in this newly refreshed space!
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