back porch makeover sources

We were thrilled to share a little bit of our mini porch makeover last week, and we’re fiiiiiiiinally back with our sources.

It just took us a while.

Our process was basically revamping a lot of our old stuff, throwing in a little of the new, and doing a little handmade, as well. Priorities are on the inside, so we basically tried to do this on a super tight budget to make the space livable for the summer. Our outdoor stuff feels like a lifetime’s worth of collected-over-time pieces, as this point. Outdoor furnishings can be expensive, so it’s just been a process for us. So without further ado:

For our fabric, it may look a little familiar from our old house– here’s the original sources, with a bit of the new thrown in:

Our fabric sources:

2: {Blue Fabric} – Swavelle/Mill Creek Indoor/Outdoor Rossmere Caribbean

3: {Striped Fabric} – P Kaufmann Indoor/Outdoor Deck Chair Stripe Shell/Aqua

4: {Green Fabric} – Richloom Solarium Outdoor Kirkwood Palm

5: {Yellow fabric} – Swavelle/Mill Creek Indoor/Outdoor Hockley Banana

Then we decided to replace a bit of our chevron pieces with a few new patterns and colors to brighten it up:

6: {Grey Stripe} – Premier Prints Indoor/Outdoor Vertical Stripe Grey

7: {Organic Citrus} – P Kaufmann Indoor/Outdoor Ali Baba Tangerine

We really love love love these outdoor rugs:

One of the reasons it took us so long to reveal our little porch makeover was the initial company we ordered from didn’t tell us it would be until late AUGUST when our order would arrive. Until we called to inquire. A week later. Thanks, initial company. I mean, and what is a mini porch reveal without some EPIC rugs? So we canceled that order, and then ordered from Overstock instead for a little mini-splurge, which got rid of that plain-jane concrete look for a lot of character.

Our Striped Rug + Dining Area Rug  are perfect,  because if we get a little mess on them, we can just hose them off. We did two separate patterns to add a little interest, since we were technically working with an uneven space, with the way the porch is laid out. If you look carefully, it’s not symmetrical. So rather than fighting that with the two areas we had planned {dining + lounging} we decided to embrace it with two separate sizes but stay in the same color scheme. It was a bit of a challenge to add to our “collection” since this has been an over-time kinda thing. We have a lot of patterns going on already, and with our new additions, the rugs needed to be a simple geometric shape and neutral color since we had so much going on with the pillows. It was a great little alternative, because we can use them down the line in other places.

We eventually want this space to be a screened in porch, and will probably paint the concrete but knew that would come later, and the poles from the existing porch covering would affect the concrete design. So these are great, in the meantime.

Dining Table:

Jamin made the dining table, inspired by one that we spied at Restoration Hardware, but in the right size, and color. And not for a million dollars. It’s always fun because you can get a perfect fit for what you want… Read the Full How To HERE!

Dining Chairs: 

Are an addition for World Market, last season. {Similar find, here} We fell in love with them when we selected them for our Thompsons Waterseal Dream Deck project and had to have a set {or three} for ourselves. I tend to paint them every season, because they were outside and uncovered in our last outdoors arrangement, and need a fresh coat.

You may recognize the bench from our former kitchen. It was a flea market find and has found the perfect home here in our new house. Hashtag glad I didn’t sell it when I purged all the things.

Our wooden furniture is from Target. We’ve had them for years, and they’ve since been discontinued – we actually scored these on clearance seven years ago. The pillows have been re-covered, but I keep stretching those sitting cushions for all their worth, because they’re neutral, and upholstery with piping is hard. I’m no seamstress. The chairs themselves are wobbly and have rotted out over time because we had nowhere to store them in our old house, so outside they sat. They’ve been refinished {initially just a teak wood} to protect them with outdoor paint, and re-sturdied up in places with wood glue and screws. – Whatever works, right?

The colors are close to Sherwin-Williams Minimalist Grey + Gracious Greige. {Outdoor and high gloss so they’re easy to clean.}

The round chairs, are from Walmart of all places – and are metal and plastic. Low maintenance is our jam. We also scored those on clearance last year. If you search for white hoop outdoor chair – or some combo like that, the search yields some similar pieces. I believe we paid 20 bucks a piece for them. -Thanks, whoawaitwalmart {pssst: follow yesterday}.

We initially had some outdoor lights from World Market, and have truly loved them. However, we can’t find those lights because everything is stuffed in storage – hashtag will I ever feel normal again. {Watch for those to make another appearance with the new Handmade Hideaway.} So, we picked some up at Costco instead, {apparently they come in white, too} and strung them around the porch. Which was a challenge, because it is made of metal, and not because of the metal, but because those main bars you see going across the top? Are also gutters. So we used a tiny drill and small hooks. It’s such a tight fit, they should’t be a problem. If so, we plan to caulk the openings later. It’s a make-do space so we feel like we can get away with more.

Vintage cooler : Amazon

Bowls and Napkins : Walmart

The Mermaid sign was hand painted by me – I was going to post a tutorial, but then realized the usual conundrum when it comes to hand painting – these are freehanded and kind of impossible to give a how-to.

So  here’s a question: If we did a limited run in our shop, can we see a show of hands for who would be interested? Trying to decide if it’s something to take on right now. These wouldn’t be prints, they’d be originals on wood. Just thought it was worth asking!

Our little Adirondack Chairs are some we’ve had for a while from Polywood. They stay cool in direct heat, can sit outside and not rot, and are seriously some of our faves. They got a little dirty sitting under our pecan tree for so long, but were an easy clean up with a pressure washer this spring. Seriously can’t sing their praises enough for easy breezy outdoor furniture additions that won’t cause worry or maintenance. They’re worth the price for durable, high quality stuff.

We’ve come a long way, baby.

If we left out anything, please let us know – we’d love to shoot you in the right direction for any sources or questions. It’s been a nice little spruce up we’re certainly enjoying now, for sanity’s sake!

Have an inspired day!