Porch Makeover Mood Board

Shannon reached out to me on Facebook to ask for advice on her porch.  She was challenged with an empty space to the left of her door and wanted ideas on how to fill up the space.  When Shannon sent over the pictures of her porch, I had ideas for the empty space and beyond!  I ended up creating an entire porch makeover plan for Shannon.

The complete plan was a 5 page PDF including an introduction, a mood board, a second mood board with alternate options, a DIY ideas board, and space planning suggestions.  Today I am going to share the first two parts; the intro and the mood board.  Over the rest of the week I will share the details from the rest of the plan.

The first thing I did was assess Shannon’s porch to let her know what I thought was working and what wasn’t.  Her pictures and measurements of the porch helped me formulate some initial ideas.

Here was my note to Shannon:

Hi, Shannon!

I am so glad you reached out to me for advice on your porch.  It has so much potential!  Before I get into what’s working and what’s not, I must compliment your landscaping.  You have beautiful plantings in your front yard and I can see why you would want to spend more time on your porch.

What’s Working

The first thing I noticed was your front door.  I hope you love that beautiful deep blue as much as I do, because it was a major inspiration in the design.  I already mentioned your beautiful landscaping, but it is worth mentioning again!  It would be great to bring some of that greenery onto the porch.  Your outdoor furniture is the perfect scale for the space.  The natural wicker is a welcoming, warm tone and the white cushions are a good neutral base.

What’s Not

The life sort of stops when the porch starts.  There is a severe demarcation between your lush landscaping and the cold cement porch.  Bringing some greenery onto the porch will connect it with your yard and soften the space.  With such a long narrow space, furniture placement can be super tricky.  I think the scale of your furniture is perfect and with a few tweaks I am confident the seating area can be even more inviting.

After the initial assessment and with a few ideas in my head, I pulled together a mood board for the porch makeover.  It all started around the idea of using a fountain as a planter in that empty space to the left of her door.  The rest of the mood board flowed from there.

This organic oasis is composed of blues and greens in flowing natural shapes.  Round objects help break up the linear nature of the long, narrow porch.  The deep blues will play off the beautiful blue front door and the bright green will bring the porch to life.

1. Nantucket Outdoor Light in Stainless – A bit of nautical flair and a touch of sparkle.  (Tomorrow I will share a more budget-friendly option.)
2. Satellite End Table in Green – A pop of color and just enough landing space for a couple of drinks.  This table is great to put between the armchairs for a cozy conversation area.  (Tomorrow I will share a more budget-friendly option.)
3. Parterre Outdoor Fabric in Indigo
4. Sea Scallop Outdoor Fabric in Lagoon
5. Glamis Outdoor Fabric in Spa – These fabrics turned into outdoor pillows are the easiest way to dress up your existing furniture.  Put one pillow in each armchair and 2-3 pillows on the love seat.  (Later this week I will share a source for a great tutorial on outdoor pillows.)
6. Caspian Outdoor 8327 Blue Rug – This rug belongs with the beautiful blue front door.  The flowing floral pattern will soften all the straight lines on the porch.  You can use the 2’3” x 7’6” runner or the 3’7” x 5’6” rug (if you go with the new space plan).  Both are under $60.
7.  3-Tier Villa Garden Pedestal Fountain – No water needed.  I suggest putting a fountain in the empty space to the left of the front door and use it as a planter.  Check Craigslist or local garden centers for the perfect fountain.  (Later this week I will share a great DIY idea for a low maintenance fountain planter.)