What can I say, I like to add a little flare to every corner of my house. The outside screened in porch started as an ugly box of brown wood with no color or welcoming flavor. I have slowly been making it into a space worth friendly conversation and entertaining.
Mementos from places we travel, used in unexpected ways is something I strive for. Last year we went to Chincoteague, Virginia, USA with my family. The shells are pretty good for the east coast. I went on a hunt for shells with large enough holes to string a garland together, and I knew it would go on the screened in porch. Here is the final product, I’m pretty happy with it, sorry for poor quality pictures. I need to get better at this aspect.
To bring some color into the room we reused our old master bathroom vanity. I painted it a bright yellow, spray painted the hardware white, and my husband created a cheap top buy using four fire treated pieces of lumber that we rubbed with a danish oil to give it a nice warm color and provide some protection. We store all sorts of things under it. I think it turned out really well and we re-purposed something that would have otherwise ended up at the dump.
Lastly, to spruce up this space I reupholstered the chair cushions with some fabric I had laying around. I mixed up the fabrics a bit to keep it interesting. One side is an ugly fabric I don’t like, I call this the kid and cat friendly side of the cushion. Our porch is protected pretty well, so I do leave them out. I did not use outdoor fabric, I hope they hold up at least for one summer.
I take pride in doing things by hand and when they turn out nice I like to show it off a bit. I give myself a pat on the back from time to time. Shouldn’t we all?
Melisa Peterson Lewis 