Summer is just around the corner. Snow is starting to melt, and spring flowers are starting to pop out of the ground. It's time to start planning how you're going to turn your summer porch into an oasis of calm. There are a couple of easy hacks like adding some potted flowers, and then there are some hacks that take a little bit more work. The end result is worth it though, leaving you a summer porch that you and your friends and family will love.
1. Hamptons-esque Furniture
New York City's elite enjoys vacationing in the Hamptons and for good reason. The homes in the Hamptons and in Montauk have unique accents that automatically make a home or a porch beautiful. If you want the aesthetic of the Hamptons on your porch, then incorporate furniture made of teak, shingles, and beachy elements like shells, and pastel-colored candles.
2. Outdoor Dining Room
While most people fill porches with comfy patio furniture, you may want to turn your porch into a glamorous outdoor dining room. Select a beautiful wooden dining table, some rustic chairs, and add some votive candles to create that Al Fresco dining experience favored in Europe. Don't forget to put some plush pillows on the chairs, and add some hanging lights around the porch to make it feel even more like an escape.
3. Bouquets Of Fresh Flowers
Fresh cut flowers carefully arranged in a beautiful vase have the ability to make any room feel brighter. When bouquets of flowers are arranged in vases on a porch, it adds a feeling of Southern charm to the area. To make it feel even more like an oasis, select vases of different heights and artfully arrange them as a centerpiece on a patio table. This will make it the perfect place to sip some sweet tea.
4. A Porch Swing
If there is one piece of furniture that every summer porch needs, it is a porch swing. These are usually hung at the end of the porch, in order to give everyone enough room to sway back and forth while still being a part of the porch as a whole. Make sure to select a palette for your summer porch, and then incorporate that into the cushion selection for the swing. You may want to go with a nice breezy pattern, or a bold color to add a bit of extra flair to the space.
5. Upcycle
Upcycling is all the rage right now. A lot of great pieces of furniture can be found at yard sales, thrift shops, and even estate sales. Take a look in your local newspaper to see what kind of sales are happening, and start cruising for some porch furniture. Once you have found a few pieces, like a table and some chairs, it is time to get crafty. Strip the paint or varnish off of the pieces you have found and paint or stain them to the colors you want. It's always nice to make something old into something new.
6. Stay Cool
Depending on where you live, porches can get pretty hot during the summer. If you live in a region that experiences high temperatures in the summer, you should consider installing two very important things. The first is a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans can spin whenever you are on the porch, and move the air around to create a cooler zone. On top of that, you can also install curtains that block out the sun to a certain extent. Either way, you will get a bit of airflow and this will make your summer porch the place to be.