One of the things I originally fell in love with about our house was the screened porch overlooking the big backyard, but I haven’t given it much attention since we’ve lived here. I didn’t use it much last year because honestly, I was just tired of looking at the mess. The kids had kind of taken over the space—papers, art supplies, mismatched pillows, spilled snacks and cushions that didn’t fit our furniture. This year, I decided to take back our porch—and hopefully help a great cause in the process—with the help of FrogTape.
I’m on one of six bloggers taking part in this year’s FrogTape Paintover Challenge where each of us makes over a space according to a theme we were given, in hopes of donating $5000 to our favorite charity. (I chose St. Jude Children’s hospital.) My project’s theme was “nature’s influence” (fitting for a porch, right?) and I wanted it to reflect the beautiful colors of Spring’s new life and blue skies.
I believe every room—whether indoors or out—needs a touch of nature. Besides incorporating blues and greens, I also used a lot of textural pieces to give my design a natural feel. I incorporated the wood sunburst mirror I already had and added touches of jute, driftwood and wicker. A modern dining table and some blue and white pottery help balance things out and give it a more polished feel:
outdoor chair // mirror (similar) // paint // lantern // blue and white jars
pillow // rug // wicker chair // white table
The first step to perking up this space was to give my floors a fresh color. Although neutral, the old color showed every dirty footprint tracked in (and there’s a lot of them!). We pressure washed the entire porch before starting. I then taped off the perimeter with FrogTape and used a paint specifically for porch and patio floors (in “Green Adirondack” by Behr). We had the rest of our porch painted bright white last year which doesn’t leave room for a lot of painting mistakes.
I brushed around the edges first, rolled on two coats of paint and touched up the spaces between boards with the brush before removing the tape.
I feel the same about the change, Annie. I feel the same.
Once the floor was painted, it was time for the fun part—accessorizing! Ready for the before and after?
Most of my budget for this space went toward new cushions for the sofa and chairs. I admit to trying to skimp and save money a couple of years ago by replacing the original cushions with cheaper ones from a home improvement store. They were comfy but never fit out furniture properly and were always sliding off, looking like a sloppy mess. It drove me crazy. I ordered the Sunbrella replacement cushions that were made for the pieces and it’s a huge difference. I stuck with blue. In fact, the key to the natural look I was going for was to keep the color palette very simple, using green on the floor and shades of blue on everything else.
The pretty greens of Spring blooming all over our backyard also helped move this makeover along. . .
As I mentioned earlier, texture played a big role in accessorizing the porch. Since the porch is covered, I was able to use a jute rug to tie the seating area together—and I love the strong pattern it adds.
We also changed out the dated brass light fixture by the back door with a simple black and glass lantern. I finished up with some new pillows (more blue!) and cut a few dogwood branches from our yard to celebrate Springtime.
I’ve already used the porch more than last year combined and sneak out there with a book whenever I’m able. :)
To see all of the participating bloggers’ finished spaces, head over to the Paintover Challenge page where you can also vote for your favorite to win $5000 for the charity of their choice.
AKA Design
Hi! SugarPlum
Our Fifth House
Hunted Interior
Sawdust 2 Stitches
Thanks to FrogTape for sponsoring this post and for including me as a participant in this year’s FrogTape Challenge.
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It’s gorgeous, Emily! What a perfect spot for coffee and a book. And my Aunt just gave me the same rattan tray for my birthday :)
I am so in love with your porch. Those are my favorite colors. I have always wanted a screened porch but wondered about the heavy pollen we have every spring here in N.C. would screens be impossible?
We usually don’t set up our porch until around this time each year. We try to wait for the pollen to pass and store our furniture in the garage until then. This NC pollen is crazy and makes my head feel awful!
Emily- it looks so so good. I love your tips that help it feel like a room and not a porch. A great extension to your home!
I literally gasped when I got to your reveal pic! The color on the floor makes such a huge difference, and everything looks so cozy and welcoming. You’re all set for the lazy days of summer!
Beautiful! I wish our deck was screened in! Love the colors and your style!
But can we talk about the brass lamp? Where is that from??? Lovely makeover by the way, looks pulled together but still family friendly.
Thanks! Brass lamp came from HomeGoods clearance years ago. The shade was one I had from a different lamp and spray painted.
I love it. Everything is fabulous. Such a great makeover.
You have no idea how much I love it!!! Since I don’t have a screened porch, I’ve come up with a way to get them same look for my concrete patio. I live with a HOA & they won’t allow us to paint the patio but a big green outdoor rug could work. Adding blue would be easy enough.
Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
Oh yes, we’ve dealt with HOA stuff before… A green rug could definitely work or maybe just something else painted that color on your patio….
LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Especially the brass lamp!! Share the source??
Hi Robbyn, See my reply to Dianne. I don’t have a good source :(
The floor color is perfection! Tell me about the brass lamp with the blue shade please. I am loving that shade!!! Where can I purchase? Thank you!
I pieced those together. I think the lamp was originally from HomeGoods but the shade was one I had and painted blue.
Is the shade fabric or paper and what kind of paint did you use? Sorry to be such a pest but I really love it!!!!
No worries. It’s more of a paper shade. Here are the details:
https://emilyaclark.com/2013/09/my-1-brass-lamp-spray-painted-shade.html
Screened porches are so dreamy! Love it!
After looking at all the other spaces, yours Emily, is where I want to be— curled up against those incredible pillows with a good book and a fizzy lemonade, the breeze blowing through the trees. Voting for you ( and St Jude’s!). Love your blog and your family. May the Lord continue to bless you richly.
Thanks so much!
love the color of that porch floor with the blue decor. gorgeous! I’ll be looking for an interesting piece of driftwood when we go to the coast this summer . . . screened in porches more the norm in the south where we used to live. the whole room speaks peace and lotsa reading time and quiet breakfasts.
Well, I don’t know if the quiet breakfasts will work out but I love the thought of it! :)
I wish I had a great story about how I found my driftwood but I bought it at a flea market for $25…
Love the makeover! I would definitely be sneaking out there to steal some alone time! Also you’ll be safe from snakes! (:
Or will I?????
Your porch looks fabulous, Emily! Perfect for family hangouts.
I really adore the green floor with the back, white and blue. Looks so pretty
Love yours the best! I could not find where to vote, though, at the link you gave. Only thing I could figure is voting begins on May 22?
Sorry–I was thinking it started today. I’ll post a reminder next week.
You’ve done it again! Another great room makeover! I am loving the blue and green.
Great porch reveal—ours is a similar size here in coastal SC. So, I’ll think about how to incorporate the various textural things you’ve included. One thing we seem to have here is more pollen and dust on the screen porch so we have to be careful what we put out there. Love your view, too!
We have it here terribly, too :( I need to do another good spray down when I have time.
I love screened porches and miss mine terribly. It looks beautiful Emily.
I adore outdoor spaces and yours is THE BEST!! You just want to snuggle on in there with a cup of tea and gaze outside. I LOVE the shades of navy, soft blue, and jade green you selected…the colors are so calm and relaxing. Would you share the color of the sunbrella replacement cushions? I clicked on the link and Belvedere blue sapphire cushions on the link look darker than the “soft blue” cushions you selected. Or it could be my computer. Anyway, a little obsessed!!! Thanks!!
Thanks! They are the sapphire cushions. Could be the lighting/editing…
Have the source for round rattan tray? I need that …
I’m pretty sure that one was from Target clearance several years ago. I also have this one (very similar size) and love it.
Love this makeover. Do you have the source for your exact lantern sconce? Seems like the link is to a slightly different version (which is sold out!). Thanks :)
Thanks, Allison. That’s the same lantern; hopefully they’ll restock.
I was going to ask the same question about the lantern since the one on Overstock shows a scrolled arm at the top that the handle on the top of the lantern appears to be handing from. did you just remove that scrolled arm when installing your lanterns?
Absolutely stunning. I love it all.
I love the green paint with the blue!
Love the porch! I have a screened in porch too, but have a tough time keeping it clean (from pollen, etc). How do you maintain your beautiful space?
Pollen is the worst! It’s leveled off now but we can’t set up our porch until at least late May or it’s covered.
Is the white pedestal table actually an outdoor piece? I want to get one for my screened porch but worried indoor versions might not hold up. Any info would be much appreciated – thanks!
No, it’s not made for outdoors. If not under cover, I’d probably go with something else.