How I Turned My Farmhouse Porch into a Mini Retreat

Summer is my favorite season of the year and I relish sitting on our front porch enjoying the gentle breezes and listening to the birds sing.  We have huge trees surrounding our home so the porch stays fairly cool and pleasant … unless it reaches a sweltering 90 degrees with buckets of humidity.

This week I’m joining a group of other bloggers to bring you the “Elements of Summer” tour and I thought it’d be a perfect time to share how I turned my farmhouse porch into a mini retreat. Be sure to visit the other bloggers this week for additional summer inspiration … the schedule is at the bottom of this post.

How I Turned my Front Porch into a Mini RetreatThe newest addition to my farmhouse porch is the striped outdoor rug that we found at Lowe’s. I wanted something durable yet colorful. It also needed to match my cushions and pillows. It makes the porch feel like a mini retreat and I’m lovin’ it!

 

Summer Seating Area on a Farmhouse PorchThe little glass-topped table was inside and I dragged her out here to serve as a dinner table of sorts.

 

White Porch Furniture and Comfy CushionsThis wooden folding chair was green, so I spray painted it to match the other white one.

Speaking of painting, we’re in the process of scraping the house because it’s in desperate need of a paint job. I can’t wait til it’s done and the house will look crisp and clean again.

 

Flea Market Glider on Front PorchOn the other side of the porch is the glider that I found at a neighbor’s yard sale several years ago.

I recently painted the glider and found new cushions to add some color.  You can see Miss Trixie is totally enjoying it.

 

Porch Glider and New Guinea Impatiens on a Farmhouse PorchI tried to get her to move but she wasn’t havin’ it.

My pot of New Guinea Impatiens are doing fabulous up here on the porch.

 

Vintage Blue Atlas Jar with Bridal Wreath FlowersAbove the impatiens I hung this vintage Atlas jar stuffed with flowers from my bridal wreath bushes.

 

Mossy Fern in Aged Terra Cota PotOn the porch rail sits this delicate fern that I tucked in an altered terracotta pot.

 

Rustic Wooden Star with Paper FanIn lieu of a wreath, I hung a rustic wooden star on the front door.

To add a bit of color, I added one of my paper fans made from scrapbook paper.

 

Mini Retreat on a Farmhouse PorchHubby and I come out here in the evenings and on weekends to enjoy our meals.

 

Wine and Fruit Snack for SummerWe eat lighter, smaller meals in the summer which means we can enjoy occasional snacks.

 

Summer Snack of Wine, Grapes, and a Crusty Loaf of BreadOur idea of a snack is a great bottle of red wine, grapes, and a crusty loaf of bread.

We sit out here and enjoy some conversation and beautiful weather.

It’s wonderful to step outside to our mini retreat and get away from the television.

 

Summer Farmhouse PorchIt just doesn’t get any better than a leisurely summer evening on our farmhouse porch.

Soon we’ll be watching the fireflies light up the sky!

 

Elements of Summer tour with 30 bloggersFor more summer inspiration, visit the following blogs on their tour dates below …

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Sharing this post at Metamorphosis Monday, Wow Us Wednesday

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43 Comments

  1. Your porch looks so inviting and relaxing! I really like the striped rug with the yellow house paint. Blue and yellow always look great to me. My husband and I spent the month of May repainting our 100 year old farmhouse. I’m not sure if you know this but I’ll share a little secret we learned…after 3 full days of scraping in the Georgia sun and humidity we were told about a sprayer tip for a power washer that will blow all loose paint, caulking and dirt off of anything! We already own a power washer and were directed to Sherwin Williams where we found this little spray tip. Guess professional painters sometimes use this. It was a little costly, but well worth it to us, around $80. It rotates in a circular motion. It works magic! We had already power washed the house back in March and it did remove some loose paint and lots of dirt but nothing like it did when we used this specialty tip. If you are not careful it will eat away the wood on the house. We were able to finish our 3300 square foot house in 2 days! I highly recommend it but be careful it is powerful. I don’t remember the name but didn’t know it when we walked into Sherwin Williams either. I just explained what we wanted and we were quickly directed to the little tip of magic! Good luck on your house painting!

    1. Thanks for the tip about the power washer nozzle! I’ll definitely check into that, Ann. 🙂

  2. I love your porch – all the colors – soft and all complementary. It certainly would draw me outdoors to have that little retreat! Love the rug, and all the furniture, esp. the glider.

  3. So pretty! I think your front door is exactly the same one as I used for my new garden gate!!! and now I want another one cause you just gave me a new idea… 🙂

    Have a great week!

    xox

  4. Your porch looks like the perfect place to sit and enjoy a snack and to view all of summer. Love the rug, it really does make it feel like a room. That glider is a fabulous find, that’s definitely where you would find me.

  5. What an inviting place to spend a time together soaking in all the goodness of Summer. I love it Jennifer! From your new striped rug to the delicate fern and everything in between you’ve created such an oasis.Simply divine.

  6. Ahhh… this is lovely. It makes me want to come over for a glass of wine. Can I invite myself?

    Really enjoyed seeing your porch for this and I’m thrilled to be a part of this blog series.

  7. Jennifer your porch is very welcoming!
    I live on a street where we all use our porches all summer.
    We often have random porch parties { where everyone eventually gathers on someones porch and we chat and drink and laugh and enjoy life!}
    The good times!
    My most treasured moments!
    I dont think I could ever live in a home without a big porch!

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful porch.
    Smiles,
    Dolly

  8. So pretty Jennifer and the first thing I noticed and grabbed is that rug. So pretty and summery. Love the sitting area. Enjoy!!!

    Cynthia

  9. Your porch is lovely! I really love the carpet from Lowe’s and all of your little touches. I’m working on cleaning up all the pollen off ours so we can sit and enjoy the warm evenings again.

    Jeanine

  10. Jennifer~ Your porch is so pretty…I would spend every available moment out on it. Love the white furniture and old table. And nothing says summer more than splashes of blue! 🙂

    XO,
    Jane

  11. Love your porch and house color. Would you mind telling me what color of yellow that us? It’s exactly what I want to paint my bungalow!!

  12. Jennifer, you porch is a retreat! You would find me on the glider! No wonder you eat your meals in that beautiful living space. I love how the new blue and white striped rug bring out the yellow on your porch! Such a peaceful spot!

  13. If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now – I am in love with the color yellow of your home! So charming and your porch looks amazing! I’d like to come over and have a seat on your glider with Miss Trixie!

  14. Hi Jennifer — Love your fresh and pretty and inviting looking porch! We love our side porch, even if we do have to share it with the trash and recycling bins! We did find stacking recycling tubs at home depot; they’re colorful and they only take up the space of one bin, so that helps us squeeze in. We ignore the trash cans while focusing instead on the punched tin tea lite cans and the throws and cushions on our three navy blue chairs, and accept that our colors cannot be the lovely white with pastel that you have but bold barn red and navy because the clapboard siding of the whole house is barn red. Work with what you have, I guess! I enjoy every moment out there, doing Sudoku or reading or opening the mail.

  15. I love a porch on a house. It’s great that they are coming back into style again. Yours looks so pretty with it’s white and cool blues for decor. I hope you get to enjoy it often.

  16. I’m a sucker for a front porch, and yours is so pretty! I really like your idea of a snack–I think I’d feel right at home at your house. That atlas jar with the bridal wreath flowers is just the icing on the cake!

  17. Love your farmhouse porch, and the color of your door and trim. Mind telling me the color paint you used? I bought a 100+ year house in Idaho. Would love to paint the door that color.