Summer Project #1 - The Front Porch Before

The Front Porch Before

Good afternoon!  I have spent part of the morning on Pinterest and I am loving the simplicity of it.  It's too cool!  One of my favorite things to do is sit down with a new magazine, and pull out and organize the pictures I like.  However, it does take so much time.  It amazes me that I can do all of that with just a few clicks and I don't have to figure out where to keep my growing files!

Ok, where to begin?  The front porch BEFORE.  My goals here are brighten things up and make it more welcoming for people coming into our home.  The photo above is the front door as you are walking up the sidewalk.  The porch is dark, dusty and needs a facelift.  When we moved into our house almost six years ago we purchased this great front door at Lowe's.  I love it, but it doesn't "brighten" things up much. I want to keep it, so maybe one day I'll paint it.  For now, I am going to try to save the wood finish and brighten things around it.   My first attempt at brightening the front porch was to paint the mud bench I bought at Target years ago Heirloom White.  I really like it white, but that by itself was not enough.  I might even make a cushion for it or maybe  pillows?

Here's another view.     Do you see the tree peeking out from behind the column?  There are three of them on the porch and they are Christmas decorations.  Yikes!  It's funny how you become so desensitized!  Those will have to go!  Below is a picture that I took from a little farther back.  I love the Adirondack chairs, but they are too deep for the space.  Between the chairs and the Christmas trees you can't walk on the porch.  Hopefully Summer Project # 1 will be an improvement.