a summer porch refresh.

Published on by Quandie

Last Friday I mentioned that we’ve been doing a lot of furniture shuffling around here lately.  So, while we were on a roll, I decided to give the front porch a refresh.

As much as I have loved the look of the wicker chaise lounge on the front porch (and I have to confess it has been out there for over 30 years!), I haven’t found it comfortable for a few years now.

I used to sit there and read in the evening, but my back just won’t tolerate that for long anymore.  So as a result, we never sit out there these days.

So when handyman Ken made another of his fabulous Adirondack chairs for me, I decided to use it in that spot.

They may not look it, but these chairs are super comfortable.

So as much as the chaise looked better out there, the Adirondack is the better choice if we actually want to use the space.  Yep, I’m going function over form for this one.

In case you’re wondering about the paint on the chair, it’s Rust-Oleum spray paint in Heirloom White.  These chairs can be rather tedious to paint (and trust me, I’ve painted many of them, many times), so I took a short cut with the spray paint.  Plus, the 2nd chair that was already out there was also already painted in Heirloom White.

After putting the new chair in place, it occurred to me that it was time for a makeover on the trunk that sits between the chairs.  Here’s how it started out …

I added that stencil way back in 2015 (you can read about that here), but I had grown tired of it.  Plus that original chippy white was just too bright of a white for me.  I like warmer shades of white like my favorite Dixie Belle Drop Cloth, or even the Heirloom White spray paint.

I did first consider painting it black, but I already have a couple of other touches of black out there that tie in to the floor such as the throw pillows that I purchased from H & M several years ago.

And the black cupboard.

Last week I said that I was going to sell it, but after this refresh I’ve decided it needs to stay.

I also considered painting the trunk with straight up Drop Cloth, but in the end I decided to darken it up just a tad so I mixed in a little bit of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.  You may remember that I lightened up the Dried Sage with some Drop Cloth when I used it on the checkered floor in my potting shed last summer.

As a sidebar, I am really loving the Dried Sage lately.  You’re going to see another piece painted in this color later this week.

But back to the trunk.

After painting it with my custom mixed color, I added a design from the I.O.D. Melange paint inlay to the front.

Isn’t that pretty?

After sealing the paint inlay with some matte spray sealer, I sanded the trunk well to bring back that chippy, worn look.  I followed that up with a topcoat of Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta.

I love how it turned out.

What do you think, was this an improvement for the trunk?  And how about the form over function question?

Would you have gone for adding a more comfortable chair that you’d actually use rather than a piece that you thought looked better?  Leave a comment and let me know.

As always, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the Dried Sage paint and Big Mama’s Butta used in this makeover.

30 thoughts on “a summer porch refresh.”

  1. I love the porch and chairs, comfort is a must ♡ Love the new trunk finish also and glad you kept the black cupboard ♡

    Like

    Reply

  4. Looks great! I think you got form and function with these chairs! Here’s to more porch sitting. The whole room looks new!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks Sheri, I’ll drink a toast to more porch sitting. Summers are short in Minnesota, we need to remember to enjoy them while they last.

      Like

      Reply

  6. Choosing the more comfortable chair was the best choice, and I think it looks great on your porch. The updated trunk looks very nice. Y
    Our porch looks like a stylish, comfy place to relax! Enjoy!!

    Like

    Reply

  7. Looks wonderful! I love the matching chairs and the refreshed trunk. Little changes made a big difference !

    Like

    Reply

  9. Love it! Ken’s chairs are the best. You want to be comfortable when you read – this little room has everything but the cocktail. 🍹

    Like

    Reply

  10. Your porch looks lovely. I used to have a wicker chaise too. I loved it but got rid of it for the same reason. I love the black and white theme. ❤️

    Like

    Reply

  11. Beautiful improvement! It looks so much fresher. And it doesn’t look like you gave up on any form with the new chair.

    Like

    Reply

  12. Love , love the new trunk color – perfect mix!! The A. chairs look as good is not better than the wicker to me. But i love wicker – I could just never sit in comfortably ;).

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.