Mom and Dad's Porch

I want to share some pictures of my parents' screened porch with you.  Every time I visit them, I find my eyes straying in that direction, because the porch just beckons you to come out and sit...for a few minutes or a few hours.  Of course, during the very hottest part of summer, it doesn't get used as often.  Most of us gravitate towards the air-conditioned house when it's so hot and humid outside.  But in the spring, fall, and early summer, there's no better place to be.

My parents had their home built about eight years ago, with a screened porch opening off the great room.  But after living there for five or six years, my mom and dad realized they just weren't thrilled with the look and feel of their porch.  It felt too dark, and didn't really flow with the warm whites and cream colors in the adjacent great room.


When the house was built, my parents chose to leave all the wood on the screen porch a natural color, and furnished it with light brown wicker furniture.  After living with it for a while, they decided that it would be much more cheerful to replace all the brown with white.  Unfortunately, I don't have any before pictures to share (my mom couldn't find any), so you'll have to use your imagination.  Here's the way it looks today.

Originally, all the woodwork on the porch was the same color/finish as the floor.  They chose to leave the floor with this natural finish when they painted everything else, and I think that was a good decision.  I like the floor, and you need a bit of contrast in every room.  My mom replaced the light brown wicker furniture with cheerful white, and we all love it!

 

In addition, they replaced the wood siding or paneling beneath the screens with bead board paneling, and had it painted white, along with the wood posts between the screens, the exterior screen door, and the ceiling.  Such an improvement!  They had the shades added to the screens last summer to help keep the porch cooler on hot days and to protect the furniture from sun damage.

These are the coolest shades; I'd never seen this kind before.  They have chain pulls so they can be raised and lowered.  They're made of a fine mesh (which is also available in white), but the contractor suggested a charcoal color.  As you can probably see, the shades don't block the outside view, but they do block the bright sun rays from the afternoon sun that used to make the porch so uncomfortably hot.

The table below is an antique wicker piece.

My sister and I gave her the "Welcome" sculpture with the cute birds last year for Mother's Day.  My mom has so many pretty vintage linens; this tablecloth was made by my great-aunt many years ago.  She did all the embroidery and crocheted the lace around the edges.  I love all the pretty pinks and blues she used.  My great-aunt, Lena, who died about 20 years ago, was an absolute whiz with a needle and thread.   She made her daughter's wedding gown, and my mom says it was just amazing.  I'll have to see if my mom has a picture of the gown that I can share online.

Here's another pretty vintage tablecloth.

This wicker table came from a bedroom in my parents' previous house (the house I grew up in from age 10).  I love this unique little lantern; it's such a pretty color.  My mom purchased the candlesticks at Kirkland's a few years ago.  They were originally painted silver with gold touches; she repainted them, and I think the color is perfect for the porch.

The white french doors on the left of the picture lead back into the great room and kitchen.  The chair was part of my parents' deck furniture at the other house; the rest of the set is downstairs on their patio.  Love the curvy legs on this little vintage plant stand.

This flower basket hangs above the chair...

When my parents moved to this area, my mom fell in love with the architectural stars, or barn stars, that she saw on so many of the houses.  I think this looks just right on the porch, as does the print by a local artist.

This is one of the salmon pink geraniums we gave my mom for Mother's Day this year.  The wicker stool also came from our previous home.  Do you see the darling white table next to this chair?  My mom found it at a local antique/thrift shop; those bumblebee cutouts are too cute.  I'm going to start tagging along with her on these shopping trips; she always finds the neatest things.  :)

Speaking of cute tables, there's a little green table between the love seat and chair -- I meant to get a close-up pic of that.  Mom spray-painted it, and the plant stand behind it, the same pretty shade of green.

The last few shots of the porch...

I think the painted metal bunny on the floor at the left adds a touch of whimsy to this spot.  :)

The light coming through the screen gave this picture a soft, whitewashed look.

When the wonderful days of fall arrive, this porch will be the perfect place to be.  Mom, you're the decorating queen in our family; I LOVE the porch re-do.  Thanks for letting me share it with everyone.

I'm linking to:

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday -- At The Picket Fence

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays at Sunny Simple Life

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Thanks for visiting me at House at Forest Manor.  I can't wait to see what you've shared this week!

Denise