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I recently posted that I had found an online group “Live Free Creative Crew” that is doing month by month room challenges. I needed a push to finally give my front porch a little refresh. I posted the full plan and details here. Today, I am finally here to present the after. Let’s take a quick look at the before and the plan.
The main problems with this porch were a major lack of personality and no curb appeal. I put together a plan that had a little bright pop of green to help bring some life to this front porch.
In a few quick steps I feel like the front porch is now a welcoming space.
The best part was it came together in less than a month and for around $100.00. Read on to find out the steps I took to give a little life to the porch.
FRONT PORCH REFRESH:
- Spray paint couch. So, years ago my husband built me this awesome outdoor sectional. I will add an updated post here soon to give you the details on that. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I never liked the brown paint color he chose when finishing it. I really wanted more of a dark espresso color. So, 4 cans of Rustoleum Satin Dark walnut Paint later and it has a nice new color.
Of course I went and missed one of the inner legs (don’t go back and look for it) and will need to fix it, but overall I am happy. (You totally went and looked didn’t you…)
- Wash and fix sectional cushions. So, this step was completely free and necessary. Years ago I made the original cushions using a drop cloth and they took forever to complete. After several years they were worn and tearing so I decided to update them in a box style cushion, putting 3-4 cushions in each one. This made the task of sewing them much quicker and they have held up great. I used a target tablecloth for the fabric and velcro in the back to secure them closed. **Make sure your velcro does NOT have adhesive on the back but is like this**
When I first remade the covers, I was lazy and didn’t serge the seams so they were a huge mess after washing. I went back and serged all the inner seams and added ties to the upper and lower cushions. We get some very windy days here in Colorado and after picking these up from over a block away (more than once I may add) I decided they needed to be tied down. You can see how it wraps around the back to keep them secure without showing from the front.
- Sew new footstool covers. Would you like to do this but don’t know how? No problem, I have a tutorial for you that I will post on the blog. It is easy and quick! This was another inexpensive and simple update. I had these footstools and never liked the color/pattern for my porch. I had a hard time deciding on a new color. I really wanted fabric that was a small scale print, but never found what I wanted in outdoor fabric so I went with solid black. I like the darker color and I needed some black to tie in with my rug. I order this fabric from Joanns during their 70% off sale, so it only cost me $21.00 for two footstools and two large pillows (well, except the back of one pillow which I ran out of fabric for (you looked again for my mistake, didn’t you 🙂
- Sew throw pillows. I had several pillows in my stash already but purchased a couple Ikea
pillows to finish off this group. I used invisible zippers on all of them to create removable and washable covers. I actually serged all my seams this time to prevent the problem I had with my cushions. All the fabric here was picked up during Joann’s 70% off sale. My favorite find was the black striped fabric, which was $1.27…I hardly had any to work with, but it was just enough to squeeze out a lumbar pillow. Here are the other fabrics I purchased: Tommy Bahama Genevive Gorder and Solarium Rave Willow. All of the pillow fabric came in at $51.00. These pillows make the couch so comfortable. The down side is the wind here. We battle high winds and I have to store the smaller pillows inside. So, bringing them in and out is a bit of a pain. If I find a covered solution that will work for outside I think I will switch to that.
- The final touches came with a side table and simple decor. I looked for a side table and never found something tall enough when I remembered this thrift store pedestal base and round table top I had purchased a long time ago and never used. I gorilla glued my table top on and sprayed them to match the couch. To decorate the top I used this lovely new faux boxwood from Silk Plants Direct that was provided by the generous folks at CSI Soundcore. Although I was given this plant, I will gladly give you my honest review. (See the bottom of this post for my thoughts and more pictures of this plant).
Of course I went and missed one of the inner legs (don’t go back and look for it) and will need to fix it, but overall I am happy. (You totally went and looked didn’t you…) 
When I first remade the covers, I was lazy and didn’t serge the seams so they were a huge mess after washing. I went back and serged all the inner seams and added ties to the upper and lower cushions. We get some very windy days here in Colorado and after picking these up from over a block away (more than once I may add) I decided they needed to be tied down. You can see how it wraps around the back to keep them secure without showing from the front. 
pillows to finish off this group. I used invisible zippers on all of them to create removable and washable covers. I actually serged all my seams this time to prevent the problem I had with my cushions. All the fabric here was picked up during Joann’s 70% off sale. My favorite find was the black striped fabric, which was $1.27…I hardly had any to work with, but it was just enough to squeeze out a lumbar pillow. Here are the other fabrics I purchased: And, that was it. My price breakdown was: Paint- $16.00 Fabric- $73.00 Ikea Pillows (cheaper in store than online)- $20.00
I also started on my front door area but it is not yet done. It currently looks like this:
All I have done so far is add a $4 candle to a lantern I had purchased a long time ago and a $14.00 boxwood plant from Walmart. I still need to change the rug, the no soliciting sign, and add something to the front door. If you have any suggestions, drop them in the comments 🙂
Silk Plants Direct Review:
Now, back to the plant I was given from CSIsoundcore. I selected a boxwood cone topiary from their website. At first I was hoping to find something taller that could go by my front door but sadly many of the items I could select were out of stock. After having a little trouble navigating the site (the search bar would shift all over the top of the screen and the filters did not work) I am happy to report the rest of my experience has been great. The plant arrived very securely packed and in pristine condition.
The color is great and overall I think it looks great. It is small enough to fit on a side table but large enough to make a pretty pop of color in your space. I used it in the patio refresh because I have not been able to keep a plant alive since, well, forever. No matter what, I am unable to find the inner gardener I wish I could be. Had I been able to get a larger plant I totally would have placed it by my front door instead of using a real plant…because the likely hood of that thing living is questionable. But I am pleased with this size because not only does it make a cute addition to my front porch, it also transitions easily into my indoor decor as the seasons change. Thank you to Silk Plants Direct and CSI Soundcore for making this girl look like she can keep green things alive and well.
I am so glad I finally took the time to give a little makeover to the front porch. We have already been enjoying ourselves out here and look forward to a couple more months of enjoying this space in the nicer weather. Please watch for the sectional and foot stool tutorials to come to the blog soon. Until next time, Happy Sewing.
About 18 years ago I decided to teach myself how to sew. Long before blogs and resources available today which meant it was often disastrous. But I never gave up because I loved it so much. Today I love helping others get started on their own sewing journey. You can read more about my family and I