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Screen Porch & Outdoor Living Room Makeover

I am so happy to finally invite you to have a look around our screened porch & outdoor living room makeover.

.Screen porch

Like most of the spaces that have been refreshed at #theTrailHouseReno, it’s a bit of an understatement to say it has been made over.

Bohemian porch

Because honestly, the only part of the porch that wasn’t touched was the ceiling.

We replaced the screens, rebuilt the railing and refinished the porch floor with a solid stain. But all of this couldn’t happen until the whole facade of the back of the house was removed and replaced. (Clearly, there’s a long story associated with that and I’ll refer you to this post.)

So, to finally have a screen porch to enjoy and be mosquito-free is a very big deal.

Here are links to how we gave this porch a makeover and a new look!

New Porch Railings

How to Paint a Porch

For the overall design plan, I wanted to use many of the existing pieces of outdoor furniture from our last porch. I just wanted to give the very traditional furnishings a fresh look with a bohemian flair. The intention was to consistently use the bold black and white patterns to give the room a very cohesive look, and yet feel collected and a bit whimsical.

That “collected” look is not something that happens very quickly.  It requires a bit more diligence but I always enjoy the room much more in the end.

The black and white color scheme was also inspired by the kitchen which is just inside these windows.

Cedar ceiling porch

To give you a more visual reference of where we started, here is a look at the before.

Clearly the porch floor boards needed refinishing and the railing was completely unrelated in design to the rest of the house.  It had to go.

But, the porch had a few challenges beyond just the esthetics. To work with the long and narrow configuration I created separate zones, incorporating the main seating area right off the door of the living room and kitchen.

On the far side by the stairs, I took advantage of the little nook created by the backside of the fireplace.  A cozy little spot for breakfast and a cup of tea seemed like a great use of the space.

For now, oppsite this corner I added a collection of plants and a vintage bar cart.

I’ll be breaking down all of the steps from rebuilding the railing and refinishing the deck boards in the following posts, but one of the easiest ways to transform any outdoor space is with vintage inspired outdoor lights.

The new brighter colors of the Hardi Plank on the exterior as well as the soft taupy grey of the deck and railings feel fresh and inviting.  Keeping the beauiful boards of the ceiling natural give the “room” a depth and warmth that would have been lost if we had painted it.

Admittedly, we probably won’t take full advantage of our new outdoor living room until it cools off a bit.  We do live in Alabama and it has been remarkably hot and humid. There is really only so much two ceiling fans can do with heat like that. (It’s so hot, not even our GoldenDoodle, Tucker wanted to photobomb my photography of the porch.)

I look forward to walking you through all of the steps we took to transform this space and share what we learned along the way.  For instance, I think we were surprised how easy it was to replace the railings and of course, paint, or solid stain in this case, are always huge game-changers.

Here are links to how we gave this porch a makeover and a new look!

New Porch Railings

How to Paint a Porch

20 Comments

  • Marty@A Stroll Thru Life
    July 22, 2017 at 7:12 am

    Gorgeous, what a fabulous outdoor living space.

    Reply
    • Leslie
      July 27, 2017 at 8:42 am

      Thank you!! We have enjoyed it so much already, even with the heat!

      Reply
  • Bonny Van
    July 23, 2017 at 11:50 am

    This is simply beautiful!!

    Reply
    • Leslie
      July 27, 2017 at 8:41 am

      Thank you! Wish you could come hang out here with me! This fall would be nice. Hint, hint!!

      Reply
  • How to paint a porch -
    August 11, 2017 at 8:03 pm

    […] Did you see what the inside of the porch looks like? Check out the complete reveal by clicking HERE. […]

    Reply
  • Stone Patio Outdoor Oasis -
    September 7, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    […] Be sure to check back for more on the garden surrounding the patio! And if you missed our Screen Porch & Outdoor Living Room Makeover I invite you to check that out too! Click here.  […]

    Reply
  • […] Want to see more of our porch makeover and Outdoor Living room? CLICK HERE FOR THE POST. […]

    Reply
  • Fall Living Room Refresh · DeeplySouthernHome
    November 15, 2018 at 12:27 am

    […] (It’s a definite trade off that I will accept to have a generous screen porch that we love. You can see it here.  The power of a long exposure is everything in room […]

    Reply
  • […] This content was originally published here. […]

    Reply
  • Floranet
    December 26, 2019 at 12:02 am

    What a Fantastic Post!! Love your work.

    Reply
  • Michelle
    March 2, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    Beautiful! What are the dimensions of your porch, if you don’t mine me asking! Lol

    Reply
    • Sally
      October 6, 2020 at 8:16 am

      Yes, I’m wondering the same! Can you tell me the dimensions of your porch?

      Reply
  • Becca
    July 21, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Hi! Do you mind me asking where you got the wooden couches with the white cushions? Love them!

    Reply
    • Leslie
      July 24, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      They are just basic twin mattresses! So anywhere you can buy a mattress.

      Reply
    • Leslie
      July 24, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      The link was in the post but it must not be sold anymore. It was from World Market. They updated the look but I bet it is very similar.
      https://rstyle.me/+l09rPM6dqbwQ01Z8z-SzEA

      Reply
  • Shannon Smith
    August 24, 2020 at 3:38 am

    I absolutely love your porch! Please, please, please tell me the brand and color of your ceiling stain. It’s perfect!

    Reply
    • Leslie
      August 24, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Thank you! Sadly, I don’t have an answer for you. The ceiling was the only thing we didn’t touch in that porch.

      Good luck! I can tell you that the wood was most likely a red cedar.

      Reply
  • Julianne
    March 26, 2021 at 5:53 am

    Can you share what types of plants were used on your porch? Thanks!

    Reply
  • Nikki Black
    April 8, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    Love this and can’t wait to use this as my porch inspiration this summer! Are the light blue cushions on the couch euro pillows? If you have a link to those, I’d be grateful! Thanks’

    Reply
    • Leslie
      May 6, 2021 at 8:32 am

      they were a Target purchase years before. Sorry!

      Reply

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