Upstairs Porch Uplift

Everyone agrees that the hike up the old narrow, steep stairs is worth the trip.  The plain, drab second story porch has been transformed into a cozy and relaxing “get away”.  In fact, our cat Zippy has claimed it for her room. Here’s a couple of before pictures…

The tongue and groove porch floor was patched and painted about a year ago.  While it definitely was an improvement it still lacked life and energy.

The opposite side of the porch has a cozy corner.  Perfect for the wicker love seat.  The first step was to stencil the porch floor.  This added interest and energy to the space.

Wow, what a difference simple furniture and accessories make!  This project allowed me to use many items purchased at thrift stores, waiting for a home, as well as items collected over the years still packed from the move. No new items were purchased!  Yea! An old chest purchased at a yard sell months ago was drug out of the basement and glazed with red paint on the top and sides. This piece gave the porch the feeling of being a room.  Tree branches were placed in the red bucket where birds nest collected over the years, now are displayed.

The wicker chest is a great place to stash those all time favorite games to pass the time away.

The owls and owl print were a thrift store score and stashed away in a closet.  They work great on the dresser.

Take a look at this thrift store find.  I love the price tag, an extra large poker card.

The chair was cleaned and treated with Old English and then the seat was recovered. It is paired with an old screen door picked up along the way and stored in the basement.  Since I did not want to put nails in the siding (my husband would have a stroke) the door adds height to the space and gives the ability to hang a wreath.

This is a view from one of the bedrooms. The flower boxes were made from old porch boards. They are beautiful from this porch as well as the back of the house. Double score!

Another view of the flower boxes.

The base of this table is black iron.  The top was damaged plexi glass.  The solution was burlap sacks opened up and raveled out. The sacks were a gift from my dad.  Three sacks were overlapped to create the look. I was absolutely floored when I picked up the latest Ballard Design Magazine and saw fringed burlap table cloths. Wow, how do these thing happen?

This space was a design challenge.  It involved adding layers, taking away, moving around, stepping back to soak it all in and scouring the house top to bottom for the right accessories. When it is all said and done, Mom is very pleased that her porch is all dressed up and ready for company and that she got to use so many of her special finds.  We hope you have enjoyed the pictures as much as we are enjoying the space.