Thursday, May 12, 2016

One Room Challenge - Curb Appeal the Reveal!

First off, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to Linda at Calling it Home for hosting this awesome experience otherwise know the One Room Challenge.  This is a platform allowing us all to follow along as 20 design bloggers redesign a space.  She also graciously allows anyone with a blog to link up and share a makeover we are working on.

The first time I participated in the ORC we redid our laundry room.  Working under a deadline like this is great because it forces you to get it done, but can cause incredible stress if you have anything else going on in your life (family, jobs, you know).

This time around we chose to redo our front porch to add some curb appeal to our house.  We redid the front porch at our first house towards the very end of our life there and I kind of regretted waiting so long to do it.  This time around we figured we would get it out of the way a little earlier on, and I am so glad we did because many of the changes we made impacted the interior of our house as well!  The porch before was very cramped with the railings there that served no purpose.  Because of its size we didn't want to hang out on it, and the mostly solid door made our foyer so dark.




Just those two changes, the door and removing the railings brought so much light into the interior of our home!  We keep thinking that the door is open and go to close it.  I had started thinking that our dining room paint color was too dark but removing the railings even lets more light in there and now I am back to really liking the color.





We have had a hand me down glider on the porch since we moved in, in fact we had it on our old front porch and used it all the time there.  On this porch the railing was right at eye level when sitting on it so it didn't get much use.  Since removing the railings the hubs and I have sat out there with drinks several evenings now.  We added some side tables as a resting place for aforementioned drinks and it is a really comfy spot.




We had a rolling cart on our first front porch and the UPS guy always put our packages on it which was nice.  We had a piece of granite that we bought off of Craig's List intending to use in our master bathroom reno at our first house and decided that we would use that to top a table for the front porch.  The hubs built the base and it looks great in my opinion.




I also knew I wanted some more visual weight on that side of the porch and some extra seating would be nice.  Growing up my mom had a hanging rattan chair, similar to the Serena and Lily version, and I was hoping to find a more budget friendly version.  I think Ikea used to have one but they don't seem to carry it anymore so my search led me to Amazon where I found this one.  It's obviously not quite the same, but offers the same easy vibe to me.  It helps that the kids LOVE it!






We switched out our old, faded shutters for some with a more rustic, farmhouse feel to go along with the new/old door and added some planters to flank the door.  We changed out the light fixtures to some that fit the space a little better and aren't the dated, shiny brass finish and we are calling it done!





For the next little bit you can bet you will find me out here relaxing, probably with a cocktail, unless I am checking out what everyone else's space turned out like!


29 comments:

  1. Great job. Opening up the porch made all the difference. This looks so inviting.

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    1. Thanks Marty! We completely agree!

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  2. I am a fan of hanging art outside... I like to find cheap thrift store finds and hang them, as I don't care if they get ruin with the sun. Taking down those railings was such a good idea. Looking good, Danielle!

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    1. Thanks Mila! I am so glad to be done!

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  3. Hi Danielle...I love your hammock chair! That alone would keep me on the porch all day :) Everything looks so inviting! And taking down those railings definitely opened the space up...such a good idea.

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  4. Great job! We too appreciate the 6 week frenzied push to get the ORC complete! You deserve to have a relaxing time with your new creation. Enjoy!
    Vicki and Jenn
    2 Bees in a Pod

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    1. Thanks! I fully intend to spend some quality time "porchin".

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  5. Looks like a lovely place to chill out now, and it must make a big difference to the light inside. You've done such a good job!

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    1. Thank you so much Lizzie! It is amazing the difference it has made!

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  6. Looks gorgeous my dear! You have created a wonderful ambiance. I love the picture outside on the wall. Congrats
    Maria

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  7. Looks gorgeous my dear! You have created a wonderful ambiance. I love the picture outside on the wall. Congrats
    Maria

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  8. A welcoming and relaxing porch area indeed! Great job Danielle! Congrats and CHEERS to us for another space done!

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  9. Looks beautiful! It is amazing what motivation could do for a space. Your curb looks much more inviting!

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    1. Thanks Zan! Some motivation (and accountability) really can make most things happen!

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  10. Love your new shutters! They look amazing!

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  11. The front of your home looks so pretty Danielle! I really like the bigger posts and those shutters.

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    1. Thanks Tara! It makes me really happy as we drive down the street towards it.

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  12. I think this space looks wonderful. Love the color on the door, and what a bonus that it adds so much light to your house. Great job!

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    1. Thanks! It's a great thing to see when we turn onto our street!

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  13. Danielle, are you loving this space or what! I know, me too! That door is crazy awesome and I love the glider, swing and tables you've added too. All of these details really came together to make this space special. Great job! Hugs, CoCo

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    1. Thanks so much CoCo! Now if only the weather will stay cool and dry enough to use it awhile!

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