Details of the Front Porch

I love love front porches!!!  What a welcoming sight!  It screams, “Come on in!  Come have a drink!  Sit a spell!  You’re in the South!”  And then there are the painted ceilings.  Charleston and Savannah are two cities that are well known for having front porches with sky blue ceilings.  And of course, our front porch had to have the blue ceiling which reminds me of my visits to those great cities.  The ceilings are a reminder of the sky; it lifts our eye up.  Every ceiling but one inside our home is painted sky blue.  My mother used this trick in all of her client homes, and I’m carrying on the tradition.

 

The very first purchase for our home were these iron benches bought in Hot Springs.  I love their curved back and fleur-de-lis detail.  Although purchased new, they have an old world feel.

They were already highlighted with this great green patina.

Originally, there were two 1970’s style pendant lights hanging, and thankfully, we removed them quickly and added down lighting in their place.  Gas lights were added which add a soft aura against the cream brick.

I bought these concrete pots for my first home, and they’ve been with me ever since.  The height is right with the perfect detail.  In the spring, I use a variety of things.  This spring I simply chose ivy.  It’s been fun watching their leaves unfold throughout the summer.

 

During the spring and summer months, I have plant stands on the porch that house my ferns…another sign of the South!

My signature look for our home has to be the green paint color.  It’s soothing and reminds me of nature.  You won’t believe my inspiration…while watching a show on HGTV, the camera panned down a street (5 millimeters of a second or so) in Metare, LA.  One house caught my eye!  Luckily, the show was recorded, so I was able to rewind many times.  While reviewing, I noticed a for sale sign in the yard.  I zoomed in, found the listing, and called the agent.  She probably thought I was crazy when asking about the paint color.  Although I never found that exact color, I was able to create one for my home and paired it with cream.

The side door adjacent to our garage door and back door were the first to be painted this green.  And then on to the louvered wooded shutters flanking the front doors.  We then purchased shutter hardware a year and half ago, and just now had custom-made double paneled shutters put up across the front.  It was worth the wait because I adore them.  It took this long because my husband thought our house was just fine without shutters.  I convinced him otherwise (and he does agree and loves them too!)

Without shutters…

And with shutters…

Looking forward to welcoming you inside our home!

Fondly,

Jana

 

 

8 thoughts on “Details of the Front Porch

  • Jana!! I love your blog!! And I LOOOVE your home!! That is too funny about seeing that house on HGTV, zooming in and calling the agent! The green shutters look fabulous! Love the blue ceiling too! We are actually going to Charleston and Savannah in a few weeks, hope to spot some for myself!

    • Hi Erin!!! So glad to hear from you! Thank you so very much for your kind words regarding the blog especially coming from you! And you will have no problem spotting those blue ceilings! Safe travels and have fun. Will talk soon friend!

  • You were absolutely right about the shutters and the colors. What a beautiful fern. I hope you share with us how you keep it so healthy. Do you have to mist or spritz it every day? How much sun?

    • Hi Devery! Thank you for your kind compliment regarding the shutters and color! I love my ferns! I water them 1-2 times per week. I water and “mist” them only with the hose. Enjoy the day!

  • What Jana meant to say was….her great friend, Beth, hauled the benches back from Hot Springs. No credit 😉
    I’ve always loved the front of your house!

  • I LOVE your home colors, would you mind sharing the names of both the house color and the shutter color, they are great together.

    • Hi Norma! Thank you so much for the kind compliment! My home colors are custom. However, I do online consulting if you’re not in Central Arkansas. I’d love to help you with paint colors! Enjoy the day!

Comments are closed.