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5.03.2021

farmhouse may-keover: front porch & entry

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spring is here, it's MAY - 
and that means it's time for another budget-friendly DIY MAY-keover series!

this time, i helped a friend redecorate the farmhouse she inherited from her parents.
her Dad built it, her Mom loved it, and now it's hers...
and i wanted to help her express her own style, to make it her HOME.

she's given me permission to share the changes we made with you,
and i know you'll find inspiring and usable ideas!

continue reading to see some of the simple, affordable ways we added style
to this beautiful farmhouse...

this project is special to me, because my sweet friend and i
have been friends for - gulp - 52 years!
we've shared a lot in our lives over those years,
and she has encouraged me more times than i can count...
so it was high time i did something BIG for her.
 
when my friend was ready to begin, i spent a week with her in early March.
as we talked and she told me about her preferences, i listened.
i took into account how she uses the spaces as they were, 
and what was missing that would make it work better for her.

we schemed, planned, brainstormed, and made Pinterest boards.
then while she was at work, i worked on projects to get the result she wanted...
she'd come home each day and see what i had done, then we'd start something else!
and oh, did we have FUN!!!

as a matter of fact, we had SO much fun that i FORGOT to take 'before' photos.
we just jumped in the first night i was there and started dismantling things,
... and Deb forgot to get photos until the last day. oi.

so where did we start? by figuring out her style.
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my SMART friend saw a painting and fell in love with it - and bought it.
it's in the upper left corner of this design board.
this painting influenced all of her decor decisions for her house -
from the color palette to the mood, the geometric shapes to the energy,
if you look at everything on this design board, you'll see that it works together.

like i said - SMART. this is how good design works:
finding a piece of art, or a rug, or a fabric, in colors and patterns that you LOVE
is a perfect  'starting point' for a room design.

her style? it's colorful. happy. joyful. energetic.
it's a little bit boho, a little bit grandmillenial, a little bit farmhouse, a touch of modern,
and a whole lot of her love of books and vintage stuff.
we wove her personality into every space.

her color palette? based in nature, reflecting the gorgeous views out of her windows.
white, gray, navy blue, pale sky blue, warm gold, happy sunshine yellow,
and a touch of brown and black... every color in that painting.
by changing up the way we used those colors in her rooms, it's coordinated - 
yet never boring or repetitive.

the changes we made were cosmetic - no construction, no surfaces replaced, etc.
it was, as i told her, a kind of 'window dressing'/'set design' for her home.
a start - 'phase one' - of all of the changes she will eventually make.

are you ready to see what we did in a week?!

let's start with her front porch, as if we were just arriving at her home...
it just needed some attention to make it a welcoming, livable space.

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the small square table and rose wreath were already on the porch, beside the front door...

my friend found the galvanized buckets in the garage, and wanted to use them in this area.
a quick 'shopping' trip around the yard and in the garage netted
 the metal birdbath, birdhouse, stepping stone, mosaic plant pot, and watering can.
then it didn't take long at all to arrange this spring-fresh vignette!

(it was still pretty cold there in early March, so i added faux flowers.
but as spring arrives, my friend can easily add pots of blooming flowers to this area.)


branches pulled from a nearby oak tree add larger scale to the pre-made wreath,
and a small birdnest made from twine, yarn, and ribbon (by moi!) adds a springtime touch.

it will be easy for my friend to change the wreath each season,
easily removing and replacing the white faux roses - 
real leaves and faux sunflowers in fall, white poinsettias and pine boughs in winter.

that's a great tip for making seasonal decor easy AND to save storage space - 
make simple changes to the same wreath all year long
instead of having four or five separate ones.

on the other end of the porch...
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before the makeover, this end of the porch was completely empty
except for the large plant in a pot.

the park bench was placed against the wall
that you see in the background of the photo on the right...
my friend's mom used to sit there in the sunshine.

my friend needed to make room for more people to gather here,
so we moved the bench to the other (previously empty) end of the porch.
her plan is to repaint the metal sides of the bench - as soon as she picks a color!

in an example of perfect timing, one of her friends GAVE HER
the two vintage metal motel chairs! they are mustard gold and black,
which coordinates with her palette AND the existing planter on the porch.

 we pulled the chairs into a grouping with the bench,
added the rusty milk can (found around the side of the house) as a plant stand,
and then picked up an outdoor rug at Tuesday Morning to make it more of a 'room'.

when that jasmine plant leafs out and blooms,
the fragrance here will be ahhhhmazing!

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the final touch would be a big rustic sign or fence section hung as a focal point.
 (full disclosure: i added this one digitally to illustrate my idea)
i would have made her one, but i ran outta' time! maybe next fall when i go back...

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then again... when you have THIS to look at when you are on that porch,
what else do you need?!

now, let's go in the front door...

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i'll try to describe the 'before' (since i have no photos!!!):
there was a painting hanging on this wall,
with a very elegant, delicate antique wood settee below it...
that no one ever sat on. it was 'the dump zone' in the entry hall.
lovely as the settee was, it wasn't her style, and wasn't an efficient use of the space. 

so we hauled this darling wood and wicker table out of the laundry room
and it was the perfect scale and color for this space.
it offers storage in the two drawers, and i put sandals/flip flops in the baskets -
keeping them out of sight AND out of the dog's reach!

the little antique wood chair is very fragile - a person can't sit on it,
but a purse or a stack of books can.
(so there's still a 'dump zone' - it's just smaller!)

the runner is one of the new things she bought -
and there's a large rug that matches in the adjacent living room,
coordinating the spaces.

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a clock relocated from the dining room along with two framed floral images from a bedroom,
and a vintage brass coatrack on the wall add interest AND functionality.
the table is accessorized with a lamp for a warm welcome, some photos of her kids,
a few ceramic birds from a collection, and books. MANY books.

books and words are a leitmotif in her home, because my friend is a librarian.
she loves books and words. so we used them in every room.
(and i know she'll be adding more!)

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this space is almost perfect - it just needs an old wood screen door that slams!

btw, the entry hall does more than offer a warm, pretty welcome to visitors...
this view is what my friend sees as walks out of her bedroom each morning.
it's a more gracious and personal environment for her to start her day in - 
and that's important.

Miss K needed this house to become a home of her own
that nurtures, restores, and comforts her. 
every space needs to speak those things into her heart,
reflecting her personality while preserving the wonderful memories of the past.

i think we accomplished that in every room we touched,
setting the stage with a fresh new look
and energizing her to continue making it all that she dreams of.

i'm adding in a resource for you that JUST hit the web:

Christopher Lowell, decorator extraordinaire, posted on his blog on May 11
about the subject of looking at the homes we live in, making NEW decisions,
and taking action to refresh them so they really work for US...
he gives excellent advice and examples for doing this,
and i think you'll love his viewpoint!


read Christopher's blog post here


next week: the living room makeover


links to previous related posts:
boho style,,farmhouse style,coastal style,decorating,diy decorating,DIY,color,color palettes,colorful home,FREE,furniture,room makeovers,makeover,on the porch,outdoors,spring,spring home decor,spring decorating,use what you have decor,farmhouse makeover,MAY-keovers.
three previous may-keover projects
(  4-part 'free', 4-part 'thrifty', and 'garden house' )

diy spring birdnest


boho style,,farmhouse style,coastal style,decorating,diy decorating,DIY,color,color palettes,colorful home,FREE,furniture,room makeovers,makeover,on the porch,outdoors,spring,spring home decor,spring decorating,use what you have decor,farmhouse makeover,MAY-keovers.

2 comments:

  1. I am the recipient of this fabulous makeover and it’s A-MAZING! We really did have a wonderful week creating and looking forward in creating this space that I love but needed my own style reflected! I’ve spruced up the wreath already and even though I’m not a decorator in the least I felt like it was exactly what I wanted!

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    Replies
    1. i beg to differ with you on one point, my friend... you ARE a decorator because you know what you like, what you don't like, and you made some VERY smart choices & decisions (like the wall art, the rugs, the accent pillows, your new linens, and the idea for THE CHAIR!!) through this process that led the design! without that, i couldn't have come up with ideas to bring your personality into your home. don't sell yourself short, Miss K... you have creative skills in spades. <3

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