A couple of other things-- my mom also kept her little chairs and antique child swing on her porch for many years after the kids were too big-- in fact I think some of them saw both kids and grandkids outgrow them. She also used small chairs, a tricycle and a wagon in her gardens as decoration. I think it is fine to keep the little chair-- put a fun pot on it with fun flowers, paint it in fun colors or keep it as it is.

Wonderful ideas!!

Yes -- painting the furniture in bright happy colors -- the same as in your home -- would be wonderful!

Love the idea of painting the ceiling blue! Perhaps add some hanging moorrocan style lamps?

Love the idea of ferns too!

Perhaps add an iron artwork piece on the wall by the wicker chairs?

What a charming porch you've got already!

" I wonder how difficult it would be to paint a rug on the concrete? Is that a silly idea?"

I LOVE this idea! But have two related suggestions:

- I went to a "Stained Concrete" seminar once, and the company presenting did some 'rugs' using concrete stain and stencils. They were GORGEOUS, and I bet they would be DIYable for someone as talented as you are. (Though the overall flavor of the finished projects was more elegant and subdued.)

- Or, what about doing a tile and broken china mosaic? Your porch isn't so big that it would be an impossible job, and it would be very durable. Use plainer tile (terra cotta?) on the outside, broken china or brightly colored field tiles for the rug? You could do as much or as little as you want -- copy an existing rug or tile pattern or design your own.

But what a great porch! And I can see why you'd love to hang there...

Jen, I'm late the porch party .. but glad to be here. :) I think your porch is awesome. I love the suggestions above, so I'm not going to repeat them. I think bringing your wonderful sense of color, style and whimsy outside to your porch would be wonderful.

I know right now you don't want to invest a lot, but our shared love of vintage objects makes me say keep your eyes on your local craigslist. I have found the metal retro porch gliders and chairs in need of some DIY TLC ( sanding & repainting ) going for a fair price here. Maybe after you finish the landscaping you'd like to do, that could be on the to do list when you find the right set at the right price .. I think they look so, so cute on your porch. I'm still looking for the right set, but boy do I drool over them.

Haven't caught up with everything, but I love those type of patterns, with the decals. Unless you can hose them off, I'd be inclined to paint them on with stencils. Wouldn't they look great with a Morrocan styled porch? I can really picture that out there. Some of the big plants oceanna posted would look great with it all, too. I wonder how much light they need. The Umbrella Tree seems to be pretty indestructible. Not that tall that I've seen, but have msas, full and bushy. You could always hang another plant somewhat above it for height.

Oh, people here have painted wicker though the threads are probably gone. Cooper? Didn't you paint yours?

Spray is the way to go, with all those little crevices.

OK,good bones.....In the second picture....move things around. Put a plant stand in the left hand corner, put the watering can with the plant on it, then hang the bird house from the ceiliing above it. Then put cushions on the wrought iron chairs. That's a start...and it unclutters a table your going to use and you can't see anyone over the clutter as it sits....:0)

Wow, wow, wow! I'm overwhelmed with inspiration, and love it! I knew I could count on you ladies for some fabulous ideas, and you certainly haven't disappointed! (LOL @ Patricia ... I haven't shared any of my ideas with DH yet. Hopefully, since this won't involve him having to move a piece of furniture into the house, he won't be too terribly disagreeable about any changes I want to make outdoors! ;-))

Thanks so much for the gorgeous inspiration photos! I want some Kalenchoe now, definitely! I didn't know it was a shade-loving plant. There's a somewhat tropical look about it that I just love!

Love the paint color suggestions, and will definitely dwell on that a bit further. I too think a palm tree or two would be fab -- just wonder about the light requirement. I'd prefer live trees - I'm just picturing a silk tree covered in porch dust and grime. ;-)

A stained concrete or mosaic "rug" is a great idea! I've never done mosaic work of any kind, so that might be kind of a big project to tackle initially, but it would be pretty, wouldn't it?

Those "Mad Mats" are very cool! I wonder if it would cost me more to paint a rug, or to buy one of those? I have no idea how much buying all of the supplies to paint a rug might run me, but it would probably end up being significantly more than I'm imagining. Things like that usually are, I've found!

I hadn't even thought of moving the "clutter" off the green table, but good point about it blocking the view of people seated on either side of it! Maybe just one (real) plant in a terra cotta pot should go on the table instead.

I think I'll go to Home Depot this weekend and check out the spray paint made for wicker. What color do you think my wicker chairs should be? Red? Yellow? Turquoise? I currently have Pier 1 cushions in those chairs that are in sort of a Southwest design - reds, golds, greens - they're a bit faded, but my dear MIL recently cleaned them for me, so I hate to part with them quite yet.

Last evening I added a tropical print barkcloth pillow to each green metal chair. It adds a bit of punch to them, but I agree that they need seat cushions as well.

I hope I'm not forgetting to acknowledge anyone's specific comment ... You guys rock. Keep the inspiration coming, if possible! :-D

Love everyone's ideas. When I saw your porch what I immediately thought of was curtains. Here's a blog I visit often. She has a lovely back porch with curtains, but I think they would work in the front as well. You could pull them back. Some gals make them from cheesecloth or mosquito netting and others make them from drop cloths. Either way would be nice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Between Naps on the Porch

Aunt Jen, before you buy kolanchae, know that impatiens bloom repeatedly all season long and probably into winter in your area. Don't overlook an orchid while looking for mint.

I know this is thinking out of the box.. but how about hanging some drapes on the outside of your windows.. might look kind of cute and sure would be different.. use some bright colors.. maybe some kind of sunbrella fabric or something.. just a thought .. I like the idea of painting a rug on the concrete. and the hanging ferns.. I love ferns and never have any real luck with them.. but my neice sure does and she has they hanging all over her yard and under the high deck that is over looking her pool area.. like I said think outside the box and use some really different items.. like coffee tables with runners on them, lots of pillows on the chairs. something on the plain brick wall sounds good also, even a piece of lattice work where you can hang planters on it.

Jen, an easy and inexpensive way to get a floor cloth/rug for your porch is to get a scrap piece of vinyl flooring and paint whatever your heart desires on the back side of it. When you're finished, you can hit it with a couple of coats of protective polyurethane.

That's the technique someone had shown us here. She had one in her kitchen. She used a scrap of vinyl or linoleum (looked like vinyl to me). I think her name was something like KMastin. She posted instructions. Haven't seen her in a long while though. I think the canvas type would cause the same problems you've had before.

Be careful with the mosaic tile edge, that it isn't a tripping hazard. Maybe some sloped tile around the edges. I think there are some more gradual than bullnose. Kind of more wedge-like borders.

Thanks for even more wonderful ideas! I think I'm still leaning strongly towards painting something on the floor itself. That way (lazy dog that I am), I won't have to worry about hosing down an actual rug, but can just sweep off/hose down the cement rug instead. ;-)

I hadn't thought about adding curtains, but it's a cute idea! Only problem might be the dirt factor ... like I said, my porch is a dust/dirt magnet. I'm really going to make a better effort at keeping on top of the cleaning out there this season though. Gawd, you should see the accumulation of ick on the ceiling fan. Well, no - you shouldn't see it. I'd be horrified if you did.

I have a double impatien hanging basket on a shepherd's hook (crook?) in my back flower bed, and it's gorgeous. I also once had a bromeliad on the front porch several years ago, and I really liked it. I think I inadvertently killed it by overwatering though.

auntjen--I'm also one of those who smile whenever I see pics of your home. While your porch is gorgeous as is with those beautiful arches, it doesn't read "auntjen". There's not enough color. I've seen beautiful photos of the inside of your house and color abounds. Bring some of it to the porch. Cushions, flowers, pillows, rugs (painted or real), the soft blue ceiling sounds gorgeous. If anyone knows how to use color it's you. If you're not sure what colors, go into your house and bring out some of your colorful accessories and see which ones please your eye. I can't wait to see what you end up with. Please keep us informed.

Thank you so very much! I agree - I need more color in my outdoor space!

OK ... I think the first thing I'm going to do is spray-paint those wicker chairs. Can I possibly get a vote for the best color to use? (I'm assuming the paint that works well on wicker comes in the basic brights here.)

Bright red
Sunny yellow
Green - Kelly or Lime?
Purple
Turquoise
Cobalt
White (although white has always read slightly Victorian to me as far as wicker goes, and that's not really my style)

Any other color suggestion?

Thanks!

Turquoise! Turquoise! Turquoise!

Then paint the green metal chairs black and add a bunch of super vivid pillows and glazed pots.

I think Kellyeng NAILED the colors --
The Turquoise will be wonderful with your buff brick.

I am in the turquoise camp too--but i would keep it in the darker range. I still like purple too but turquoise is a great fit for you.

Oh AuntJen,

I was browsing Craig's looking for two inexpensive wood side chairs for my dining room table and came across these...immediately thought of you.
They are just so colorful and fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: Fun Chairs

Early on in this thread, you mentioned the vintage shell backed chairs. We just ordered 2 from Torrans Mfg in Texas (great customer service!) and they offer many colors. The chairs are THE most solid I've found of this type, short of getting originals that were restored and horribly expensive. They come in 5 pieces and took about 5 minutes each to put together. You might be able to expand your color options by adding these...

I'm not affiliated with this company, just a very satisfied customer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Torrans Mfg

Amity, those chairs are wonderful! There's a local Mexican import shop that sometimes carries items that look similar to the chairs -- he's had a couple of drool-worthy benches, headboards and trunks -- but I've never seen chairs quite like these. I love them!

Lido, thank you so much for the info on the shell-backed chairs! I'm particularly smitten with this shape:
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but they're all awesome! I'm definitely going to keep these in mind, and may just have to expand my budget to allow for a couple. My mom presently has the shell-back chairs that were on my grandmother's porch for years and years. She had them professionally cleaned and re-sprayed, and they're now a luscious aqua shade. I remember them being a light green for years when my grandmother had them on her porch.

I've started in on this project, and made a few changes. Went to Home Depot on Friday and had a very hard time deciding on a new color for my wicker chairs. DH said, "Pick something festive!" - and my eyes kept going back to the cans of Sun Yellow, so that's what we ended up with. (The only turquoise shade they carried was a bit too soft and blah.) Can you believe each of these silly chairs took 3-1/2 cans, and I still need to touch up here and there?! DH went with me back to HD yesterday to pick up a couple more cans (which obviously still wasn't enough) and I told him on the way that I wanted to paint the little green folding table. He picked out the bright berry pink paint for that! He said he thought it would look most like a "Mexican fiesta" with the yellow chairs. So we just plan to keep building on the color, I guess. I really want to paint the ceiling a soft sky blue as suggested above. DH and I are also scheming how best to paint a rug on the porch. He thinks I should paint the entire porch "rug style", but I think something that looks like it's definitely supposed to be a rug, and not just a colorfully painted porch, would be better. Anyway, we'll see about that. I want to bring in plants now -- hope to make it to the nursery this afternoon to pick up a few things. I brought the slate-topped coffee table out of garage hiding and I like it on the porch. It's amazing how with even these few changes, the porch really (oh, please forgive me for using this word!) pops now!

Sorry that these turned out rather dark ... Oh, and if Jaybird looks at these, she might recognize the parrot on the small table between the yellow chairs!
:-)

Love the sunshine yellow!!! Very festive, That adds a great color punch to your porch. Very fun!!

Thanks so much, Eileen! I just noticed that in the bottom pic, you can see the debris from my neighbor's fallen tree that he's hauled to the curb! LOL! (I sure hope the city picks that up soon.)

I think I'd like to find something to go on the wall just to the left of the yellow chairs. Don't know what yet, but it needs something. I had a thought a shabby wooden cabinet of some sort, or a baker's rack, but I'm not sure there's enough room for another piece of furniture. Maybe I just need something colorful to hang on the wall. I also have a stained glass piece depicting a couple of colorful parrots that I might try to work into the porch somehow. I could maybe hang it in the front arch, although the glass piece itself isn't arched - just a rectangular shape. Still, it might be kinda fun there.

I'm kind of obsessing over this silly porch now ... ;-)

Looks like hedge!

Wow you're really working fast on this. Now it looks like you! It's going to be great and such a nice spot to gather.

How about painting a design on the ceiling instead, then maybe a light colored painted rug. Check out the Morrocan porch on this blog. The ceiling is actually tiled, but I thought it was painted the first time I saw it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Morrocan Sitting Porch on a blog

I would worry that the parrot glass might become damaged hanging from the arch if there was a strong wind. The winds out here in Phoenix can really gust. I have gone through two market umbrellas in the 2 years I have been here.

I think adding tall palm plants, either real or faux, would add to that tropical fun feel. Use those teeny LED lights in the palm leaves so you can have a cool atmosphere at night out there. Put the lights on a timer so they come on at dusk and turn off when you like.

Hi Aunt Jen, I love all the ideas you've gotten and I love your front porch! I was at Home Depot and saw this set what do you think of this color combo for your wicker chairs?

Here is a link that might be useful: turquoise and black

It's looking great. I love bright color, too, and your porch is pleasing my eyes. I think that coffee table might look great dressed in a rich purple, don't you think? ;0)

I'd love to see you try your hand at painting a rug. Tape off some boundaries, include some borders...keep the design simple, and start painting. I've seen them do that on HGTV, but they don't speak about the actual specifics too often.

Just for inspiration, here's my purple porch swing...
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AuntJen,

You've done it again.....your bright yellow chairs made me smile from ear to ear!!!!

For a wood floor....

Use Kids' sidewalk chalk to draw your main outline...oval, rectangle, square, etc.
DON'T use a sharpie, magic marker or anything of the sort. Even pencil lines are hard to cover. Don't ask. :)

Within the chalked area, using very fine sandpaper on a hand-held electric sander, lightly (stress: "lightly", just to rough it up a bit and give a nice clean area to paint) sand the area and then remove all the sanding dust with a damp cloth.

When the wood is completely dry, use masking tape to tape off your design.

Use exterior house paint in a satin/semi or gloss finish.
Also look at Rustoleum Half Pints and for that matter, look at Patio Paints by DecoArt, which come in 2 and even 8 oz. bottles.

One of those paints are bound to have the colors you love!

Use a really good synthetic brush, probably two sizes ...they have the ability to snap back into place and have a great, sharp edge for painting nice, clean lines.
My personal pref are the Loew Cornell White Nylon with the yellow handles. Clean, sharp edges...they never fail me.
Make sure you allow your finished masterpiece to dry AND cure before sweeping, moving furniture across it or spraying it down with a hose.

If you need any help with prep, just give me a holler through GW email...I'd be more than honored to help if I can!

An example of painting on wood and that it can last years: I didn't have money for new plants and pots that year but wanted something/color on a large expanse of white fence so I painted this during the very first OJ trial (Nicole/Ron. Little portable TV outside w/an extension cord LOL) using the same technique I posted above.
This is located on the 6 ft. fence along the back of our property,....to the top of the tallest 'tree' is a little over 5 ft.
The faux plants and pots are in direct sun from morning until 5 in the evening all year long. It gets sprayed down with water when I water my plants and gets the rain during the winter.
So far today, looks as bright as it did the day I finished it.
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Sorry Aunt Jen didn't see the post with your yellow chairs when I posted my suggestion. Love the color! Amity your wood fence painting is beautiful!

LOVE LOVE LOVE those fun happy chairs!!

Hmmmmmmm ...... a thin set of shelves would look very nice along the wall ------ and/or perhaps a piece of metal wall art?

Have you checked Criags List for any potential ideas?

How about a fountain in the new garden?

And then ----- a porch party! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

That is beautiful, Amity. Extremely well done too. I don't know why you'd ever ask for my help.

Amity, that painting makes me wish I had some wooden fence to paint on....I'll have to keep my eyes open for something to doodle on. Very nicely done.

Amity, you are very talented!!! Love the painting!!

Ah, more wonderful ideas! Thanks so much, you guys -- you're giving me so much inspiration and food for thought! Squirrel, that tiled ceiling is stunning! I've never seen anything quite like it, but if I had something like that, I'd feel like my home rivaled the Sistene Chapel! Our ceiling is beadboard - or something similar to beadboard? - and I'm not sure how easy it would be to paint a design with those grooves. Heck, I have to admit to never painting a ceiling in my life, so I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about my ability to even paint it a single color! LOL! -- Already thinking of strained necks and backs and sore arms ... ugh! But I really think the ceiling needs something. A pretty color, at the very least.

Eileen, good point about the glass. We do have some fairly strong gusts here from time to time, which could present a problem. Love the idea for "fairy lights." I saw some cute little mini paper lantern lighted strings at Walmart today. I'll also check Target, as I think they've got a better selection of those kinds of things.

Marybeth, I love the colors used on the wicker set you linked to! If I'd been able to find a nice, rich turquoise shade of spray paint, I think I probably would have gone that route.

Amity, thank you so much for the pointers on how to paint the rug! I would never have thought about using sidewalk chalk to do the outline -- brilliant idea! My porch is concrete, however, instead of wood. Would most of what you wrote still apply in that case? Your painted fence is absolutely gorgeous! What a unique touch --a real treasure, and I'm impressed at how well it's held up!

HappyinTexas, I just adore your purple swing! Makes me definitely want to add a touch of purple somewhere, whether I paint the table legs or elsewhere!

Jan, I'm checking Craig's List with regularity to see if anything catches my fancy. Maybe after I get this whole thing completed, I'll have a little porch party. Of course, you are invited. :-)

I picked up a couple of plants today. I couldn't even tell you what the tall, tropical-looking plant is called, but I loved it and had to have it. I like the sweet pink impatiens in the blue pot on the table. The addition of two mere touches of living things really added a nice touch, I think. Oh, and this evening I painted "Caleb's rocker" -- which my husband is referring to as "the baby chair" -- in the same brilliant turquoise shade as I used on my dining room walls several weeks ago. Part of the fun in this has been reusing/repurposing what I already had. I really haven't bought much (besides paint). I did also buy a couple of red chair cushions for the green chairs today.

If I'm not boring you to tears with the minimal changes here and there, I just wanted to post a few more. These show the plants, and I think the colors are a bit truer in these pics than in the ones I previously posted.

That is one inviting porch, AJ! Very pretty!! Hadn't noticed that was actually a tile table. I like the coffee table in there.

Just for grins, I want to do a before & after comparison ...

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Wow - I actually loved your porch in the before picture, but what great color your have in your space now! The table is also a very nice addition. Good job!

Fabulous transformation...enjoy your happy porch!

Wow I love the yellow and red together! I thought your porch looked nice before but now it looks FABULOSO! Enjoy!

There's the Aunt Jen smile that makes me smile :) Fantastic job, your porch just oozes charm!

I'm late to the party, but you are a miracle worker!!!!! What a lovely porch! Rugs are easy to paint on concrete...draw the design with chalk, fill it in with porch paint, clean off the chalk and then give it a couple of coats of boat poly to seal! If you want kalanchoe, just find someone who has some and break off a leaf or two and stick them in the pot....you'll soon have more than you can find pots for!! Same with begonia...I have a beautiful red one, can you meet me half way???? :^)
Hugs to you, and Senor Parrot looks VERY happy there!!

I forgot to mention if you are worried about ze parrot, an little dab of "Quake Hold" or "Museum Putty" on the bottom of his stand will solve the problem....even in your earthquake prone area :^)
Do I need to send you some???????

Oh, thank you so much, Jaybird! I've had such fun working on this little porch project. I did go ahead and order the "Mad Mat" rug that Funkyart linked to above. It's scheduled to arrive on the Fed Ex truck tomorrow, and I can hardly wait to get it! Last night I hung a strand of party lights around the window. They're multi-colored daisies with a light in the center of each one. Kinda fun. LOL @ your comment about our "earthquake prone area!" Right you are! I just heard that there was one in Cleburne a day or so ago too. That just seems so bizarre! I'm pretty sure we've got some putty somewhere, and that's a great idea to put some beneath Senior Parrot, so he won't go "flying off."

You should come and visit. We can sit on my "new" porch and drink tea. (Or margaritas. :-))

Love all the added color. Nice job. And I can picture myself sitting there drinking a cocktail.

Aunt Jen, I'd vote for Margaritas on that porch! Remember as Jimmy Buffet say's "It's Five O'clock Somewhere"

Aunt Jen , I love your porch.. you did an awesome job.. love the colors.. they are so happy and fresh looking.. I know you have to really just sit out there and just smile to yourself and say.. hey we did do a great job.. :) (: that is you and your hubby smiling at each other..LOL

I love my front porch swing.......am late to the party. Your porch turned out so colorful & fabulous.......great job! Enjoy your porch!
Bonnie

Jen, I'm just now seeing this thread and LOVE the changes you've made!!! They seem to go perfectly with your style and look so darn pretty! I think your DH's hot pink choice for the table was prefect. You've inspired me to take some chances with my own too sedate porch.
Questions:
~ Did you use a primer coat first on your wicker? I have no idea myself, but I do remember painting a white wicker chair dark green once, and it just seemed to absorb the paint! Like yours, it took several cans to get it covered. I wonder if I should prime my wood table first before painting it?
~ Did you use a sealant on it afterwards?
~ Are you planning on painting the coffee table base? If so, what color?

Anyhoo, I think your porch reno was a huge success and can't wait to see it with that (fantastic!) rug when it arrives. Keep the pics coming!
Lynn

I love your porch, it's so inviting and pretty. As for painting a rug, does your porch floor ever get wet when it rains? I ask because you will probably end up with peeling paint if it does. I think you have to do something to the concrete to keep it from peeling, you can't just paint it on without preparing the concrete.