Monday, September 7, 2015

A Tour: Outdoor Living on the Screened Porch

Our screened porch, which I’ve featured in many posts because it’s such a favorite place, has a new look! Like an outdoor room, its decor evolves as plants grow, a new piece of furniture is added, or our needs change. But regardless, our screened porch is actual living space for us for as long as the weather allows. I work here, I read my Bible out here, I have my morning coffee here, I have my breakfast (and lunch when I’m home!) out here, I write posts, I Pinterest, and I snoooooze here! Oh, and I COOK out here (more on that in a minute!). Plus, of course, Mr. Chickadee and I—and our whole family—enjoy meals out here whenever possible. Our babies play out here, have breakfast in their jammies here, make milkshakes and butter out here, take naps out here, play out here, and say goodnight to the day here. Our son always tells me that he feels like he’s on vacation on the rare days when only he and I get to sit out here and visit. That makes this mama’s heart sing.(I have many posts around our front and screened porches where you can see other versions of the decor. You can use the Search option in my blog to find them, but you can see some of them here, here,and here.)

It’s such a calming space. It’s where I greet the day most mornings. Sometimes I even set my alarm to catch the first rays of the day here. In this precious corner of this great big world I thank God for His gifts.

A new look:

This is how our screened porch looked about a month ago. We’d bought the rug (at Lowe’s, on clearance—a happy surprise at the register!) and decided we wanted to add more large plants, so we bought two Areca palms and moved the ficus from the front porch.

A brand-new look and feel for very little $$$$, because the palms were on sale as well! All of a sudden, by adding the plants, the feel of the room was changed, and it now feels like a {screened} conservatory or solarium! How fancy!

I was so enthralled with our new room that I decided to try TWO rugs for more coverage:

Yes!!! Love it!

And how happy are these African violets and the Streptocarpus* (more on that in a minute!), basking in the morning sun?

*This big plant—I now know is a Streptocarpus—is such a happy bloomer! I’ve had it for many years, but didn’t know what it was. In fact, a year or two ago I asked for your help in identifying it. Well, I stumbled upon its name as I researched my Africans!

One corner of the “conservatory.”

One piece that makes this space so functional for outdoor living is the table. It’s teak, which makes it very durable, and as a drop leaf, it can fold away to mere inches, yet it opens to give us ample room for dining, or for serving in the screened porch when all the family is over and we choose to eat at the picnic table, which easily accommodates all of us.

1 table 3 ways:

A few more peeks at this little piece of heaven:

Mid-August/early September the PeeGee Hydrangeas are in their full glory.

I love you in the morning…

This is the view from the patio into the screened porch, and…

Looking out onto the patio.

From my perch at the table this is my view…a combination of pretties, memories in the shells we have collected over the years, displayed in a printer’s tray, and the fun for the baby Chickadees:

The theatre seats were once brown and drab, and using Annie Sloane Chalk Paint in Duck Egg (see post here) I was able to add {pretty} seating in the screened porch. (And like the table, this, too, is a versatile piece, since it folds like one long folding chair!)

And now, welcome to my {outdoor} kitchen.

Remember I told you I cook out on the screened porch? Yep! And here’s my secret: The Longaberger picnic basket hides a cooking plate! Who needs a fancy outdoor kitchen when I can have one right outside our full kitchen?! A few years ago I thought the answer to quickly throwing a meal together when I got home from work (and keeping the cooking smells out of the house!) was a gas grill, but we eventually went back to our charcoal Weber because we prefer the flavor, and yet, though it’s right outside the screened porch door, I usually turn to the hot plate, or my electric pressure cooker.

And did you notice the vintage Skotch coolers? One serves as a table between the chair and the theatre seats, and the other, by the door to the patio, holds the charcoal.

…and in the afternoon.

I love you in the evening…

As evening falls and the blue hour develops, I often light candles to enjoy the magic moments and listen to the night sounds—in the safety of my screened-in porch, of course! No critters for me!

More candlelight.

…and underneath the moon!!!

Goodnight, Moon. Goodnight, All.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When would you like to stop over? Early in the morning to share a cup of coffee? Midday for ice-cold lemonade? Dinner by candlelight? Just let me know and we’ll be ready for you!

Do you or have you ever had a screened porch? How often do you enjoy it? What features or pieces do you think are invaluable in a screened porch (I’d like to have a hammock, but space does not permit, so we bought an folding cot :)!)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Tuesday’s Blog Shop Listings at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/