Summer back porch tour

Hello and welcome to the Summer Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop hosted by AnnMarie & Anne from Simply2Moms! If you’re visiting from Marly at A Brick Home, or if you just happened to stop by, I’m so glad you’re here. 

Since summer is upon us, I decided it was time to give my back porch a little refresh. We haven’t spent a lot of time out there lately and I realized recently it was still styled for spring. So, come along and let me take you on my summer back porch tour.

I rarely use color in my decorating, other than on my front porch for July 4th. I recently ran across my great grandmothers blue transferware dishes and thought a pop of blue would be classic and refreshing on my patio.

Typically, I don’t use my valuable or sentimental dishes very often. But, I think the older I get, I realize I need to pull things out and enjoy them. I’m not really getting a lot of pleasure out of a dish collection that sits in my cabinet.

inspiration piece

So, the blue transferware began the inspiration for the porch refresh and my summer back porch tour.
When you’re decorating, it always help to start with an inspiration piece. It gives you a starting point and keeps you focused and in the right direction.

back porch living area

The back of our home is a wall of french doors that open onto our patio area. We added 2 clear glass garage doors so the patio can be closed off in the winter months, and heated by our outdoor fireplace. This space offers an extended living area to our home because our inside common areas (living room and kitchen) open right up to the patio. In the colder months, we can open the french doors, close the garage doors and light the fire, and within about 30 minutes this space is heated.

The back patio is long and narrow. One side is a sitting area around the fireplace and the other side is a dining area.

I purchased an IKEA chair from facebook marketplace to use out here. Since it is slipcovered, it’s easy for me to remove the cover and wash it occasionally. The sofa is also slipcovered. It was my living room sofa when we moved into the house. We purchased a sectional for the living room and I loved this sofa so much I just couldn’t part with it so I moved it to the patio. The ottoman was a thrift store find, and I had a slipcover made for it out of duck cloth so it’s easily washable as well.

I purchased the blue and white buffalo check pillows recently at Kirkland’s, and

the blue and white toile pillows, I had made from a remnant of blue toile french fabric that I found at an estate sale several months ago. I love anything toile and thought these would be fun to use with my patritotic decor and the blue transferware.

outdoor fireplace

As you can see, we have a TV over our outdoor fireplace and unfortunately there are cords exposed. I hate to see exposed electrical cords, so I am always looking for a way to hide them. For spring and summer, I typically use branches cut from trees behind my house. In the fall, I use cotton stems or corn stalks, and at the holidays I use fresh greenery.

My fireplace mantel was from a 100 year old house that was being torn down. I found it on an online sale and was thrilled to buy it for $100!

The small table beside my sofa was also my great grandmothers. The glass comes off and I occasionally change out the decor for the season. For summer, I used a page out of a vintage seed catalog, some vintage ribbon, dried flowers and a vintage seed packet.

Since the patio is visible from inside the house, I like to decorate out here and keep the same neutral and vintage theme that I use inside my home. A few pieces of my ironstone dish collection fit perfectly on the wall between the garage doors.

drink station

When we entertain out here, I use this vintage wash tub to ice down drinks. It can hold lots of water bottles, soft drinks, wine, etc.

The other side of our patio is a dining area and we love to eat and entertain out here.

back porch dining area

All of the chairs were garage sale or thrifted finds. I bought a set of 4 chairs years ago, and painted them and recovered the seats with cream and white buffalo check fabric.

The chairs on each end of the table were purchased as a set of 2, and painted to match the other 4. These have rush seats and were perfect to pair with the other 4 since I don’t really like everything to match perfectly.

We used sisal rugs in the living and dining area out here. I found large ones that were very reasonably priced. I thought they would need to be replaced fairly often so I didn’t want to invest a lot of money in them. They have actually held up really well, and have been out here for 4 years.

I’m loving these new jute placemats I bought at Big Lots recently paired with white dishes and layered with the blue transferware. My silverware is antique replica from Pottery Barn and is on sale right now, and the woven napkin rings are Magnolia Home from Target.

I kept the centerpiece very simple because I didn’t want to distract from the place settings. The white blooms are from the Vitex tree blooming in my front yard and put them in a white vase I already had. I love the simple and classic look of it.

back porch sink area

On the very far end of the dining area is the sink area. I use this when we entertain or for a potting area for my garden.

I love having lamps on my porches but the shades can get really dirty, so I use the lampshade spine without the fabric.

The tall plant in the bucket is spanish lavender that I found at Home Depot recently.

My floors on the patio are brick pavers and the wall paint and cabinet color is Sherwin Williams Dovetail.

This is a view of the back of our home outside the garage doors.

And this is a view from the backyard when they are closed.

I keep a couple of extra chairs close by in case we need to seat more guests at the table. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for chairs!

I hope this summer back porch tour has given you some ideas and inspiration for your own home.

The Summer Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop continues with Carrie Beth & Jen from The Magnolia Mamas. You can find links to all the inspiring outdoor spaces below!

Please feel free to message with comments and questions. I love to hear from you!!

blessings,
michele

If you enjoyed this summer back porch tour, you might like my front porch tour.
https://vintagehomedesigns.com/front-porch-tour/