Summer Patio Refresh
I just completed my yearly patio cleanup and refresh for our side porch this past week. This year it seemed to be even dirtier and more full of leaves and debris than usual, so cleanup was not an easy task. In the process I updated my decor a bit because I like to add a few new things each year to make it feel new! This year I recovered my furniture cushions, added a new rug, as well as a few new pillows and accessories too. I still have a few more finishing touches to add but I wanted to go ahead and share my progress so far and some of my favorite patio pieces.
First up was recovering my patio furniture cushions which were in horrible shape after leaving them uncovered all winter. I used this black and white stripe outdoor fabric from Amazon and a staple gun to recover each. I love the pop of graphic pattern it adds to the porch especially with the new palm print pillows!
Cleanup involved a ton of vacuuming with my wet-dry vac and I mean a TON. I literally vacuumed every inch and corner of the porch including all the furniture. I flip over each piece of furniture as well to vacuum the bottom side where spider webs often form and could be hiding. After vacuuming I spray down the entire porch, ceiling, floors, and furniture top and bottom with bug spray to keep the spider webs from coming back throughout the summer. I also brought all my lanterns inside for a good scrub in the sink and removed the old pillar candles as well. Finally I wiped down all surfaces with an all purpose cleaner and febreezed all the fabrics, rugs, and pillows. I try to clean this space as if it was an indoor space because we do use it a lot and I don't want to have to worry about bugs or wiping things down every time I want to sit down out here!
I added this fun canvas artwork from Homegoods layered on top of a tobacco basket as well. I love the pop of color and the fun pattern that mixes with the other tropical prints I have in the pillows. If you have empty walls on your porch/patio, adding a few artwork or hanging items like this helps the space feel more like a real room!
My final step in prepping the porch is adding all the plants! I love this little corner with a grouping of hanging plants in all different pots! I try to fit as many plants throughout the porch as I can so the space has plenty of color, texture, and still has that cozy outdoor feel. I have to choose plants that like shade and are very low maitenance since they will not get any rain under here and rely on me for all their watering.
My final update on the porch was adding a new rug. I had got this jute round rug last year but it is a little small for the space so I wanted to layer a larger rug underneath to fill in. I found this vintage rug at a garage sale for $10 and I loved the bright colors with the other patterns and colors out here. While it is not an outdoor rug, I'm willing to take the chance with it out here since it was very inexpensive and this area is completely covered and will not be getting wet.
