OPEN HOUSE

I've been out of touch for a few days, and I feel terrible about it.  Of course, I've missed you all,  but I needed to open the house for the weekend and what I thought would be a few hours of light house work turned into a multi-day cleaning, painting and decorating extravaganza.  My efforts were directed at the porch, one of my favorite rooms in the house.  Its completely enclosed, with white panelled wood work, cedar shingles and a comfortable rattan seating.  I love it because there could be a heatwave outside, but the porch always feels like a cool oasis.

When we brought the old rattan chairs and sofa I noticed a fair share of nicks marring the black wicker.  I put them out on the lawn, hosed them down and ran to the hardware store for a couple of cans of Krylon spray paint.  Words cannot express how much I love Krylon spray paint.  A few shakes of the can and you have instant newer looking furniture! 

High gloss Krylon black paint-magic in a can!

I love the traditional black ticking cloth fabric that I used on the furniture but it isn't indoor/outdoor fabric. Big mistake. Even though the cushions aren't exposed to the elements, the moisture has wrecked havoc on the cushions and I've had to replace several because of mildew.  Next time I'm using Sunbrella.

I added an indoor/outdoor carpet to the room last year which contrasts nicely with the dark slate floor.  My instant room fix is to change the color of the pillows every year.  I've used hot pink, yellow and this year, I went to Crate and Barrel and found some punchy apple green linen blend pillows for a song that really work with the room.  (The large Chinoiserie pillow is from a WS Home collection from two years ago.)

 It took me twice as look as I expected, and I missed posting a few blog postings along the way, but I'm so happy with the results and am looking forward to enjoying the porch this summer!
Hoping you all have a fun filled and happy Memorial Day!