Porch Upgrades + Outdoor Benches

By Kate Riley March 2, 2015

Now that it’s March, spring is on its way and at this time of year I start thinking about sprucing up outdoors spaces. As you know, we bought a house in Las Vegas last year that we’re remodeling, it’s in an older subdivision neighborhood and it has a modest entry.

What was on the front porch before was oh so boring: a brown front door and plastic bench left by the previous owner. For months I left it as is but on my most recent visit, I gave it a mini makeover by painting the front door and swapping out the old bench for something more stately and stylish.

porch side view copy

Here’s a peek at the entry before, very blah and uninspiring.

front door before

Fresh paint, new bronze hardware on the door, a geometric print outdoor rug, and desert climate plants helped make it more welcoming.

painted front door black bench on porch

I painted the front door with exterior paint in a bluish green, it’s ‘Northern Green Mountain’ by Glidden in the Exterior formula, I shared the step by step on how to paint a front door here. The geometric indoor/outdoor rug is from Overstock.

northern green mountain paint

The front door handle/lock is the aged bronze Addison model by Schlage. All of the new doorknobs inside the home are oil rubbed bronze so we continued the look with the same dark hardware here.

northern green mountain paint front door

The bench on this porch is the Amalfi available at Grandinroad in several colors (and on sale). I love the curved detail in the back and the sophisticated black finish which complements the dark hardware on the door.

amalfi bench

If you’re thinking of a front entry sprucing of your own, consider one of these outdoor benches in shapely and colorful styles.

modern outdoor benches

rockpoint blue / white lattice / chippendale bench (multiple colors) / black curved back / red back slat / karoo gray / sunny yellow / eucalyptus

Hooray for spring, it’s almost here!

22 comments

  1. That looks great! We actually have the exact same handle/ lock on our new back door. Can you share where you bought the urn-style planter closest to the door? It looks like it’s painted concrete or some type of stone? Or is it just the planter that came with the plant? Thank you so much!

  2. Love the door color! Daring but it looks awesome. What a different a little color and an upgraded bench make. Perfect!!!!

  3. I can’t believe the difference! All the color is great but the plants really finish the space off. I wish I had a wider area to do something like this by my front door. I am going to look at how I can pull some plants in to give it a little more life. What are your recommendations for plants that will do well under a covered area that would be tall and thin? Right now I have a black and cream plaid outdoor rug but after looking at this I think I may need to change it up for some color. Plant recommendations would be great!

  4. Really cute!! I want to tackle my front door soon. We have HOA and there are only some approved colors. Nothing too interesting, as you might imagine. I think the funnest is black. I might just try it.

  5. It looks beautiful Kate! Very fresh and welcoming! I love the pillow, too. Is that one of your designs?

    • Thanks Allison, no that’s not one of mine but I have a few that are similar coming out in a few weeks, all inspired by brushstrokes, that pillow was from HomeGoods but I’ll probably update it with something from my collection this summer :) Can’t wait to share the new prints!
      Kate

  6. Thanks Kate. I am looking forward to your new collection! I received many many compliments on the wrapping paper of yours.

  7. Amazing what a few changes can make. Before it’s over you’ll have your place looking like a showcase.

  8. Oh darn. I came back to hear what u thought about HOC. Did you watch it all? :-D

  9. That bench is absolutely amazing! My front porch is one of my favorite hangouts, but it sure could use a little help. Now I am inspired to go for it – after the snow finally melts…

  10. Looks so awesome! We are shopping for a new house that will probably need fixing up, so I’m watching all your updates to this house very closely. So my question is how do you keep your plants alive when you are not there?

    • My parents live a half mile away Suzanne and they pick up mail and water plants twice a week, it’s very kind of them :)

  11. I am in love with colorful doors like that! Your porch looks so fresh and chic now. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Wow…quite an update and will make your guests eager to see what the interior holds! Thanks for the links, I ordered the little yellow bench for my daughter’s apartment balcony.

  13. I painted my front door almost the same color last summer – Blue Echo by Benjamin Moore. And I updated to the exact same Schlage hardware. I love the look!!

  14. OMG! I don’t know how you waited THAT long to paint that door! Who paints their doors the color of skin???? So, so, soooooo much better!

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