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susan_ricks78

Back porch despair

8 years ago
We have a new home with a back porch that I love. But I cannot figure out what to put back there to make it a comfortable, cozy hang out spot. It looks more like (exactly what it is) that I just brought all my porch furniture from our old house and dumped it back there. This are is 28x12'. Any suggestions are appreciated. I have 2 whiskey barrels that are not pictured that I want back there.

Comments (18)

  • 8 years ago

    How about a dining area? A long table with chairs?

  • 8 years ago

    A space nearly 30 feet long has to be subdivided, so try to think of this as two rooms. You might set one with a padded couch and arm chairs, and the other with rockers and tables, or a BBQ and a table to eat at, or a swing chair, or whatever you want, but you can't just line up two long rows of chairs facing one another (unless you want to open a Cracker Barrel, heh). Use a rug to define each of two zones, circled in on themselves as conversational groupings.

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    Don't be afraid to let there be a gap between the groupings, maybe a table with plants or silly decorations.

  • 8 years ago
    You have too many chairs...

    A seating grouping with sofa, etc and like others said, another area for dining or playing games or doing a puzzle, etc....

    Is there another place for the grill??

    And what are the whiskey barrels to be used for?

    Pottery barn has the nicest indoor/outdoor rugs that don't look cheap and plasticky...one of these under the seating area would be nice....
  • 8 years ago

    i love it , but add some color a bright indoor out door rug. paint a few chair in bright lime or orange red or blue. whisky barrow could be used as base for for old door or large cut wood as a coffee table (put in pillow in whisky barrol when not in use to keep for getting dusty) Make smallgroups of chairs and talking area and card table for groups to eat they can be put together. A string of smalllight along bottom of beams around pourch and a few candle on side table for light for nice BBQ. Just remember have fun there are no rules just what you like.

  • 8 years ago

    Lots of good ideas here already.

    Also, don't forget that just about anything can be painted, with the right paint. You need a color scheme, just like any other room, that ties in with the furniture, rugs, decorations. Repaint any existing furniture that doesn't fit in. Bonus if the colors tie in with plants or flowers.

  • 8 years ago
    Thank y'all for your suggestions. We have a big family with 6 kids, 5 of them married and 4 grands....so we need lots of seating
  • 8 years ago
    Think in terms of conversational groupings and create a series of “rooms”in the space.
  • 8 years ago

    I see 3 pairs of chairs. Arrange them at end of the patio in a U shaped conversation group, with end tables as shown. You could use the barrels as end tables.



  • 8 years ago
    Are there stairs or an entrance from outside going into the porch?
  • 8 years ago

    You have a fantastic rustic patio to work with. Set up one end as a dining area with white washed or painted wood tables and benches salvaged from yard sales, or build them from scrap wood. Use, colorful accessories.

    Build a bar area near the barbecue for stool seating. Group together some of your chairs with an area rug for another seating area.

    You do not need to buy a bunch of brand new furniture!

    Here is a great article below!

    How to Effectively Mix Patio Furniture

  • 8 years ago
    Not sure where you live, but it's end of season for outdoor furniture here and you may check your local stores for any on clearance...

    I love the tree trunk posts!

    I'd also string some outdoor lights through the ceiling....
  • 8 years ago
    What fun!! We also have a very long (longer but not as wide) porch and it has a full table and chairs section, a rocking and looking out section, and a living room type section.

    Yours is so nice and wide, I would start with one of these huge swings along the short end opposite the Grill side. Let it define a conversation area. Next a section for sipping drinks, rocking, and looking out, then a dining table that expands huge for a big family dinners :) also I think two very large rustic lanterns hanging from the ceiling would look great.
  • 8 years ago
    Here are some lantern pictures. I would put one on either side of the peak, maybe about halfway down it. Finally, when we got or place it had a painted floor that was in such bad shape it took us a week to strip sand and prep it. I swore I would never paint it, so I stained it a color instead, using a porch and patio stain, either a semi solid or a sheer that shows wood grain and color variation.. I absolutely love it. It is low maintenance and beautiful. Yours would look great maybe in a barn red or a dark gray blue
  • 8 years ago
    So I could not find a single picture on Houzz of a (color) stained porch floor. I guess I am color crazy. Here is mine.
  • 8 years ago
    My thoughts are to put string lights up in the vaulted ceiling and to get some sofas as there are too many chairs. Then layer it with rugs, some throws, coffee tables an side tables. As others have said, there are different conversation areas, not one big room. You might want a propane small fire pit
  • PRO
    8 years ago

    We like the suggestion someone else made about grouping your chairs into "rooms". You could definitely make one of those rooms have a fire pit as the central thing everyone gathers around, maybe use a gas fire table with glass around the flame so it's safe for your grandkids.

  • 8 years ago

    If you're looking for lighting for the area definitely take a look at Lantern and Scroll! Just finished an interior project with them and now we're working on the front porch lighting, which is similar to your porch area. They're super helpful and make excellent selections, all I did was take pictures and got the measurements for my area and the selections they made are so good I'm having a hard time choosing!