Brightening Up My Front Porch

 

My first rule for outdoor furniture is that it must be used or deeply discounted.   It's not just because it's cheaper that way, but also because it's just common sense.   I grew up in south Louisiana, with heat and humidity.   Now, I live in Texas, with heat, a bit less humidity, and intense sunlight on our home.   Outdoor furniture takes a great deal of abuse under these conditions, so no matter how much I might spend on a brand new set of it, the wear-and-tear is still going to happen.   We gradually outfitted our back porch and last spring, I found furniture for the front porch at an estate sale.   The set was a little more than I wanted to spend, but it's hard to find pieces like these.   They are from the 1960s and were used on a screened-in porch.   Another selling point for me was their small scale.   It's hard to find diminutive patio furniture.  

The white finish would not have been my first choice because of our white brick, but I decided to wait until rust or chipping appeared.   It didn't take long since this porch is open on both sides.   A few weeks ago, I decided on bright colors instead of my usual black spray paint.   One day, I'll splurge and have these sandblasted and painted by a professional, but for now, I'm pleased with the look.  

My second choice for a door color would have been Tardis blue (Doctor Who reference), so I chose it for the bench.   I wanted a different color for the chairs, so I chose an eggplant purple that is actually understated like a black or dark green finish.    I sprayed each piece with a clear coat as added protection and to avoid any paint transfer when we sit on them.   The nice thing about metal furniture is that it can be easily painted when you tire of the color and want to try something different.  
Now, I just need to work some yellow in somewhere.   The green will come with the plants and grass in spring.

My next project: paint & stencil my outdoor cushions.   That's where I can bring in some yellow!