Spring Refresh - outdoor living makeover with these simple ideas!

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Below are a my favorite tricks for giving your outdoor living area that much needed Spring refresh!

Spring is here friends and I can already smell the BBQ! Spring is one of my favorite seasons! Once April rolls around, I’m craving beautiful pops of color and the sweet smells of Spring! Everything starts fresh with Spring and your outdoor living area should be no exception. Below are my fast and easy ideas for giving your outdoor porches a Spring refresh.

long white farm table with purple grape hyacinth, a black ladder back chair and a bed swing with pillows

If you are coming over Anna Bruce Blog, then welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! Isn’t Anna’s blog fun?! She has a little bit of everything, from recipes, to home decor and motherhood. Every time I visit her blog I learn something new 🙂 A big “thank you” to Anna for putting together this mini blog hop, showcasing how we gave our porch a Spring refresh!

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to our Home! Won’t you Stay a While?!

If you ever stop on over, you’ll notice that our back porch is long, narrow and East facing. Conveniently, the sun sets behind our home, right around 6pm, making it a perfectly shady spot for al fresco dining, playing with the kids and entertaining with friends! The space is beautiful as is, but it’s the beginning of a new season, which means it’s time for this back porch to get a little Spring refresh!

long white farm table with purple grape hyacinth, a black ladder back chair and a bed swing with pillows blurred in the background

Our Back Porch Farm Table

Given that our back porch is long and narrow, finding an appropriate table had proven hard. We needed the table to be not only long, but also narrow… AND… we wanted the table to fit a minimum of 8 people! Our family alone take up 5 seats, so if we plan on having company (which we do!), we knew that we would need to squeeze in a few more for seating.

long white farm table with mismatched wood and white chairs and pots filled with purple grape hyacinth and light blue mason jars on the table

Having struggled to find the exact table to meet our needs, my husband ended up building our long, narrow farm table and I simply love it! Because the table is custom and narrower than most you would find in a store, I like to keep the table settings simple and understated.

long white farm table gets a spring refresh with mismatched wood and white chairs and pots filled with purple grape hyacinth and light blue mason jars on the table as viewed from the side of the table

Adding a table runner, low profile pots with fresh flowers and mason jars filled with twinkling tea lights is all that was needed for this back porch refresh! It’s simple and understated, yet beautiful!

Our Favorite Spot to Relax gets a Spring refresh.

On the opposite side of our back porch, hangs our favorite spot! Our Sunday Porch Swing from Ballard Designs. This swing was a splurge, but waiting until it went on sale was definitely worth it!

relaxing area gets a spring refresh with a jute rug in front of the sunday porch swing and an old ammo box

My husband and I lived, briefly, in Charleston, South Carolina, where we became enamored by the abundance of beautiful hanging bed swings! What better way to spend a warm afternoon than lounging on a bed swing, sipping iced tea while reading a good magazine or book?! We knew our porch needed to have one!

However, again, being that our porch is narrower in size, a traditional porch bed wouldn’t quite fit. I started researching and crafting plans on how to make our own swinging porch bed, when I came across the Sunday Porch Swing from Ballard and I knew it was perfect!

white porch bed swing with wood side table box in front with colorful flower and stripe pillows for a spring refresh

My only complaint about our Sunday Porch Swing

My only complaint about this wonderful swing is that it’s not slipcovered. With harsh outdoor elements and this little cutie (pictured below), it’s bound to get dirty! Not to worry, however! I’ve figured out way to get it looking clean and back to new in no time! I’ve created this helpful tutorial here should you find yourself in a similar situation with your own outdoor furniture. 🙂

black and white labrador dog resting on a jute rug in front of the sunday porch swing and an old ammo box

Bringing the Indoors Out for a back porch Spring refresh!

Having studied my porch pins on Pinterest, I quickly realized that I naturally gravitate towards outdoor living areas that live as indoor areas. Our back porch is covered by a roofline, therefore, this style of outdoor living is absolutely attainable!

With the addition of a few decor items found in and around our home, I was able to easily and affordably transform this space, giving it that much needed Spring refresh!

outdoor living area of a back porch with a wood side table, white porch swing with colorful pillow and a wreath hanging on the wall behind it for this Spring refresh

First Addition – Hanging a Plant to give our space a Spring refresh

First things first, was the addition of an outdoor hanging plant! It’s no secret that potted plants add instant coziness and ambience. In our case however, the plant not only serves as a pretty backdrop, but also adds a bit of much needed privacy from the neighbors next door.

hanging fern in the background of an outdoor porch that got a spring refresh with a long white farm table with mismatched chairs.

Second Addition – Adding an Outdoor Rug

black and white labrador dog lying on a jute rug in the outdoor area that received a Spring refresh

Adding a durable rug is an easy and affordable way to refresh your outdoor living area, adding instant charm! A jute rug, such as this one, defines the living area and instantly gives the space that “sit and stay awhile” feel!

Third Addition – Adding a Side Table

The next item needed was a (non-moving) place to rest a drink and/or reading material. Ballard Design does sell a table attachment (of which I’ve my eye one)! However for now, we will use an old ammunition box, picked from a local thrift store. Simply turn the box upside down, and now you have a unique conversation piece that also serves as a convenient side table!

vintage wooden ammo box turned upside down and made into a side table

And Finally – Bring in the Details!

Once the larger “anchor” items are in place, it’s time to add in the details. By details, I talking about those well loved items; Those items that make a house feel like a home… comfy throw pillows, blankets for cool, summer nights and a little wall decor to cozy things up.

close up of a green plant in a terracotta pitcher and the white sunday porch swing from ballard designs in the background

Another simple and cost effective decor idea is the addition of jute rope to our Sunday Porch Swing. Simply twisting thick rope around the chains softens the appearance and adds instant warmth and texture. Win/Win!!

close up of rope decor on the sunday porch swing from ballard designs

Time to enjoy all season long!

Voilá! With very little effort or time, this back porch has been completely transformed into a cozy oasis! Bring on Spring BBQ’s and the lazy days of Summer… This outdoor living area has had its Spring refresh and is ready for backyard lounging and evening entertaining!