Is your exterior ready for maximum summer enjoyment? Here in Chicago, our porch sitting days are limited! I am so excited to share the reveal of a beautiful covered porch we designed in Oak Park, IL for maximum outdoor pleasure. I am also sharing my tips on how to decorate your porch for summer.

Family-owned, woven outdoor furniture company, Lloyd Flanders approached me with an opportunity to use their gorgeous heirloom quality furniture. I jumped on the offer because I had this perfect porch makeover in mind! My mother-in-law has lived in Oak Park in the same home for almost 40 years and her porch needed some new life. With lots of grandchildren, family and friends in the area having an additional space for entertaining and enjoyment was really appealing.

I utilized these two collections for our wicker furniture selections. I love how many colors Lloyd Flanders allows you to choose from. We used linen and charcoal to keep a classic “white wicker furniture” look but modernize it a little bit!

Lloyd Flanders All Seasons Collection

Lloyd Flanders Universal Loom Collection

PORCH BEFORE – Here is where we started:

The following design board communicated my ideas to the Lloyd Flanders team and my trusted prop stylist, Jen DeCleene, who helped my make this vision a reality!

DESIGN BOARD:

PORCH AFTER: Here’s the finished porch!

One of the best new features of the Lloyd Flanders All Seasons collection is the PADDED SEATS! I’m obsessed. We used the padded seat on the high-back rockers, small ottomans and settee swing. This feature makes the furniture so comfy and also keeps maintenance to a minimum. Everyone hates dragging outdoor cushion inside and those outdoor bins never keep them clean! The All Seasons collection is available with and without a padded seat, so much versatility. We mix and matched pieces with and without seat cushions, plus added some decorative pillows. All in Sunbrella indoor / outdoor fabrics.

Here are a few decorating tips for how to decorate your porch for summer:

• Use a rug to ground the space. This sisal option from Rugs USA was very affordable!
• Although padded seats are amazing, you need some textiles/color/pattern to keep the space lively. Stick to a color palette and pick a few cushions that will be easy for you to maintain.
• Adding a drapery element gives you a WOW factor. We used a tension rod that can easily be taken up and down for the weather and a washable easy linen fabric.
• PLANTS! Hanging baskets (ferns are easy to take care of and low cost) that repeat, some flowers and potted plants and topiaries all help fill out a porch and make it feel lush no matter the weather. In Chicago, I LOVE Jayson Home for the best plants and topiary selection.
• Pick versatile pieces that can easily be moved around to into different seating groupings.

Thanks so much for checking out this makeover! Would love to hear your comments below, how do you prep your outside spaces for maximum summer enjoyment? Go grab a lemonade and enjoy!

XO – CLAIRE

This post was sponsored by Lloyd Flanders but all comments are my own. Thanks to the brands that help keep this blog running. Photos by Dustin Forest.

 

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