My porch feels quintessentially Southern now. Getting it there has been a well-blogged-about process. First, I painted the front door Benjamin Moore's Wyeth Blue; that was last August. Then I painted stripes on the floor because ... obviously. Most recently, I painted the beadboard ceiling sky blue, known here in the south as "haint blue." I am in love with the mythology behind this decor choice; legend has it that the blue will chase away "haints," which are lost souls, restless apparitions that are still sticking around to stir up some no good. Plus, blue porch ceilings are said to deter bugs, tricking them into thinking it's the sky they're flying up into.
We want to do landscaping next. Not sure if the budget will allow for that this year, but we're definitely dreaming about big, fat flowering shrubs and meandering vines. For the record, this striped porch has proven to be a little high-maintenance, although I wouldn't take it back for anything. Still, rainy days mean paths of muddy footprints, so I've taken to mopping the porch once a week or so.
The porch ceiling paint project cost only about $5 (the cost of my roller brush) because I mixed the paint myself. First time ever doing that--it was fun! I mixed two colors of blue I had on hand, a little mint, plus some of the cream porch paint, to make enough to cover the ceiling.
Finally, I thrifted this little rattan chair last week. It is the most comfortable.
We have been sitting for long spells out here, feeling Southern as hell. Which we are, happily.
