Hi everyone! Today I am excited to share a fun makeover we did with our back porch. Since moving to sunny Long Beach, CA we spend a lot more time outside. We grill, drink wine on the front balcony and walk around our neighborhood everyday. As far as our outdoor space design goes, we really didn’t have much set up. Our old Oakland apartment didn’t have any personal outdoor space. Now we share a balcony with our neighbors and split a back deck as well. We had absolutely nothing on our side of the back porch. I had an idea of how I wanted to decorated the space but the very small dimensions (roughly four by five feet), made tough to find the right pieces. With the help of Better Homes and Gardens collection, I finally found accessories perfect for a our little outdoor space.
My upcoming trip to the Italian coast has me spellbound by blue and white. I keep noticing it wherever I go. Luckily it’s a classic pair and very easy to find decor in this palette. Better Homes and Gardens added rugs, pillows and ottomans to it’s patio collection.
I started with a completely blank space. Our back porch area is small since we share it with our next door neighbors. We have about 20 square feet on our side of the porch. Since there isn’t space for a full patio set or lounge chairs, I used our old counter chairs and added a few accents.
The foundation for the design is the Damask Outdoor Rug in blue and white. I loved the pattern immediately because of it’s exotic style. Over the years I’ve pinned so many patio photos and almost all had a gorgeous outdoor rug. This rug is a little large for my space, but I was able to neatly roll one end so that it will fit perfectly.
Next I wanted to tackle the window. We decided not to drill any nails into the stucco exterior, but there need to be some sort of back drop. I found an unused white curtain and a few of paper lanterns to hang. Adding fabric will soften any space and add texture.
I brought out our counter chairs that needed a home. They are perfect sitting while the grill is going and sipping a nice cocktail.
I’m starting to experiment with gardening as well, so I planted to dwarf meyer lemon tree. Hopefully my green thumb kicks in and we’ll have fresh lemon from our back porch soon!
Our back porch is fairly dark at night too. Since there’s no outlet nearby, I hung a set of battery LED string lights to add a little lighting.
I added a few more paper lanterns for style. They’re the perfect way to added quick decorations for any outdoor gathering plus easy to fold up and store.
Last but not least, I added a pair of Awning Stripe Pillows in navy and white. The wide stripe pattern complimented the rug’s smaller scale pattern so well. The fabric is durable for outdoor sun and it’s easy to dust off any dirt.
We’re loving our new back porch! I’m excited to spend warm nights and sunny mornings back here with a little cocktail or cup of coffee.
For more inspiration, check out other blogger creations on the social channels below. You can also follow the hashtag #BHGLiveBetter !
*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Better Homes and Gardens products at Walmart. All content, ideas, and words in this post are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Planning Pretty.
