Outdoor summer living...

Aside from seeing the yard and garden spring back to life, there is one other thing I really love about warm weather arriving: porch living. Since pretty much everything has come back to life and the pollen is mostly gone, I was able to open up the porch this past week. (If I open it too early, everything becomes coated in bright greenish yellow dust.) It’s wonderful to be able to add this room back into our daily living. Our porch has always felt like a summer living room to me, a place to gather, enjoy a glass of wine and conversation, read for a bit or just stare out at the flowers and watch the world go by. In short, it’s a place to relax and be comfortable.

I tend to use leftovers and pieces that don’t quite work in the house out here in my decorating, so the porch has this sort of weird, mismatched but fun vibe. It is also where I let my love for flamingos run free ~ well, here and the yard.
This year I added a couple more flamingos, some new pillows, a new floor cushion and a bright pink rug from Target. (I love being able to feel softness under my bare feet out here.)
I also added a fun and bright garland to the fireplace ~ I mean, why not?

What do you think?

Photos by The Art of Living Beautifully