"What Were They Thinking Thursday!!??" - Front Porch Living

What can be seen on most college guys front porches? Keg, no. Beer cans. no. I am talking about that horrible tacky sofa just sitting on the front porch for all to see. One of the ugliest things you can do to your front porch is put indoor furniture such as sofas and recliners out there. These are completely wrong for this space! Yes, they might be comfortable but so are my fleece pajama pants and you don't see me wearing those around for all to see. 

While searching for examples online I came across multiple articles from college towns banning indoor furniture outdoors. One article even put it like this, "they are forcing us to remove our property from our property." Pretty funny but I do have to agree with the tacky image it gives the street. 

Not only does indoor furniture look tacky outside, it just isn't meant for the job. It doesn't hold up to the elements they way outdoor does and can be susceptible to mold and fading. I once found these awesome pillows at pier 1 on sale and they seemed to be made of a heavy canvas material but they were not outdoor pillows. Well, it didn't take long for them to have mold growing all over them and they were even under my back porch! Indoor stuff just doesn't work outside. 

These days, you don't have to sacrifice comfort or style when it comes to picking out your outdoor furniture. There are all kinds of options out there from vintage and cottage looking to ultra-modern. Here are just a few examples of some great outdoor options:

And if you are thinking that you could just never afford a front porch like these think again. There are some great resources for less expensive outdoor furniture. Take a look at these finds:

Target

CB2

IKEA

Or check your local antique stores and Craigslist for some fun vintage options:

Here are some I found on Etsy.com

When decorating your front porch, never ever use indoor furniture unless it's a screened in porch but otherwise it just looks tacky. Remember, you can be creative when it comes to your furniture. If you are on a tight budget, scour your flea market stores for some vintage pieces that you can recover and repaint. If you like a more modern look check out CB2 and IKEA as well as ZGallerie and even Target! You can have fun with the accessories like pillows and rugs, just remember to make sure they are for outdoor use. Otherwise you will end up with  a nasty mold problem like I did!

~Jessica