Gardening

Steal These Porch Secrets

Don't let this spectacular season go to waste. Turn your porch into the new living room.

Photo: Southern Living, Laurey W. Glenn

A Color Change

Before furniture was chosen, a stop at the paint shop for a custom white color was in order. Mark and Jennifer spent hours looking at big squares of sample colors painted on the back of the house. "Our neighbors must have thought we were nuts staring at all these patches of white paint," says Jennifer. A shade was finally picked and all the bricks were painted.

The trim, railings, and columns, however, were painted a lighter, brighter white to create a little contrast between the house and trim. "This makes the architectural details stand out more," says Mark, "something you want on a beautiful Georgian house."