What a week! May madness is definitely in full force this year. I feel like I’m paddling my way through it all trying to take it one day at a time. Such a fun time of year but really!? Do we need to have all the projects and reports and meetings and parties and ceremonies and activities and performances and showcases and open houses and recitals and gift giving in the same two weeks!? I guess we do. It makes sense that the end of the school year is a time to wrap things up. But all this wrapping up is wearing me out.
So I took a 20 minute break from it all on Wednesday to add some Spring to my front porch! And to take pictures of it all. Because that’s what I do when I have too much going on. I avoid everything and take pictures for the blog. :)
I have been on a hunt for black striped rugs for the front porch for a while now. They are all over, but I didn’t want to spend much knowing they will get trashed quickly. Everything I found on-line was either more than I wanted to spend or it was an indoor rug. When I saw these at Home Goods a few weeks ago I was thrilled! (You can find an identical rug here that I have in my kitchen and upstairs laundry room!)
Flowers in my pots! Another to-do that has been on my list for a while.
The tall plants (now I’m blanking on what they are called?) aren’t blooming yet, but will have beautiful flowers at some point.
These small white flowers (Bacopa) make me so happy! I’ve always loved this flower for Spring.
I was going to add a few more pots with flowers or more decor, but after I put this together I decided I liked it as is. I’m usually a fan of less is more. Stating the obvious here. :)
More fun Zinc planters with flowers on the porches. I haven’t taken pictures of the back porch yet, but used the same pots and flowers.
Slowly our plants are growing in the front yard. Our landscaping is still so new that it’s fun every time something starts blooming.
Cross your fingers for me that I can keep these plants alive! I already over watered the plants in the back yard and made quite a mess on the stone when everything drained. I’m determined to get it down to a science and overcome my plant killing ways!
I added another rug in front of the dutch door. I was going to put a wreath on this door but the kids are in and out of it all day long. Anything in this zone is bound to be destroyed. :)
Peek into the mudroom.
So that’s it! Just a few simple touches make this porch ready for Spring.
Now back to the end of the school year madness. Hold on moms! It has to end at some point! And if you’re overwhelmed, take a page out of my book. Walk away from it all and take some pictures of your front porch.
A nice break from reality while it lasted.
:)
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Hi Erin,
This question may sound weird, I’m sure, but how do you manage to keep your front door so clean, i.e., dust-free? We always enter/exit from the garage so it’s a chore that falls to the wayside until we have company and I’m reminded yet again to clean it.
Hi Payal! Not weird at all! My door gets SO dusty! In fact I dusted both black doors off and swept the front porch right before I took these pictures. :) I try to dust them once every few months. Hard to keep up with for sure!
Hi Erin! I just love your entry door as I am shopping for one now. Can you tell me the manufacturer of your door? Looks like Milliken or Thermatru. Thanks !:)
Thank you Sue! I designed our door and we had it custom built. Sorry that’s not more help! xo
Beautiful, Erin! I think it looks perfect. Love it. And I completely understand what you’re saying about “May Madness.” It’s been crazy here, too! I feel like I am relying on coffee and ice cream to survive!!!!
Shannon in PA (aka “The Busy Brunette”)
http://thebusybrunette.blogspot.com/
PS – Would love for you to do a “day in the life” post one of these days! It’s on my to-do list, too!
Thanks Shannon! Lots of ice cream and cookie dough and diet coke has been happening around here. :) LOVE “day in the life” posts. If you can ever make time in the day to document. That’s the trick! Hang in there! xo
I am obsessed with those lights! Ah, to design my own house :) Yours (your’s?) is so gorgeous!
Thank you Sarah! So sweet of you! xo
So pretty, Erin!
Thank you Sue! xo
Gorgeous! Those striped rugs are to die for. I’m laughing because I recently stopped what I was doing and photographed my porch too. :-) http://www.mommade.org/2015/05/spring-side-porch.html
Have a great day!
Love it Sarah! We are two peas in a pod. ;) Your porch is beautiful! xo
I absolutely love the exterior of your home! It looks so classy and put together! I love the colors you used on your home. Do you mind sharing your paint colors?
Thanks!!
Thank you Melissa! The exterior color of our home is a mix. We took “Capricorn” by Frazee and tweaked it a bit. Let me know if there are any other colors you are wondering about! xo
Thank you! I found a sample swatch of it today! I love your blog and appreciate you sharing all the details with us! Keep it coming!
Oh good! Thank you Melissa! That means a lot. :)
Hello,
I am wondering if you could elaborate on how you “tweaked” the color. We are building a new home and I have been looking for a soft, warm gray like yours. Thank you so much. LOVE, LOVE your blog!!! <3
Hi Jeannie! Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoy my blog. :) I wrote more about that color in this post:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/04/favorite-gray-paint-paint-colors-throughout-house/
Happy weekend! xo
Hello! Love the blog. Would you mind sharing where you got your exterior wall lanterns? (Garage, front door.) thanks!
Hi Kristy! Thank you! Go to the bottom of this Halloween porch post below and click on the picture of my lights! :)
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/10/happy-halloween-porch-2/
What a beautiful entrance. So welcoming x
Thank you so much Nicola! xo
erin- ha, great advice. last day of school is kinda like the holidays . we knew it was coming 152 days ago when they started.
So true!
I have been looking for square planters for a few years now. Everything in our area is round! Did you order your zinc planters online by chance?
Hi Jennifer! Yes! Restoration Hardware. :)
Here in Australia our school year ends in December so add Christmas preparations and parties to the craziness!!!
I can’t imagine having both at the same time Margaret! Crazy!!
I always love your posts and you inspire me often! Can you share where you found your lanterns? I am on the hunt to update our builder lanterns in Colorado! Thanks-
Thank you Suzanne! So sweet of you. Are you talking about the white lanterns on my porch? Those are from Home Goods! Just a random find one day. I see similar ones in their store often so if you have a Home Goods in your area definitely look for them there! If you mean the black hanging lanterns I need to find my info. on those. Let me know if that’s what you were wondering about and I’ll hunt down the link! xo
While I love the white ones too- I meant your hanging lanterns. If you can’t find easily, no worries. I work for a decorator so I am knee deep in catalogs and am looking for something similar. Thanks!
Sounds good Suzanne! I can’t find my info. on them but I’ve had several people ask so I’ll include the link to them in a post as soon as I figure it out! ha! :)
Thanks again! You really inspired me to finish my front. I bought these sconces over at rh- https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod6430489&categoryId=cat1701024 – they look great! Always love your posts.
thanks again-
Suzanne I LOVE those sconces!! I bet it looks so good! Yea. Your comment made me happy. :) Thank you! xo
Hi Erin! Love the rugs…are they just normal indoor rugs or door mats?
Thanks Carrie! They are just normal rugs. I was looking for outdoor black and white striped mats forever and just couldn’t find any so when I found these for only 12 bucks each I just scooped several up so I’ll have replacement rugs if/when they start getting trashed. :)
It looks great Erin. Simple Spring and elegant as usual. How about a pop of color or some gray candles in those beautiful lanterns? Either way they work. Im loving it all , especially the rug.
Good idea Deb! I thought about candles in the lanterns and just haven’t had time to look yet! Thank you! I’m so glad you like it. :) xo
I love the Dutch door. I’ve been on the hunt here in Orange County. Can you tell me where it’s from?
Thanks Gabi! We had both of our dutch doors custom made. Sorry I’m not more help!
Your front porch is beautiful! I would love to know what those bushes are in the planters with the white bacopa, if you can think of them? We have done boxwoods the past few years in our front door planters, but they don’t survive the winter in my containers (we live in freezing cold Chicago!). Looking for more of an annual, and those look a bit like boxwood with the benefit of flowers! :)
Hi Kristin! Thank you so much! They are called Camellias! :) xo
Hi Erin,
I’m brand new to your blog but I absolutely love it!! I found you via Honey We’re Home.
Your whole house is stunning, but I have to say, I’m expecting our fifth kiddo and I’m totally coveting your two gorgeous laundry rooms!!
Keep up the great posts! :)
Thank you Carrie! What a sweet thing to say. I’m so happy you found me! Oh my word – congrats on your new addition. That’s so exciting! You are my hero having 5! So fun for your older kids too. Good luck with everything and thanks again! xo
Hi Erin,
Beautiful! Can you share where you got your black hanging lanterns?
Hi Amy! I’ve had a few questions on those and can’t find my info. on them! I’ll find it at some point I know. When I do I’ll include it in a post! Sorry for the delay!
Erin you have a beautiful family and home.
Thank you so much Kaila! So kind of you! xo
What a beautiful house! what flowers you have? I like it.
Thank you Amanda! xo
Hi Erin,
You have a gorgeous home! Do you remember the manufacturer and the name of the style of your front door and the hardware on it? We are looking to replace our front door and love yours. Thank you!
Thank you so much Jen! Our door is custom – we had a picture of one that was similar (we tweaked it a little) and then had it made. All of my hardware is from Emtek! :) xo
Your home is stunning! My husband are I are in the finishing stages of building our new home. I would love the info on your outdoor lighting (hanging lanterns and matching door lighting).
Thanks!
Thank you Caitlin! I’m working on a post right now on our front porch so I’ll add the link to the lanterns! Check back later today and it should be up. :) Good luck finishing your home! No doubt you’re exhausted. I had a love/hate relationship with the building process. ;)
xo
I’m sorry if this question has already been asked, but what is the paint color you used on the outside of your house?
Hi Lauren! It’s a custom color – we started with “Capricorn” by Frazee and then darkened it a bit. :)
What a gorgeous home! I love every detail! I see the information for your house color, but would you be able to tell me what color you used for trim and for your doors? Thanks for any help!
Thanks so much Beth! I have been looking and can’t find that info! Shoot! I completely spaced what color we used for the exterior white. Our interior white was all “Arothane White” by Frazee. I’m planning on doing a paint color post at some point so I’ll keep looking and hopefully can find what we used and include it in that post! xo
Great! I’ll be looking forward to that post. Thanks for checking :)
You bet Beth! :) xo
Hi Erin! My husband and I are in the process of building our home and our styles are extremely similar! I am in absolute LOVE with your exterior stone. Would you mind letting me know where you got it from and the name of it? I am from Canada and most stone is special ordered, so I thought I would ask! Thank you!
Hi Jill! Thank you and congrats on your new home! SO exciting! :) I wish I could help you with the stone! Unfortunately I don’t have any info. to give you. It was a random mix we ordered from our home town in Utah and I don’t even know what it’s called or how to get more of it. So sorry I’m not more help on that one! Best of luck with your build! xo
Hi Erin,
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! I was wondering if you happened to find/remember where you purchased your front porch wall lanterns at and posted a link or post about it? In an earlier comment you mentioned you were about to post about them but I can’t seem to find it. Do you mind helping me? Do they have 3 bulbs? How high are they? I just love them and would love to have them in our new home! Thank you so much!
Hi Lorrie! Thank you! If you check today’s post (it’s a year review) click on the post about my Halloween porch! I shared the link to the lights in that post. You’ll see all the details when you click on the lights (yes! 3 lights in them.) I hope it helps! :) xo
Hi Erin,
I absolutely LOVE the exterior gray color of your house. I had read where you said that you had the Capricorn paint color darkened to get the shade that you were happy with, did you have it darkened by 25% or what %? We are slowly remodeling our home and I have seen a lot of pictures of exterior paint colors and yours is the one that stands out to me and I want to get it just right. I was also wondering if you could tell me what kinds of stone and brick were used on the exterior of your house and front walkway? Roofing materials used and the colors? I LOVE the whole exterior of your home. Great Job!!! Beautiful Home!!!
Hi Rhoda! Thank you so much! I’m so flattered the color I chose is your favorite! We had our original color (Capricorn) enhanced 150%! You can see pictures and read more about that in this post:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2013/06/house-is-painted/
I’m so sorry I don’t have names/details on the stone and brick! The stone came from Utah and was found near my parent’s home. I chose the brick to match and didn’t write down what it was called! Our walkway is just grey pavers and the porches are grey flagstone. The roof was a custom job (I wanted the tiles more black than the colors they originally had) so I don’t have a name for that either! Sorry I’m not more help! Thanks again and best of luck with your remodel! SO exciting! xo
Erin,
You home is beautiful! Love the coastal craftsman design. I was curious, what is the door to the left of the front door leading to?
Thank you Dee! That door leads to my husband’s office. :)