Wednesday 11 April 2012

{ let’s imagine } a beach-inspired front porch

image As I mentioned in this post last week, I decided to paint my front door {again!} a beautiful blue from Sherwin Williams called Oceanside. I decided to go all out and paint both sides of the door, seeing as the interior side was a bit banged up and needed a fresh coat of paint anyway. I did four coats on the interior side and was up to three coats on the exterior side before I ran out of paint and warm weather. Well, not stunningly warm – I needed temps of at least 10 Celsius, which didn’t happen on Monday or Tuesday. So the paint job is on hold till later this week when it warms up. I’ll post some pics when it’s all done.

In the meantime, I’m thinking about how to decorate the front porch this summer. I usually stick a bunch of impatiens and something tall into a planter and call it a day. But this year, I’m thinking of doing something with a beach theme – the door is Oceanside, after all :-) Although I’m really not sure what beach-themed planters look like. So I did some searching, and this is what I can up with.

This first planter would be easy enough to do, seeing as I already have a similar planter on the front porch. I love the wispy grass and the fact that the plants aren’t all bunched up together, so you can really see and appreciate the different colours, shapes, and textures. The driftwood is the perfect beachy touch, and I could put in one or two of my glass floats too.

beach-garden-pot sunset com photo rob d brodman Image via Sunset, photo by Rob D. Brodman

Succulents seem to be popular for beach-inspired planters. Hahaha! That reminds me of an exam I wrote back in University. One of the questions was “What is a succulent?” I had no idea {must have missed that class ;-) }, so I almost wrote “the guy sitting in front of me” {he was hot!}. But I decided on “a juicy steak” instead. Anyway… our porch faces south, so it gets a lot of sun over the summer – perfect for heat-loving plants that don’t need a whole lot of water.

succulent flickr Image via Flickr, photo by poppy2323

Love all the pretty colours in this succulent planter.

succulents apt therapyImage via Apartment Therapy

I wouldn’t do a cinder block wall, but I like the look of a group of single succulents in their own matching pots, maybe combined with some grasses.

SucculentWall zack benson photography 2Image via Zack Benson Photography

These little concrete planters from FMC Design in Montreal would be perfect.

FMC design

A couple of ideas for small-scale beachy planters with air plants.

air plant garden party flowers caImage via Garden Party Flowers

shell-air-plant completely coastal via beautiful detailsImage via Completely Coastal via Beautiful Details

This one literally puts the “beach” into a beach-inspired planter! Maybe not so much for my front porch, although the mini flip-flops are seriously cute!

beach in a pot Image via True Blue Me and You

Speaking of planters… I really like the look of square zinc planters, like these ones from Restoration Hardware. I’m hoping there are some crafty bloggers out there who have written tutorials on how to create DIY zinc planters, ‘cause the RH prices are just a bit too steep for me!

RH zinc footed planters I’m really looking forward to doing something different with the front porch this year. I’m pretty sure I’m going to combine wispy grasses and succulents. That means I’ll need to find a place inside to keep the succulents over the winter, but that should be easy enough to do.

Are you planning your summer gardens and planters yet? Do you do the same thing every year, or do you like to change things up?

kelly sig

14 comments:

  1. I can't wait to see what you come up with. That little beach scene is adorable and the pastel succulents are sweet.

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  2. Kelly-
    I love this new blog! Thanks for visiting mine today, I was behind on the news of this and am happy to have found it now. :)

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  3. I LOVE the first planter, and think that would be an amazing showstopper at your 'oceanside' doorstep... especially with glass floats added in! As for me, it's all a new game this year. We moved into this house last July, so I didn't get a chance to really put any thought into our planter. I picked up a ready-made just to have a splash of colour. But what I need to work with is pretty much full sun all afternoon, and when the sun shines it gets really hot in this spot. That's my new challenge - working with easy care plants that can handle full sun! Do you have any favorites?

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  4. You could do a planter of mixed lettuces - useful, summery and pretty !

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  5. Kelly I wanted to let you know that I posted about your Gallery Wall on my Seawashed blog. Thank you for including my artwork! ox

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  6. Can't wait to see your finished door and I love all the planters. The square ones are really nice aren't they?

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  7. Gee I got some great ideas here -- thanks Kelly. I love grasses in planters and have one that spent the winter on my front steps. I planted a hydrangea in one of my new pots but the pot is really meant for the back yard -- I just couldn't find a tall enough pot for the front ... once I find one, I'll place the short pot in the back somewhere.

    Guess what? That colour "Oceanside" that you are planning for your front door ... that's where I live. This area is called Oceanside. Cool, yes?

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  8. Painting our front door is on my to-do list, as well as dressing up the porch a bit. We really want a swing or rocking bench to sit on out there :)

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  9. Love the blue for the door!! The color has a great name too! The beach garden pot is so sweet. And thanks so much for including a link!

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  10. Kelly,

    Thanks for the inspiration. I love all the photos....especially the one with the grass in the shell.

    I can't wait for summer.

    blessings,
    karianne

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  11. Hi Kelly,

    They are all really terrific inspiration. I'm partial to the first one with the driftwood, thinking it would look awesome with your glass floats and front door.
    I am a big fan of your door colour.
    Susan

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  12. Beautiful inspiration! Makes me wish I live somewhere close to the beach! I am totally in love with those zinc planters too!

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  13. These are some great ideas and are getting me thinking about doing something different this year on my little deck. Hmm...

    Have a great weekend!

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