Name: Megan
Location: Ukranian Village/Wicker Park, Chicago

There is nothing better than a Chicago back porch! I love hanging outside in the warmer months, watering my plants and constantly rearranging and adding new items. I think the most unique part about our back porch is that not one item (minus plants) came new.

I scour thrift stores, alleyways and estate sales for plant vessels, tchotchkes (the succulents are in vintage restaurant ware that cost less than ten cents a piece) and furniture that will work in our space, and have spent less than $100 on everything.

The one super difficult thing is the overall weariness our porch has after being used for decades without a paint touch-up. The gray painted brick we have on one side of the porch is peeling and in general disrepair and the security barriers (conveniently cropped out of the photos, of course!) are rusty. One spill on the wood equals a forever stain. My next big project will be power washing the brick, the deck and the pretty barn-red wall.

I started a blog last fall and have been chronicling my back porch projects. It's a fun way to see the progress and test things out with readers' opinions. I hope you like it!

Thanks, Megan!

(Re-edited from a post originally published 6.17.10 - NM)

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