A Cream and Pink Paint Refresh Brightened Their Bland Front Porch
Whether you’re a front porch or backyard patio kind of person, many people would agree that it’s all about the vibes. Your outdoor space should be welcoming, warm, and feel like you. Switching up the paint color on the porch is the perfect quick fix for lackluster curb appeal, and if you love to entertain, then all the more reason to jazz up the outdoor space that can safely host people.
For Morgan Gomez (Morgan Stays Home) and her husband, their porch needed to have more of their personalities and less of the previous owner’s. Morgan says, “There was nothing wrong with our house before — it just wasn’t us!”
The Porch Needed an Upgrade from the Bland Color Palette
The bland and tan color palette didn’t really inspire her, and the flower beds were a bit too tall to plant anything without obstructing the view of the porch. The outdoor furniture was also sort of thrown together and mismatched “and not in a good way,” Morgan says. She and her husband loved sitting outside, but it felt like they were still hanging out in the previous homeowner’s space, not their own.
They Swapped Tan for a Bright Creamy Off-White and Soft Pink
The desire to paint had been there for a while, but it wasn’t in the budget. “So when we got our stimulus check, we knew we wanted to use it to paint!” Morgan says. They decided to go light and bright with a creamy off-white color (Kelly-Moore’s “Swiss Coffee,” similar to Sherwin-Williams’ “Greek Villa”) on the house and a soft pink color (Kelly-Moore’s “Joyful Poppy,” similar to Sherwin-Williams’ “Hopeful”) on the front door.
Instead of completely DIYing it, she and her husband ended up hiring painters to paint the entire exterior of their home. The professional paint job cost them $4,000, including painting the shed, repairing some dry rot, and painting a few doors.
She DIYed the Porch Flooring in a Subtle Checkerboard Design for a Personality-Filled Update
When it came to the actual porch, Morgan hand-stenciled the porch all by herself. “And it was a surprisingly long project,” she says. Even though it took her a while, the work definitely paid off. The checkerboard design gives the porch some personality and visual interest that it was missing before. Morgan also hired a gardener to remove the old flower bed, leaving a clean, level greenscape.
In addition to the professional paint job, everything cost about $800. So the total came out just shy of $5,000 at $4,800. The entire project took about eight weeks to complete from start to finish.
“I love the feel of the porch now — and the pink door!” Morgan says. “It’s so fun and the perfect pop! That’s what I’m most proud of.” The only thing she would have done differently, though, is paint the porch a slightly darker color to hide dirt better. The lighter color is great for brightening up the space, but it can also make it a bit harder to clean.
They Don’t Regret Hiring a Professional Painter Even with the Total Cost
While this particular project was a bit pricey, Morgan and her partner love the results. She doesn’t regret hiring out for the bigger part of the project and trying her hand at the part where she felt confident, like the stenciling! “Hire professionals if you can,” she says. “But don’t be scared to DIY things.”
The biggest goal with this porch makeover was to make it feel more like home. If anything, this project is proof that the exterior of your home is just as important as the interior. Morgan says, “It feels so much cozier and like us.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
