With warm weather on the horizon, I am ramping up for back porch entertaining with the help of my friends at Leisure Made and their fantastic patio furniture.
Back Porch Entertaining
We’ve been in our home for two years now and one of our favorite places to hang out is on the back screened in porch. I partnered with the great folks at Leisure Made to bring their beautiful and comfortable outdoor furniture into our space to completely transform our porch into a room – and they’re based right here in Atlanta, too.
Just like any other room in the house, I really wanted our porch to be effortless, cozy and inviting. We do a lot of entertaining outside and the kids love to have “picnics” any chance they can get, so having the right balance of living and dining was important. And, having enough seating for our family of 5 (well, six including Kona) and any friends or neighbors that might drop by on a whim is so important.
The furniture set that Leisure Made provided is their beautiful Forsyth Collection which is the absolute perfect neutral – not too grey not too brown, so it goes with everything. I went with the tan cushions too (because, neutral) and we really needed something with an outdoor-friendly fabric because even though the porch is covered and screened, we tend to still get some water spray with a heavy rain.
The seating really helped to anchor the space and gave me the shape I was looking for so we can still gather around the fireplace and TV when we need to out there. I love our little wood storage area that Shane came up with for underneath the fireplace. It definitely comes in handy during the cooler months. And, I love the flexibility of being able to use the coffee table as extra bench-like seating when we have extra guests over.
To make the outdoor space feel a little more cozy I brought in a few lamps for some ambient light, added layers of pillows and a blanket or two on the couch, and included a few planters and galvanized bins of fresh herbs. A big outdoor rug as a base also helps to add just another layer of texture to keep the space warm + inviting. I love having these so close to the kitchen for clipping while I’m cooking and they are so fragrant too. A couple overhead fans help keep us cool and the air flowing for those hot Southern nights.
I also wanted to make sure there was plenty of space for dining too because we love to have some al fresco dinners by the grill. Our trusty old wooden table is the perfect size and I love that the sides both fold down if we need the extra space. It’s tucked away right under an old fishing cage that was turned into a light that used to hang on in my Grandmother’s house, the perfect piece to shine some light on our evening family dinners.
One of my favorite features of the back porch are the large, open screened windows that frame the treetops of the woods in our backyard. In the summertime they are filled with blinking fireflies and it feels like you’re sitting right outside in the middle of it all.
I love having this extra room for our family to enjoy and would love to hear some things you have on your porch that helps make it even more cozy. Also, if you’re in need of a little refresh of your space, be sure to pop over to see the rest of the line from Leisure Made to find the best fit for your own back porch entertaining needs, and shop some of my favorite outdoor pieces below.
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