I think you all know one of my favorite things to decorate each season change is our front porch! Keep in mind the fact that I consider “front porch stalking” one of my hobbies, I am on a bike and with my kids so it is a legit hobby! I really appreciate and notice the efforts others put into caring for their homes. You just might be surprised to know how much people enjoy the effort YOU put into your exterior! We ended up painting our steps this time around with some stripes! I shared the DIY details to get the same look at the end of this post. Also check out how you can win an outdoor makeover from Joss and Main!
Here she is! With the painted steps addition! Every year we paint the steps with a fresh coat of white paint. Yes, they are a little more high-maintenance due to the fact that we have to paint them every year. Although this year I set a timer for how long it took us to re-paint them and it was 20 minutes! That’s it. Something we are willing to do every year because we like the look. I had wanted to do some sort of stripe down the front for the past two years and just didn’t think it would look like our style. Worried it might look to “cutesy”. We decided to give it a try and hey, if we hated it we could paint right over it! And I think you can guess if we like it or not!
Our front porch is covered so I can do a preserved boxwood wreath without worrying about it fading in the sun. This year I used my big chunky wood beads (that I already had) to hang the wreath with and I love the look! (Find Boxwood Wreath HERE and similar Wood Beads HERE similar Pineapple Door Knocker HERE).
Front Door is Black Knight from Benjamin Moore
We really like a pair of chairs out front. We had some solid wood Adirondack Chairs and they just look like garbage after a year! I learned my lesson, that it is worth the extra money to get water resistant chairs. These Black Adirondack Chair are the best and will last forever!
We sold the light that we had by our front door so we could switch to THIS black lantern looking one with the gold accent. The other one we had was great but it just didn’t go with all the other changes we made. I really like how it sets the tone for the gold and black we have throughout our home.
If you saw on my Instagram Stories I talked about how our old mailbox had rusted and also didn’t protect the mail from getting soaking wet if it rained. So far this one keep the rain out and also we don’t have to worry about the rust. (If you look closely you can see the nail holes on our siding, where we had to lower this mailbox, since we are getting new siding we didn’t put too much effort into repairing it). Find the Mailbox HERE.
We stopped at Shop Terrain to check out their plants and that Whipcord Red Cedar basically jumped in my car. I love the modern style and how it mixes well with our new modern planters! Find the Planters HERE.
Layered doormats are my jam! I LOVE them so much. We had THIS black and white outdoor rug from last year and it has held up awesome! I went with THIS larger “Hello” mat this year that is a better size for our space. (The bottom rug is 3×5 and the top rug is 2.5×4).
Painted Steps Details-
Above shows what the painted steps looked like after the winter. Below are the steps we took to get the look-
- Clean off the cement steps with water.
- Lightly sand the bigger pieces of chipped paint.
- Paint the entire steps with a roller in cement paint. We used Behr Premium Porch and Patio Floor Paint in Ultra Pure White No. 6050-N.
- Measure out the area for the stripes. First by finding the center of the step. Second by deciding the width based off if the width of the stairs and door. Our center stripe is 36″ wide. Stripes are painted in Behr Premium Porch and Patio Floor Paint in Deep Base 6300 mixed with Black at Home Depot. (They have a limited amount of outdoor paints).
- Leave the tape on and add another piece of tape for the outside stripe (our outside stripe was 2.5″) I painted outside stripe with a paint brush.
So far the black is holding up much better choice because it hides all the dirty footsteps. I have gotten asked if the steps are slippery and we haven’t noticed a big problem when they are wet. You can mix in and or they sell a mixture to put in the cement paint to prevent the steps from getting slippery.
Pretty lucky that Kevin is game for most any project I throw at him. He is a really good painter too! He touched up the stripes after I had taken the tape off just by free- handing it!
What do you think? I have had a few readers message me that they drove by and love it. Which was very reassuring, because it is a bold entrance! Nothing wrong with being bold!
You can win a $1,000 gift card to Joss & Main if you share an image of your own outdoor space! Just tag @jossandmain with #DesignTheOutdoors
or checkout Design the Outdoors HERE for more info!
francine buck says
The painted steps to mock a carpet runner is a fabulous idea! It not only dresses up a concrete stair but screams “welcome to our home”.
[email protected] says
Thank you!!
Megan says
Love it Brooke! It looks amazing and now im super eager to get started on our front porch, so many great ideas 🙂 now the weather is good im looking forward to sprucing up our exterior! Also just havr to say- i get such a kick out of how willing your husband is to help out with the projects, you got a keeper ;-P you guys are an awesome team 🙂 its just so nice to see…
Peg says
Your porch is stunning! Love the stairs!
Clarissa says
This has been the BEST week on your blog. Every post has been filled with creativity and inspiration in so many different rooms but this is the topping on the cake. This is gorgeous! What beautiful curb appeal. I would have to stop and take a picture if I rode by on my bike. 🙂
Lisa Nicolay says
Absolutely love your porch!! The paint looks like a classy carpet leading to your beautiful home. Kevin is amazing !! I have a “Kevin” too… priceless!
I remember your galvanized planters you had out front. I actually got some from Target after seeing yours. I love them. But, I really like your new ones as well.
Great job Brooke… everything looks stunning!
[email protected] says
I still have those planters in the back now! I love them! And yay for the Kevins of the world!
Terri says
Wow !! What a bold statement !! I love it !!!! Perfect with your door !!! It is saying … “Come on in”…. lol
Marty Oravetz says
Oh wow, what a difference. I love it all. Those steps are perfect.
Erica says
Love love love it!! It looks very homey!
Suzanne says
What a GREAT IDEA! I love it and can see the future of my front porch steps. Perfect timing also because we are getting ready to paint our home.
[email protected] says
how exciting! Good luck to you!!
Cindy says
What a cute idea to dress up cement steps. Love it.
Peggy says
Love it! I’m going to try it on my concrete steps–might breathe new life into it.
Shirley Cox says
Bold, striking, and absolutely gorgeous!
Kristen says
Your porch looks amazing! I love the stripes you added and the boxwood wreath.
Sixtyfifhavenue says
Charm overload!! Love the paint on the porch and the new light is perfect!
Lisa E says
You are indeed blessed. I do not have a Kevin so I do a lot myself and when I need help, at times have to wait. Patience is not my forte, lol!! Love the runner look. Looks fabulous!
Adrienne says
Fabulous idea! It screams “Welcome home” and “Welcome guests”. Well done!
patty says
ADORABLE!… you, kevin… the house… ADORABLE!
Vicky says
Absolutely Love this!!!
Lorri says
Love love love this!
shawnna griffin says
hey girl- love the porch! so cool!
Mary Smith says
I love how Kevin is out there painting in his socks. He’s such a good sport, doing all these things to make you happy. What a sweet couple you are!
sharon says
I love it! The whole porch and entrance area looks stunning. I agree that your neighbors and people driving by appreciate a nice looking porch/entry more than you know. I too am a porch stalker and have been known to almost walk or ride into someone while I was ‘appreciating’ a porch as cute as yours!
AF says
Where did you get the white stones for the walkway?
[email protected] says
the little pebble rocks? Just at Lowes!
AF says
Thank you!