Adirondack Chairs in the Front Yard

May 06, 2014

Well…it finally happened. Spring (kinda) arrived. Seriously, this winter was so rough. I didn't even mind it too much until the warmer weather showed about a month late. It’s only about now that I’m so OVER the cold that I care barely stand it. :)

We’ve had some beautiful days here and there but it’s only this week that will finally feel like spring to me – they say it will hit the 80’s, which I’m totally fine with right now. Bring it.

Usually spring is one of my favorite times of the year, but it’s feeling a bit less exciting this time around. The poor plants are feeling it -- our azaleas aren’t even close to blooming yet. Most of the trees and bushes are greening up, but some are still half bare with buds barely starting. My favorite tree in the spring, our redbud, barely bloomed:

And my viburnum bush that is usually GORGEOUS in the spring flowered about half way too. It’s all a bit of a bummer – I just hope everything fills out soon. I’ve noticed in just the past few days that things are starting to grow like crazy so that gives me hope!

Anyway, the weather was great this weekend so I finally got out to start working in the beds. I still have a ton of work to do but the front is looking so much better. This time of year is always an expensive one for us – gardening stuff isn’t cheap! But I love it -- I really enjoy planting, pruning, tending to plants and figuring out what works where outside.

I picked up some new planters for the front porch at Home Depot and $6 ferns:

ferns on front porch

I have to fine just the right size for our porch since it’s so small. The tall copper pots I got at Target a couple years back were perfect, but they didn’t hold up well at all.

I love the rattan look of these! And I didn’t even plant the ferns – I just dropped the ferns (in their pots) in the planters. I also swept the porch, cleaned out the flower beds and hung a new flag – I love having a flag flying out front. :)

I also got a little project done that I’ve wanted to tackle for years. I’d love to have a big front porch on our house – it would be positively dreamy. But it’s not going to happen so I’ve had a plan in my head for years to create a porch without a porch.  

What I really want to do on a porch is sit and watch the kids play, wave hello to the neighbors as they walk by and have an occasional glass of wine in the evenings. We have a gorgeous backyard that I love, but sometimes it’s nice to be out front where everyone is.

My plan involved two adirondack chairs and goodness, did you know they are crazy expensive? Two years now I’ve tried to find them at a decent price. I put an alert on my craigslist app and the only ones that came up were handmade versions that were hundreds each.

I finally found a couple unassembled two years ago on there and picked them up for $25 each – and then last year when I went to put them together realized all the parts weren’t in the boxes. Grrrr.

So the plan was on hold again. Until last week when the kiddo and I walked through Menards and I saw some that weren’t crazy expensive and they were the perfect color. They were also faux wood which is a major bonus. We had a couple similar chairs in wood years and years ago (in the backyard) and they quite literally fell apart after being exposed to the elements for two years.

Hopefully these hold up better. I pulled out the boxes this weekend and they were super easy to put together too. Now we have a new “front porch” – I can’t even tell you how much I love it:

faux wood adirondack chairs

Right now they sit on the grass but my plan has always been to extend the mulch and put them on there. That way we won’t have to move them around to mow. And I can see eventually planting some colorful flowers around them as well.

For now I took some inspiration from an expensive planter I saw at Home Depot and recreated it – red geraniums with a purple grassy plant in the middle:

red geraniums

I took these pics at different times, hence the cat in both windows. Many of you have noticed lately that he must be in every photo, one way or another. :)

The chairs are the perfect size and incredibly comfy. I didn’t see the foot rest part at Menards, but I don’t think we’ll need them. I am a tuck my feet up kind of person anyway and there’s plenty of room for that.

I love the way they look out front! Every time we drive up I tell my husband how adorable they are. He agrees:

adirondack chairs in front yard

The brand is Backyard Creations from Menards but I can’t find them online. They were a splurge for two but the price was way better than anything else I’ve found for the size and the faux wood (that should hold up better).

AND I waited patiently for two years. :)

I pulled the pillows from the back patio – love them. I wanted to pull some red tones in to work with the front door. The chairs came in both gray and brown – they didn’t have brown in stock but the gray ended up working great with our shutters since they lean a bit that color:

adirondack chairs in front of house

I want to do a lot to that area still, so I’ll share updates as it comes together even more. But for now I just can’t wait to sit out there with a glass of wine. Tonight perhaps? :)

Have you started working on any outdoor projects? I still have so much to do just to get the beds ready for new mulch. But I’m SO HAPPY to be working outside again. Gardening has become a passion of mine over the past few years and I get excited at the possibilities.

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Comments

  1. We did Adirondack chairs on our new deck this year. They are the poly wood ones and maintenance free. Still need to add some pretty pillows, but here are the chairs, which we purchased locally. http://www.dianecaytonhakey.com/2014/04/sprucing-this-place-up.html

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  2. I love your wooden shutters & all the bold & natural elements!!!

    Paige.Rose

    www.quaintsanction26.blogspot.com

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  3. Sarah I'm loving your ferns in the basket, might have to make my daily HD stop just for them. Also have you ever thought of removing the black railing? It looks to be inset a good ways from the outer right edge of the stairs and with only 4? steps do you need it? If anything you could reattach when you go to sell (for code reasons possibly) but it might make that space feel more open without the railing creating a boundary. Just a thought, don't mind me :)

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  4. I have a pair of wooden Adirondack chairs (unassembled, from Ace Hardware) on my front porch, so they're protected, and they're holding up well. It's been at least five years now... I did prime and paint them, which is key to most wood. With a pillow in back, they're pretty comfortable for reading and enjoying the pretty weather!

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  5. I found the Menards chairs. Great price. :) Here's the link. http://www.menards.com/main/p-2241122-c-13020.htm

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  6. I feel the same way you do about finally working outside. My husband and I were talking yesterday about the buds finally coming out on the trees. I took my red wagon and planted red and white geraniums in it and it looks beautiful. I also found cement urns at a tag sale and planted fir trees in them. All I have to do now is paint the front porch but we are going away Friday for 2 weeks so I will have to wait until we come back. In CT they are saying we might have frost tonight and if we do I will scream.

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  7. I really like the planters you got at HD. May need to check those out for my tiny front porch. I think your chairs look really cute there. It is hard because sometimes people do that and they look like "seriously, are you going to sit up on that hill and watch the cars go by?" Yes, this is one example I have seen. Now, you mentioned bringing the mulch out and putting the chairs on that. I had a brilliant idea (in my mind). I would suggest extending your bed there with flagstone. It can be set in dirt and then little plants grown between. That way it is not "in the bed" but an extension of it that looks very natural. I think it would look awesome!!! We had a casual walkway like this in an old home and I believe it can be set on bluestone to help "set it" better, then dirt and the tiny plants. I'm seriously thinking you have to do this--it would be a perfect, casual transition.

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  8. My blog has been overrun with garden posts. This is hands down my favorite time of year. I'm a gardening addict. Your chairs look great. We have a tiny porch, too, so I feel ya. I plopped a chair down in the parking strip so I'd have a spot to sit and watch the kids play. :)

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  9. Soooo pretty!!!! I love the pictures and I love that kitty is hanging out in the window!

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  10. Just a heads up on the chairs... They look to be the same ones I purchased from Menards a few weeks ago and was able to get a price adjustment on while I was in store Sunday. They are on sale for $50 off here - might be worth checking into where you live :) http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/p-2241122-c-13020.htm

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  11. Those are perfect, + you give me hope! I've been looking for a group of adirondack chairs for our flagstone patio, but they are definitely a serious investment. I like Polywood's version, and these look very similar but at a much better price. Menards isn't in our region (Atlanta), but it gives me the patience to perservere and not give in to the costly version just yet. Thanks!

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  12. FAUX FRONT PORCH = FAUCH...."Let's go sit a spell on the FAUCH"
    Love the area!!!!

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  13. Your house is beautiful and these are a pretty addition! They make it look very homey and inviting! ~Kathy@The Daily Nest

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  14. Holy Moly! You can put an alert on the craigslist app??! How did I not know this magical tidbit??! Is available on the full version only?

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  15. I am so excited for you! We sit out in ours almost nightly when the weather is nice. And for all the same reasons. . . love to watch kids play, chat with neighbors. . . glass of wine. Looks awesome. Featuring tomorrow.

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  16. Just an Awesome Blog..Very Pretty Pics..
    We also provide home decorating products - Home Linens at our online store i.e. oceanhomestore.com

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  17. I really love the shutters on your house, were they a DIY project? (Love the cat too) -Roxanne@theHoneycombHome.com

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  18. I'm in Chicago, and yes, the plants really do not know what to do with themselves in this weather! Apparently we are just skipping Spring this year!

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  19. Very harmonious! The seating definitely matches with the wooden shutters! I love the neutral tones of the paint too. You did a wonderful job with the porch! I know your future projects would be equally beautiful too! Good luck!

    Wacky Brown @ Wicker Works

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