Whether you’re starting from scratch or freshening up your already-furnished porch, spring is the perfect time to get your outdoor living space fully outfitted for entertaining—whether it’s a party of one or twenty. And while we totally understand prioritizing your budget for your indoor spaces, that can leave your outdoor living spaces getting the short end of the design stick. Which is why your first stop for furniture and decor for your porch shouldn’t be a big box home store or high-end catalog, but rather a discounted housewares shop like HomeGoods.
Catalogs and big home improvement stores make it easy, setting up entire spaces fully outfitted with every coordinating piece of an outdoor dining set that make you want to buy the whole package. It can be a little harder to piece together a room in a store like HomeGoods, where the products are grouped by purpose and everything tends to be a little mismatched. With a plan, and even a minimal budget, you can completely transform your porch this spring and have it sittin’-ready long before Memorial Day.
HomeGoods is truly a treasure trove of fun home decor finds at a great price point, the perfect source for outfitting your porch or patio. They’re always receiving new products, so you might as well plan on a weekly trip from now until June, just to make sure you haven’t missed anything amazing.
Define Your Space
Is your porch or patio going to be used primarily for dining al fresco or enjoying an early morning cup of coffee? Define your space’s purpose, and then come up with a list of items you need for it to comfortably serve that purpose.
Pick a Color Scheme
Are you one of those people who reluctantly used neutral paint colors in your home when you really wanted to design every room in a different bold color palette? Well, smart move on streamlining the interior of your house (you’ll be thankful in the long run), but your porch can be the colorful oasis you’ve been missing. Bright colors make sense outside alongside nature anyway, so you should feel emboldened to fill your space with orange and aqua, or green and yellow. Afterall, if you shop smart, you can easily switch up the colors next year without making a lot of changes. For now, when picking items to fill the color quotient on your porch or patio, look for pillows and floor cushions, rugs, planters, and lighting to do the trick.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled For…
It can be easy to get distracted in a store like HomeGoods. No matter how many trips you take around the perimeter, keep a manageable list of items in your head to be looking for.
Pillows and Rugs
As long as your space is covered or you’re in the habit of putting them away when the weather gets bad, there’s no reason to limit your pillow options to the “outdoor fabric” selection. We do suggest you stick with cotton or canvas pillows that are more durable and easier to clean.
If you have a larger porch but will only be furnishing a portion of it, a rug can really help define the space you’re working on. Lightweight synthetic or bamboo rugs can bring color and pattern into your space, or provide a neutral base for your more vibrant decor. Plus, they’re durable through weather and lots of dirty feet and paws.
Decor
Lanterns: Finding a matching set might not always be easy at a store like HomeGoods, but some diversity in size, material, or style can give your space some visual interest.
Planters: HomeGoods is a great source for affordable, unique pots and planters. Even if they’re sold with a fake plant in them, take a closer look to see if they could be repurposed within your living garden.
Glass Bottles and Hurricanes: These can play double or even triple duty in your outdoor space, and stores like HomeGoods are full of them—in a variety of hues. Place a candle in them, use them as a vase, or just use them to create a pretty tablescape.
Garden Stools: Another versatile piece perfect for decorating your outdoor space, garden stools can serve as additional seating or simply as a side table.
