As you have probably guessed, I have recently bought a house and have been adding my own style to make it interesting, homely and fun. Once I got the place carpeted, one of the first “rooms” I decorated was the porch. I understand it’s only a porch, but I feel it’s the first thing visitors will see, therefore I want to make a good impression. So by adding simple yet unique items in this small room, I have been able to put my stamp on it, in a visual kind of way.
Come In / Go Away Door Mat
I feel I’ve got quite a good sense of humour and this awesome doormat from Rose and Grey really made me smile, as it does everyone who comes over. The text is written very cleverly in a particular font, that reads 2 ways- “Come In” from one side, and “Go Away” from the other. I have no idea how, but it really does work and can act in your favour, when guests arrive, depending which way round you have it. Aside from actually being a funny item in the porch, it is really great product. The mat itself is naturally made from coconut husks, which make sure it is really hard wearing. This is very important as it is trodden on so many times a day. The colour is great as it hides any stains or marks from footwear and it is a good size, only taking up a small area on the porch floor! After everyone has admired the awesome art work, they can then wipe their feet to make sure the floor stays nice.
Butterfly stool
I bought this awesome little seat from Lakeland furniture and think it’s fantastic. What I love about this stool is the history behind the design. Japanese designer Sori Yanagi who founded the Tanagi Industrial Design Institute, created this magnificent work of art- the Butterfly Stool in 1954. Some say it is like a silhouette of the curves of a butterfly’s wings, I think it looks just like a whale’s tail as it dives back in the sea. It has such an elegant, Japanese style design, made by bending and shaping plywood. A stunning piece of furniture that is so useful in my house. I’ve put it in the porch as it is the very first thing people will notice when they come in to the house. As well as looking great, it feels very sturdy and strong, and the dark wood works well to match the other items. Everyone gets to admire it before using it to sit when putting on or taking off shoes. This stool is a really lovely item in my house, fit for purpose and amazing to look at.
Local Map and Barometer
I clearly have a thing for random furniture and decorative items for the house. Originally, I was going to have a large mirror in the porch, but after I saw this amazing map of St Agnes and beyond, I couldn’t resist putting that up instead. The map is of Porthtowan all the way up the North Coast to Crantock Beach near Newquay. I love looking at maps, especially ones like this that show where I live and the surrounding area. From this, my girlfriend and I have picked a variety of places to visit in the area, walks to take along the coasts and routes to cycle. To match the other pictures in the porch, I mounted the map in a dark frame, which does a good job of making the map stand out even more. As well as the map, I decided to add more interesting things to the wall and picked this N&B Enbeeco Barometer up at a car boot sale as I thought it was absolutely awesome. It is pretty retro in its style and was easy to wall mount. At the moment it looks great up on the wall between two dark-framed pictures. The dark wood really shows off the chrome face of the barometer well. I love the idea of “predicting” the weather changes- sadly the arrow has moved to rainy recently! This barometer is such a vintage and classic looking piece in the porch, a good talking point.
Coat and Shoe Storage
The biggest and most important feature of a porch is the coat and shoe storage. I’ve made sure mine has plenty of both. Firstly, with a rather cool set of vintage Sputnik Atomic coat hooks and secondly with a custom made shoe rack. The vintage coat hooks are a classic and I love them even more every time I look at them. The best sort of design, awesome to look at and truly functional.
Unfortunately, my shoe rack has no age as I recently made it myself. I really don’t like those cheap ‘expendable’ shoe racks that sways around and don’t fit shoes very nicely. So what I did myself is use some reclaimed bits of wood (from an old Ikea wardrobe) and made one to my own specifications. What this means is not only does mine fit from wall to wall to the exact mm, but it’s also the correct height between shelves for my shoes. Unlike most shoe rack manufacturers, I’ve built mine to stand up to daily use and not to wobble at the sight of shoes!
