In the last Saturday Sketchbook post, I discussed the three outdoor spaces I have been working on for the cottage. I casually mentioned that the front porch may or may not have railings. Then someone on Instagram posted this picture, and it sent my mind spinning.
Do you see what I see? Isn’t this porch just gorgeous? I had never considered using planters as a buffer between porch and ground before I saw this image; But as soon as I saw it the wheels in my head started turning. Here’s a close up of the planter boxes.
The sea of color slays me.
I tracked down a photo of this same porch, updated with different flowers in the planters. It’s a simple change that has a big impact. As someone who loves to rearrange furniture, the thought of updating the look of the exterior without lifting a hammer is really piquing my interest. Additionally, I am almost certain our cottage exterior will be all white, and a pop of color provided by flowers could really help add some visual interest.
Excitedly, I sent these pictures to Craig and asked him what he thought. I was pretty sure his reaction would be the same as mine – pure love. Imagine my shock when he texted back three simple words. Not a fan.
Gulp! Did he just really say that?! How could it be!
The conversation continued later that night when he got home from work. I used all sorts of logic to try to persuade him to come to ‘my side’ of the equation. “See how the grass can be planted right up to the porch rail? no need for expensive landscaping!” “Wouldn’t it be nice to just keep potted plants alive and not have to worry so much about weeds?” “You can change it for the seasons – bright flowers in summer, potted spruce in winter!” “The lower planters won’t block the view out of the windows!”
Not budging.
Though he couldn’t give me a firm reason WHY he didn’t like the look, he did say that it just seems to him that a porch needs railings. (*technically.. this is the architect in me speaking…per code, we won’t be required to add a railing to our front porch because it will only be about 14 inches off of ground level)
SO… I set to work on my 3d modeling program, to get a better idea of what a planter box buffer could look like at the cottage.
See how cute? I went ahead and added a few more porch details – to further the vision I laid out in this post – I even added a blue bead board ceiling, which I think would be lovely.
Pretend that you are sitting on the porch.
The view from the porch swing is my favorite.
I could probably spend all day right here. Truly.
Of course, I want to make sure and play fair – so here are a few views of the porch shown with a standard railing.
Now it’s your turn to weigh in. Help us solve this debate by telling us which you prefer – railings or planters. Please comment below!
Read more about our home design progress here.