Kathy Metrick’s porch went patriotic in May and again just recently.
“I’m a Navy veteran, and I always decorate our porch for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Veterans Day,” said Metrick, a former Navy nurse who met her Navy reservist husband while they were both on active duty.
Metrick, who lives in Midlothian’s Cross Creek neighborhood and now works as a Realtor with Joyner Fine Properties, typically decorates her patriotic porch in a traditional style. “I’m a fan of classic Americana, a kind of preppy style,” she said. “I’m very Southern so I love a good monogram, plus it makes it more personal.”
Completing Metrick’s traditional design is a bunting on the porch and a bow on the lamppost, an extra touch Metrick added last Veterans Day. “The classic look is just timeless,” she said.
Inspired to decorate your own porch? Priscilla George of Interior Excellence home design studio urges DIYers to take a fresh eye to common household objects.
“Look around your house,” George said. “A family flag. A really cool star. Decorative columns. Think outside the box. Blue and white is huge right now – you probably have something blue-and-white.”
Traditional patriotic décor often features bunting – swags of fabric in flag-like stars and stripes strung from the porch structure. In England, bunting means fabric triangles attached to string – or triangles can be bandannas or even paper colored by your kids, George said.
Other options suggested by George: Tie-die old white T-shirts for bunting or cushion covers. Put streamers or pinwheels on sticks in decorated terracotta pots. Paint old frames and use to accent craft letters spelling out “USA.” Cover an old stool with a bandanna and perch a rustic tool or a child’s classic toy on top. Pop blooming plants in a water pitcher or watering can.
For a more elegant feel, George advised using all white products accented by red and blue.
