Spring Front Porch: Le Jardin Brocante

Since it’s springtime, our home tour just had to include a refresh to our porch and potting bench for the season. I carried my theme of vintage French farmhouse and blooms to this area, and it created a dreamy feeling for our outdoor living space.

My goal for this space was to combine a French brocante vibe with the feeling of a farmhouse garden.

WHAT IS BROCANTE?

The French word brocante means second-hand, and during the fair-weather months, you’ll find open-air brocante markets (vintage flea markets) nearly every weekend throughout France.

Here in the states, we call second-hand items ‘vintage’ when they are at least 20 years old, or ‘antique’ when they reach 100 years old.

These open air brocante markets are recognizable by the white pop-up tents that will appear in common areas during the weekends.

The vendors in a brocante market are called brocanteur/brocanteuse. This is what we, in the US, call ‘dealers’. And you, as a brocante shopper, are called a chineur, or bargain hunter.

If you visit France, be sure to also watch for events called vide-grenier, which literally means “empty attic”. While brocante markets tend to be professional dealers, a vide-grenier is more like what we call a “garage sale” in the US–these are individual sellers getting rid of items they no longer want or need in their home.

Although a vide-grenier is going to have a mix of all sorts of goods, you might find some truly spectacular bargain antiques and family heirlooms in these events, as well!

There’s no question that I love to hunt for vintage treasures, so this season, I decided to bring that theme into our front porch decor, as well!

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THE PORCH

The first thing I was drawn to about our farmhouse was the large covered porch that runs the full length of the house. While we were waiting to hear if our offer would be accepted, I would lose track of time staring at photos of the porch and dreaming about fixing up the house.

A higher power must have been listening to what was in my heart because eventually, it became ours!

I love to decorate the entrance area at the front door because I really believe that these welcoming points of a home are so important. These are the areas that invite us inside, so it’s crucial to make sure that they match the energy you want in your home.

The main inspiration for this area is the old, chippy watering can that I picked up at a vintage market a couple of years ago. I was so thrilled when I found that piece, and I carried it around quite proudly as I shopped that day.

I’ve really been missing attending vintage markets this spring because, usually, our calendar is full of them this time of year. Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to this piece for the porch? Who knows!

No question about it, though, I have been incredibly inspired by the spring blooms around our farm this year. It started with the tulips in our family room, and then continued to two large floral arrangements I created in our breakfast nook.

It’s no wonder that I would end up bringing them to this area, as well!

If you caught the spring tablescape I created in our breakfast nook, you know that I have been very drawn to a feminine, romantic, vintage French aesthetic this season. This is quite a departure from the way I usually decorate.

I tend to opt for farmhouse simplicity, so there are rarely any frills or lace in our decor. But this season, I had a creative itch, and so I brought in a few elements–like the vintage crocheted doily–that are outside of the norm for me.

To make sure I incorporated some personal touches, I stacked some old books from my collection to add height and color.

And, the chippy vintage chairs are like an invitation that says, “Welcome…sit a while…we’re glad you’re here.”

I also used an abundance of blooms in this design. Again, this is different from the way I normally style our floral arrangements. Typically, I’ll use just a few stems for simple beauty…but this season, I wanted those blooms to be overflowing from every container.

{Related: 15 Faux Floral Favorites Under $5}

Decorating this way was a bit of a creative challenge for me because it’s not really within my comfort zone. But, I’m just tickled with how everything turned out, so my advice is to try new things! Stretch your abilities! It’s good for the soul.

THE POTTING BENCH

Further down the porch, I have my potting bench set up for spring, as well. If you haven’t already caught the story of how I came across this amazing table at a barn sale, be sure to check that out.

I use a chippy old chicken nesting box on top of my table to sort and store pots and gardening supplies. The cubbies are perfect for keeping things organized…and they’re cute to decorate, too!

Don’t you just love things that are both pretty and practical?!

{Related: How to Build a Nesting Box}

I have a number of old vintage boxes and containers on my potting bench for storing things like seed packets, tools, twine, and other small items. These keep my bench looking tidy, and everything has its place.

Vintage and barn sales are such a great place to find funky old containers like these. Plus, you can find some great rusty and chippy garden items at the same time!

{Related: How I Score the Best Authentic Farm Finds}

Eventually, I would love to build a greenhouse (and you can see my inspiration for that future project here), but until that happens, this little area on our covered porch is perfect for planting pots and doing small tasks.

Want to see more of our spring home tour? Continue on with any of these posts:

Spring Blooms in the Family Room

Vintage Spring Tablescape

And, P.S., in case you have spring cleaning on your mind…right now, I’m giving all of my newsletter subscribers a copy of my printable Spring House Keeping Guide. Everything you need this season for maintenance inside, outside, and the garden!