Our new beach cottage porch + a simple appetizer

Our new porch is quite a bit bigger than our last one. We actually have room for a real seating area. We could bring out a table and host a dinner party with a few minor adjustments. I worked with Garnet Hill to create a porch that feels like an extension of the house during the summer months. The first thing we added were rugs. We chose the black & natural stripe rugs from Dash & Albert. I think outdoor rugs are the perfect addition to make it feel cozy and more like a room. The Standish furniture that we had in our former backyard held up so well that we decided to use the sectional on the porch. The loveseat and chairs are in our backyard but were a little deep in size to use on the porch. The dimensions of the sectional are perfect for any area, but especially a long, narrow porch. We added two Sebastopol Stools that can be used for extra seating or as side table. I love the round stools too! 

Garnet Hill provided the preserved lavender wreath which inspired planting English Lavender in the planters. 

The planters are a combination of Terrain, Rejuvenation, Target and Ikea. I moved several houseplants outdoors and now I need several more because once you have plants…you always want more. Maybe not as many as Hilton Carter, but I do love his instagram @hiltoncarter and his book, Wild at Home. The door hardware and all hardware throughout the house is by Emtek. I have used Emtek on our last four or five houses and always choose it when I help clients with home design. It has just the right style for any design and the price is so reasonable. We used flat black just like at our last house. 

1. Carson Wall Sconce //  2. Edison Lightbulbs // 3. Black + White Number Signs // 4. Door Hardware from Emtek // 5. Galvanized Ribbed Planters // Stripe Doormat // 7.  Please Ring Doorbell  // 8.  Black Mailbox

The only thing left is to add a hanging chair.  When we sold the house, the new owners asked if we could leave the porch furniture, including the “swing.” The new hanging chair is going up now! Will update with what hardware we used from Home Depot.  You can read more about getting our porch ready for summer on the Garnet Hill blog, Threads

Goat Cheese with Castelvetrano Olives

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I saw this on instagram or pinterest…it’s not really a recipe, but I have to share it because  it’s so simple and so good!

• Author: annie diamond
• Prep Time: 5 - 10 minutes
• Cook Time: none
• Total Time: 5 - 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 - 6 1x
• Category: appetizer

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 oz. plain goat cheese
• 18–20 Castelvetrano olives pitted and sliced in half
• 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• drizzle of olive oil
• fresh thyme leaves

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Instructions

1. Using a ramekin, coat the inside with olive oil on bottom and sides and press goat cheese into the ramekin.
2. Freeze for a couple of minutes and then remove and run a knife around the edges and place on a plate or dish with sides.
3. Place olives around the cheese.
4. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and fresh thyme on cheese and olives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the entire dish.
5. Serve with crackers or bread

Notes

To save even more time, you could buy a goat cheese round rather than the log shape. I used what we had on hand, but next time I’ll buy it in a round shape.

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