Have a Hearth

“My favorite DIY projects involve taking objects and making them fit my style,” Sue says of her period reproduction home. Her porch features a mantelpiece that showcases treasures found on antiques expeditions. To add charm to your outdoor living spaces, consider decorating a faux fireplace.

1. Mount a mantel with chipped paint to an exterior wall.

2. Center a relic that doubles as art atop the mantel. Sue opts for a stenciled headboard.

3. Flank the art piece with a pair of country jugs brimming with flowers.

4. Arrange weathered gardening tools between the jugs, and hang a vintage lantern from a corner of the mantel.

5. Fill the hearth opening with a split-reed chair, bee skep and bird’s nest to underscore the backto-nature theme.