I guess this is “porch week” at 11 Magnolia Lane. Amy showed you her screened porch on Wednesday, and I’m showing you our back porch today.
Many of you know that we moved from Nashville, TN, to Savannah, GA this summer. In fact, our household goods were delivered exactly sixteen days ago. I have to say that I’m impressed with all that we’ve accomplished in that time, although there’s certainly more to do.
I started out with a small covered porch and a concrete patio. Figuring that the bugs are pretty thick here in the lowcountry (they are!), I decided to use the same Ikea Lill panelsIkea Lill panels that I used on my Nashville screened porch (see that HERE) to DIY a screened porch.
Here’s what I started out with:
And after I added four packages of Lill panels (that’s eight panels total, they come in packs of 2 for $5 at IKEA or you can buy them through Amazon HERE), here’s what I wound up with:
I used a staple gun to put them up. The ones in our Nashville house were up for over a year and never got dirty or moldy. Hopefully the same will be true down here.
I love the way they hang in “pleats” at the top; it’s a very airy look. I used two panels on each side and four on the front. Then, I used 3M command hooks on the pillars and tied the panels back with a bit of jute twine. They haven’t come loose, and we’ve had several big storms since I hung them up.
The panels on the sides are tied with twine and just hang loose.
When we eat dinner on the porch, I just untie the panels and let them hang loose, and we are in our very own “screened” porch!
I added the grapevine lights around the top for fun. I got them at World Market and hung them up with the tiny clear 3M hooks (I swear this isn’t an ad for Command hooks–I just love them!).
Here’s a picture of the hooks I’m talking about:
Buy them here:
Here are a few more pictures: 
I have one last thing to do back here. I need to hang my old iron planter on the side of the house and put some flowers in it. I found it at a yard sale when we lived in Virginia Beach. Isn’t it pretty?
I’ll show you my front porch next (Update: see that post here)!
Update: You can read about how the sheers held up over time {here}.
Update: see this space decorated for fall here and redecorated in green and white for spring here.
Thanks for stopping by.
Beautiful! You constantly amaze me! I think I need those curtains for the covered area of my patio.
I think you do, too, Tina. If they won’t ship them to you in Nashville, maybe we could meet up one day at the Ikea in Atlanta? That would be fun (and dangerous!).
Your porch is gorgeous and love the panels!
Thanks, Shirley. I hope it’s functional as well as pretty–we have to keep these Georgia bugs at bay!
How would you hang the curtains if you cannot make any holes? We’re not allowed to attach anything here at Langley.
Megan, just between you and me, I’m not allowed to attach anything, either, but I know how to spackle and paint when the time comes! You could use tension rods, or the 3M Command poster hangers (they’re velcro). Good luck!
Love your front porch!! I have been trying to find nice curtains for my front porch (had some up for a few yrs, but they finally got moldy 🙁 )and I really like these you have chosen. Where did you get them for that price? I
saw some online at Ikea,they are $4.99 a pair. Let’s just say I’m super cheap…lol.
Hi, Aurora–you are right–if you read the post you’ll see right at the top I link to the Ikea Lill panels ($4.99 a pair) that I used on this porch as well as our last one. I highly recommend them for outdoor use!
thanks for the shopping tip!
Another two big thumbs up!
Where did you get the panels? How many? And do you have to order them on-line?I LOVE the look, and might borrow the idea from you!We have a good-sized back patio, but we can hardly use it in the warm weather- we get so bitten -up!Did you staple the curtains onto wood?
Hi… Beautiful!!! How did you attach the curtains?
I stapled the panels onto the porch; I go into a bit more detail in this post: https://www.11magnolialane.com/2012/08/27/easy-screened-porch-update-sheer-outdoor-curtains-add-privacy-and-pizazz/
The only thing I would change … instead of staples I would use spring loaded curtain rods or wood dowels for the curtains … that way you can take them down for washing or dying when you change decors.
Exactly! Here’s the post I wrote on how they held up over time (I got 18 months out of them) and next time I will use the tension rods: https://www.11magnolialane.com/2015/02/05/update-on-my-diy-screened-porch-sheer-curtains-18-months-later/ But at $15 to replace them, it was still a great deal! 🙂
I love this! Is each panel 9 feet wide? I’m doing a section that is around 20 feet wide and wondering if I should just do 2 panels or 4 panels..I like the look you have but probably won’t tie them back..but, I’m not sure how it will look with just 2 panels.
Since the panels aren’t specifically for outdoor use, how have they held up in the sun?
I left them up for about 18 months, and then took them down as we were moving. If we hadn’t been moving, it still would have been time to either take them down and wash them, or just replace them with new ones. Since they’re so ridiculously inexpensive, I’m sure I would have just replaced them. Hope that helps!
Hi Christy, I’m wondering how long the curtains are? Did they reach the ground when you unhooked the sides?
Hey, Shelly–They are 98 x 110, but you can cut them to any length you need. On that particular porch, they could actually puddle on the ground when I unhooked them. Hope that helps!
Hi Christy. love this!! are the holes small enough to keep out the mosquitoes too? Im sure flyes, beetles, and other critters cant get in but i have a mosquito problem in my area.
Madeline–
Yes, it does keep them out (as much as anything can). The holes are small enough but as you know, they are tenacious! We were in Savannah, so coastal Georgia, and it doesn’t get much buggier than that. This was our best chance of surviving outdoors during the warm weather. Good luck to you!
Christy
Hi, can you put a picture of the curtain closed?
I wish I could, but this was four houses ago!