21 Fabulous Front Porch Ideas

Patio • Matt • 0 Comments

The front porch of a house is essentially an extension of your living space.

Particularly if you’re a Southener, big chunks of your life will have taken place on porches, and they will continue to do so. You will, as many others, have spent hours of cutting and cleaning veggies for dinner out there, you will have had countless cups of morning coffee on your porch, and this special place will have been silent witness to many of your life’s most important talks.

In other words, the porch is more than your porch, the porch is an essential part of life, a place where all the important things happen, where the story of your life is written.

And in order to live up to the great responsibility and opportunity of this place, you will want your porch to be as comfortable, welcoming, and relaxing as possible.

This can be achieved with just a few small adjustments and additions, and we’re here to give you some helpful pointers along the way.

Painted, Well-Kept Front Door

It should go without saying that a welcoming front porch should have a painted and well-maintained front door.

The front porch might primarily be an extension of your living space, but it also the (small) exterior room that welcome people to your home, and the front door -obviously- is the most important part of doing just that.

And please do not shy away from using bold colours! (As long as they match your front porch design.)

Coloured Trim

A very easy way to pick up the colour of your front door, or just generally creating spots of colour on your porch, is painting the trim, or other selected details

It’s quick, it doesn’t cost the world, but it’s highly effective and looks just great! (And no, you don’t need to get all out colourful as our example picture! Just a few spots of colour here and there is more than enough to create a wonderful look.)

Cozy Chairs

It goes without saying that an extension of your living space needs comfortable seating.

If everything goes well, you will spend a lot of time on your porch, and you don’t want to be uncomfortable or end up with an aching back because you have to perch on chairs that just are not made for long lounging around.

Rocking Chairs

A staple of front porches you really don’t want to miss out on.

If you’re thinking about rickety, creaking chairs that don’t look like they might hold up against a regular-sized person when you think of rocking chairs, think again!

These days, rocking chairs come with all the charm of the classic rocking chair but with a lot more comfort and sturdiness.

Swing

We’re sure you have, just as we do, the image of someone slowly rocking to and fro on a swing in your head when you think about a “typical” front porch.

Well, make it a reality! Porch swings are a great way of adding charm to your front porch, and they don’t need a lot of space, so they work even on the narrowest of porches.

Hammock Chair

If you love the idea of gently swinging the night (or day) away, but don’t want to commit to a full-sized porch swing, or if you are looking for something a bit more individual and intimate where you can curl up and forget about the world around you, a hammock chair might just be the perfect choice to hang from your front porch.

Sectional Sofa

If you have the space and don’t want to miss out on a great seating experience and the opportunity to stretch out and have a nap, or want to be able to seat a large group of people on your porch, a sectional sofa is just the thing for you.

The great joy of sectional sofas is the very simple fact that you can easily fashion exactly the kind of sofa you want and the space allows for without having to cut back on anything.

Cushions and Throws

Whichever seating option(s) you choose to employ on your front porch, there are two things you will need in abundance: cushions and blankets.

There’s nothing worse than whiling the evening away on a beautiful porch without having something to snuggle (against) and a nice throw or two to keep away the night air!

Sturdy Outdoor Table

If you have the space and truly want to enlarge your living space to serve all purposes, you should invest in a large, sturdy outdoor table.

That way you can do anything from hosting a dinner for friends, to working or doing homework, to playing cards or crafting outside without having to compromise on comfort.

Wire Spool Table

When space is scarce, or you plan on having bigger outside events in your back yard or on your patio, a small table, more like a coffee table, is quite enough to have on your porch.

The possibilities there are endless, but if you want to go for a charming DIY or up-cycling look, a table fashioned out of an old wire spool is a great eyecatcher.

Tea or Drinks Cart

And for those who like it even smaller and more practical, a drinks cart might just be the perfect choice that combines looks and pupose.

Porch Curtains

Using porch curtains has two reasons: to provide shading during hot summer days, and to add a layer of privacy during long evenings out if your porch can be easily seen from the street or your neighbour’s homes.

And even if you don’t intend to draw them, you might just want to consider hanging sheer, possibly coloured curtains and drape them around the porch’s posts as another tidbit of decoration.

Fairy Lights

Obviously, lights are a big topic when it comes to making your porch usable at all times of the day, or night. Generally speaking, you probably want to have quite a selection of different lights at hand, ranging from one emitting enough light to work, read, or study with, to some lower lighting bright enough for having dinner, and even some candles to set the mood.

On top of that, we suggest making use of fairy lights to create ambience lighting. They typically are low-key enough to not compete with other means of light, but are -on the other hand- enough to give some amount of light that makes talking into the wee hours comfortable.

Plants, Plants, Plants

While your front porch should be an extension of your living space, it also doubtlessly is part of the “outside”, and using a lot of plants in your decoration reflects this state of duality.

In terms of which plants to choose, the choice is all yours! Everything from cut flowers to small potted plants and maybe a vegetable planter up to smallish trees or palms is possible.

Tall Planters

One great way of creating focal points, particularly around your front door, or acting as visual space dividers are tall planters.

House Number Planter

The house number planter is a charming way to combine the necessary with the decorative.

Welcome Sign

Sometimes creating a welcoming feel is really as easy as putting up a sign.

There are loads of different designs available, and what’s more, a “Weclome” sign is a lovely DIY project for yourself, the kids, or the whole family.

Colander Hanging Basket

Speaking of DIY, cheaply fashioning planters, plant hangers, or hanging storage solutions for useful knick-knack out of things you already have at home is a great way to decorate your front porch.

Monogram Planter

Another beautiful way of leaving your personal mark on your porch is using a monogram planter. Let guests know they have found the right house by planting the first letter of your surname with colourful flowers (or create a herb garden for your family to enjoy).

Planted Dresser

And yet another way of re-using something you most likely already have at hand.

Instead of throwing away an old, now unused dresser, vanity or chest of drawers, give it a second life as a planter on your front porch!

Seasonal Decorations

And last, but not least, don’t forget to match your front porch decorations to the season!

There really is no good reason to let spring, fall, Halloween, and Christmas pass by without giving it a nod in terms of porch decorations as well!