30 Front Porch Decorating Ideas for the Warmest Welcome
Because first impressions count!
The front porch is a family’s great transition space. Maybe it’s where you welcome a new friend or it’s the covert backdrop to someone’s first kiss. Maybe it’s the start of your spring morning, coffee in hand, or the family dog’s favorite nap spot. However you use your home’s entry point, one thing is clear: Each memory made there is even better when the space is cozy and well decorated.
“This might sound obvious, but your front porch is an extension of your home and, as such, the style of the decor you use should fit the style and location of your home,” says interior designer Megan Pflug. “Personally, I prefer beautiful, functional pieces to decorative ones. Not only because they are useful, but also because functional choices have a way of being lower maintenance.”
Your front porch may look gorgeous during the day, but consider how it looks at night too. For Pflug, that means good lighting. “With lots of solid solar options on the market, it’s easy to illuminate the approach to your porch at night, and you won’t believe the amount of curb appeal it brings to your home,” she says. “Along the same lines, a well-placed up-light illuminating a planting or an exterior wall shows off your landscaping and creates a warm, inviting look in the evenings.”
If you’re looking for something simpler, painting your front door in an eye-catching hue is an inexpensive yet high-impact way to decorate a front porch. You could also incorporate a hanging chair, or spruce up your steps with tile or symmetrical plantings. Other simple changes could be a new outdoor plants, a colorful mailbox, a fun font for your house number, or even a decorative door knocker. Whether a spacious wraparound or a smaller landing pad, these 28 front porches certainly don’t skimp on style. Read on for smart ideas on how to make your porch the perfect indoor/outdoor sanctuary.
Put Family First
Interior designer Laurie Fulkerson believed it was important to “provide a space that the adults could gather and visit while watching the kids play in the front yard” at this family home in Edgewood, Alabama. To create this welcoming design, Fulkerson added a cedar shake roof, copper gutters, gas lanterns, and bluestone steps. Something as easy as a designated spot for potted spring blooms can easily soften the area and make for a warm welcome.
Create Atmosphere
ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ken Fulk knows a thing or two about transporting you to another world—and that starts on the front porch of his Provincetown, Massachusetts, getaway. Here, he painted the shutters in Benjamin Moore’s Chrome Green and added a creative mix of lighting, plants, and a vintage bell and mailbox. Our favorite detail? He transformed a sign into the bench. “I daydream about coming here,” Fulk tells us. Is it any wonder?
Embrace Your Home’s History
This historic 1870s home in San Antonio began its life as workers’ housing. To honor its history and play up the soft hue of the stone structure, architect Vicki Yuan of Lake | Flato worked with a color consultant to find a historically accurate shade for the front porch. A duo of Mexican chairs, a porch swing, and decorative lighting make this the ultimate hang.
Add a Lantern
A home with a welcoming porch “intrigues guests before they even step food inside the home” says designer Maggie Griffin. Though this home doesn’t technically have a porch—just a generous overhang—Griffin created a statement look by adding a cozy gas lantern at the entrance of this brick exposed home. Having good lighting not only illuminates your guests’ way into your home, but it also allows for a lovely greeting.
Let Your Architecture Shine
If you love the exterior of your home but feel like it just needs a little something, follow interior designer Debbie Matthews’s tip: Make the architecture of your home shine. “We decided to keep the front porch decor very simple and classic by using traditional French planters filled with boxwood. We wanted stunning architecture and gas lanterns to take center stage without much distraction,” the designer explains.
Paint Your Doors and Shutters
As obvious as it may seem, “exterior porches are important indoor and outdoor transition spaces,” explains architect Charles Hilton. “By adding this deep blue color on the window shutters, this New England Shingle Style home now matches its rocky waterfront site."
Repeat Colors
If there’s an exterior paint color you can’t get enough of, make it the theme of your porch. “The homeowners were inspired by the color pink, and it is a detail that we decided to add throughout the home’s playful design,” says Gabriela LaBoy from Martha O’Hara Interiors. Here, pink makes an appearance on the front door, the planters, and even the pillows that top the hanging chair.
Add Simple Seating
On the porch of this historic home, Allison Garrison wanted to create a space that felt connected to the community. “I always love to add a chair and table to a porch when possible,” she says. Garrison also pulled the colors of the fence into the chairs for continuity.
Try a Black and White Scheme
The timber decking and stairs in this front porch gives the design a casual feel, and the modern black trim and door against the white house gives it an edge. For the finishing touch, landscape designer Inge Jabara, added a potted lemon tree by the front door. “The lemon tree reminds me of having a tea (or gin and tonic) after a long day while sitting outside and enjoying the garden,” Jabara says.
Plant a Privacy Hedge
This effortless front porch is decorated with twin lanterns, and comfy outdoor seating, making it the perfect alfresco spot to relax with family and friends. To make it more private, designer Erin Rasmussen added some bushes and shrubs instead of a railing.
Work with Stone
For this lake house, Elizabeth Drake and architect John Heneghan wanted to vary the materials. “This Shaker-style home wouldn’t be complete without stone pillars. To keep the flow, blue and green slate flooring covers the porch entry and steps,” Drake explains. A richly stained wood door and a vintage faux-bois pot of blue hydrangeas creates the warmest welcome.
Incorporate Bold Fabrics
If you are blessed with soaring ceilings on your front porch, a hanging sofa or swing is the perfect addition! “First and foremost, outdoor areas like porches are the quintessential first impression of a home,” says designer Sarah Hamlin Hastings. Apart from being the first area that people see, it is also a space that gives homeowners the chance to incorporate touches of bold color and pattern.
Bring in Nature
The large covered porch in this mountain house gives off a casual and relaxing vibe, which is exactly what the homeowners wanted. If you want your porch to feel laid back, consider getting antiques or pre-loved items. For this project, designer Debbie Mathews added a pair of hickory rocking chairs and greenery throughout. “Draping ferns is all this porch needed to blend with nature,” she says.
Paint the Ceiling
Cincinnati native Stevie Simonson wanted to bring some Southern vibes to her already-generous front porch, with a sky-blue ceiling, rocking chairs, whirring fans, and heaps of hydrangeas. “I wanted to represent the type of porch you read about in Southern stories, where friends gather to relax and drink their sweet tea,” she explains.
Layer Your Plants
Want to take your front porch to the next level? Head to the greenhouse. Grandin Road’s Kelly Lambert transported herbs and florals from her backyard to front porch urns. The varying heights of the vessels creates added dimension.
Scatter Mini Pots Everywhere
Decorator Julia Greene loves to scatter a variety of pots beside each seating arrangement on her front porch. She says she’s a big fan of greenery too. “Whether it’s from wreaths on my doors or fresh-cut flowers from my garden, it gives the porch a welcoming atmosphere and ambience,” she explains.
Rethink Farmhouse
In order to honor the farmhouse aesthetic of her home, interior stylist Tammy Delbridge chose to modernize her front porch by pairing a sleek pair of black French doors with traditional architectural design. “I also brought in rocking chairs to add charm, contrast, and the feeling of summer rocking on a farmhouse porch,” she explains.
Mix and Match
Colorful decorative pillows can work wonders on a porch vibe. Just ask The Home Envy’s Victoria Olson, who opted for navy-blue-and-white cushions on her porch to contrast the natural, neutral-hued furniture. Switch out the pillow covers with each new season to give the space a new look every few months.
Bring in Textures and Textiles
For Color by K’s Kristin Chambless, reading a book on a warm afternoon or sipping a cup of tea on a chilly morning porch-side are the highlights of the day. For this plein-air moment, she brought in a sofa that fit like a glove. She paired it with a raffia cocktail table and two armchairs, then layered in different textures and textiles for the ultimate snug space.
Let Nature In
In Thomas’s Woltz Queen Anne Victorian home in Virginia, little else is needed to take advantage of the scenic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains just beyond. Two armchairs and a side table positioned outward allow for a laid-back moment overlooking a dogwood tree and Korean boxwood hedges.
Sofia Quintero is the Editorial Assistant for ELLE DECOR. She helps out with all aspects of print production and is a frequent contributor to elledecor.com. She graduated from university in Paris, and is originally from Costa Rica.
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