A front porch is a staple architectural feature that frames the entrance to the home and gives an owner a place to sit and admire their neighborhood. Whether your home is more traditional or you are elevating a newly-built house with some character, front porch ideas will give any property elegance and endurance.
Paired with front door ideas, front porches are the perfect way to differentiate your home from others in the area, represent your style as its owner, and enjoy nature from the comfort of your home. They epitomize indoor/outdoor living wherever you reside, and often have nostalgic roots in the past, as they were seen as a social hub to catch up with neighbors on the local news.
Be it a shared evening drink, a solitary morning coffee, or for hosting guests, front porches can also make a perfect extension of your front yard landscaping ideas, an elegant place to wine and dine with your friends and family on the weekend.
1. Plant flower beds or boxes to soften a porch
First impressions are everything. You want your front porch to feel as welcoming as possible, so make sure the area is vibrant with lush greenery and flowers.
If your front yard walkway is spacious enough, your entrance should be bursting with fragrant flowers, beautiful flower bed ideas, and verdant front yard landscaping, as this home by Susie Novak Interiors shows. It's a beautiful way to establish the boundary of a walkway. What's more, these flower bed ideas will continue to offer color and structure throughout the seasons as the various plants take their turn in the spotlight.
Alternatively, if you're tight on space but want to incorporate some greenery, window boxes can create a similar framing effect. Raquel Kehler from Room Crush says, 'For show-stopping window boxes, focus on flowers that pop from afar and plant a variety of colors (as long as they work with the exterior color of your house),’ Raquel recommends. ‘This can make a big difference if the exterior of your house is painted in a neutral color like white.’
2. Create a place to unwind
Before purchasing the decor for your front porch, consider how you’d like to use the space. A larger porch area can be used as an extra sitting room; a peaceful sanctuary for enjoying your front yard in spring and summer, or as a ‘quiet' zone for contemplation.
Even small porch ideas welcome seating of some kind. Whether it's a small wrought-iron bench or a plush daybed, a piece of comfortable and stylish furniture will give the area practicality and versatility.
In the porch pictured above, designer Liz Caan has featured two plush armchairs that allow the owner to take in the verdant surroundings. She has opted for a summery palette, decorating with blue and white from the furniture to the rattan side tables, each piece oozes sophistication and comfort.
3. Direct eye level with fragrant hanging baskets
Hanging basket ideas are a brilliant way to bring joyful color and interest into your front porch during the warmer months. They also add impact to small areas like narrow balcony gardens and courtyard gardens, allowing you to maximize your growing space. There are options for sunny or shady spots too, so it doesn’t matter what the aspect of your front porch is, as there will be something to suit.
Planting up a hanging basket is an easy, enjoyable job for a spring or early summer day. In a few weeks’ time, it will transform into a boule of tumbling foliage and flowers, and then remain a mass of cheering color throughout summer. Adding foliage plants such as compact carex, silver-leaved artemisia, or purple sage, and incorporating flowers in striking colors like burgundy or orange are two simple updates. Single blooms are also good – they not only look more contemporary but will provide for wildlife, too.
If you do not have the porch space to add large, varying planters, then window planter boxes or plants in hanging baskets framing your front door can add some life and color with a smaller footprint.
4. Paint your front door
Front door color ideas will refresh a lifeless exterior with color and vibrancy. When choosing a front door color, it's important to opt for a timeless shade that is harmonious with your home's architectural style and will continue to feel chic for years.
A classic sage green pairs beautifully with traditional architecture (particularly white-painted exteriors), alongside a bright blue or navy. If you're working with a more contemporary build or want to create contrast against a dark exterior, consider more modern shades like oranges, pale pinks or even buttery yellows.
Muted shades like this blue are a perfect partner to traditional homes, too, ensuring the front door is attention-grabbing but sympathetic to the architecture, as demonstrated in this space by Margaret Ash Design.
5. Nod to your interior
All good front porch ideas should represent their owner, just like an interior. While connecting the exterior of a home to the inside may seem unfamiliar, try to choose one element of similarity, whether that's mirroring the color palette, interior design style, or use of decor.
Mollie Ranize, Founder of Dmar Interiors, who designed the front porch pictured above, explains, 'A front porch offers a glimpse of what awaits inside, so I never overlook the opportunity to show that. For example, if it’s a Spanish-style home with layers of subtle patterns, I like to hint at that outdoors. If the interior is rich with bold color, the porch is the perfect place to introduce a hint of that personality, too. '
6. Add a name or number
It might seem obvious, but if your porch doesn't have a number plate or name plaque, it's worth adding one. Not only is it practical to differentiate your property from others on the same street, but the best front door number designs also give your exterior a sense of character and individuality that radiates charm.
If you already have a number or name plate fitted onto the wall of your porch, consider opting for a new, updated version, like a hand-painted plate with beautiful calligraphy or vintage bronze numbers fitted in a row. These small but mighty touches can make all the difference to a porch lacking character and can make your space feel enticing and welcoming for guests.
7. Choose a welcoming color scheme
If you adhere to color psychology, then your porch paint ideas will play a big part in how you and your guests feel when you walk through your front door. Bright, warm colors like pink and yellow can have an uplifting effect.
While you might not want to paint your entire home or porch a bold shade, a pop of paint or a colorful cushion can go a long way in setting a happy scene. Consider the most welcoming exterior paint colors if you're ready to commit to a permanent pop of color.
'When it comes to choosing the right color for your home, it’s important that you ensure the shade is harmonious with your exterior,' says James Greenwood of Graham & Brown. 'However, if you feel like experimenting and being a little bold, I love a pop of color like Ellie, a pale pink, or the happiest of all, Tuscan Sunshine, a warm yellow.'
8. Take design cues from your home's architecture
It’s important to ensure the porch you choose is sympathetic to your house style, particularly if your home is close to other houses.
Typically, this will involve using the same materials, although contrasts can work well in some cases. A wood porch set against stone walls with an aged flagstone floor can be a magical addition to a country farmhouse, for example. Always bear in mind that the porch roof should reflect the style of that of the house, with a visual break between the porch ridge and the first-floor windowsill.
Referring to the porch pictured above, Melissa Holt, Principal & Founder of Holt Design House, elevated the architecture and brought it back to life. 'This original carriage house had plenty of old charm but needed to be refreshed with some modern touches. We chose a blue-green paint color accented by crisp white trim and a slate porch with blue undertones to complement the siding color. Stained wood was added to the existing barrel ceiling for charm and sophistication, while brass accents like the mailbox, house numbers, and light fixture bring warmth and elegance.'
9. Incorporate potted plants or trees
Nothing is more classic than a pair of potted plants or trees sitting on either side of a front door. They frame the entrance and create a sense of sophistication and grandeur that's fitting for any house style. Whether it's a potted lemon tree or a vibrant petunia, these luscious vessels make a porch feel inviting and elegant.
Much like the plants you would consider for patio ideas or balcony gardens, Interior Designer Jamie Haller recommends using potted plants or looking to the foliage around you for some natural front porch decor. Jamie says, 'Using native flowers and branches cut from the tree acts as a natural art in the space. Olive bushes are my favorite potted plant and offer moments of witness to the breeze. A porch should be a place of gathering and always offer a moment of escape.'
10. Prioritize the views
If you are blessed with a porch that overlooks a scenic view, be it sea, meadow, or forest, build and decorate your space according to the scenery.
If you're building a new porch, a wrap-around style might be the best option to make the most out of the views. Take the design pictured above, the balcony curves around the property, allowing the beautiful natural scenery to encompass the house.
If you would rather not change the architecture of your porch, enhance your surroundings by positioning a seating area facing out to gaze at the sea, or incorporate a daybed so you can lounge and take in the view for as long as you wish.
13. Add an extended portico
If you live in a builder's spec home or a neighborhood full of houses that look alike, a porch is a great way to add character to your home. Opt for an extended portico to frame the entrance of your property and give the build a sense of age and character.
Attention to detail on the posts, brackets, and sides can make for a unique finish, while incorporating architectural features is a clever way of ensuring a stylish porch that’s consistent with the look of a period property. Wrought iron is a classic material that feels deeply traditional and can give a porch an ornate grandeur that pairs with old and new house styles.
Porches or porticos with classical-style architrave and columns are particularly associated with traditional Queen Anne-style homes, so consider the style of your home and then opt for your column and roof styles.
12. Paint more than the front door in a bold shade
'Your front door and porch is the perfect introduction to what lies beyond, consider elements such as the vernacular of the build and a palette that has empathy with the architecture,' says Patrick O’Donnell, Farrow & Ball Brand Ambassador.
'If you're wondering how to decorate a front porch, one option is to carry the same front door color up and over the porch and other exterior wood elements for continuity – creating the simplest of decorations – this is also a great way to add scale to smaller doors.'
The design pictured above has considered not only the front door but also the woodwork, creating a vibrant and bold entrance that welcomes and stands out from the other houses on the street.
Patrick adds, 'Alternatively, work with colors that share the same undertone or several shades lighter or darker than one another – this again will create a considered look that is timeless and attractive.’
13. Create a visual path
A tiled pathway is the perfect build-up to a beautiful front porch and creates a sense of purpose and impact. There are many outdoor tile styles to consider for garden use, but it's best to consider your home's architectural style before selecting one.
If you live in a traditional home like this Colonial-style house, brick or slate tiles pair beautifully. These beautiful stone tiles perfectly lead you up the path to this grand porch.
Traditional floor tiles that are suitable for exterior use can be run from the porch across the threshold and into the hallway without any worry of damage from the cold weather.
14. Use intricate ironwork
Detailed ironwork gives a property a sense of grandeur and lasting sophistication. While it's not always possible to install a whole new portico, wrought-iron furniture, and decor provide a similar elegance. An iron bench or pair of ornate outdoor dining chairs provides you with seating and style.
This delightfully traditional English-style porch has stunning, intricate metalwork that frames the front door, balanced by a simple pair of potted plants and a white-painted exterior. Painted in classic black, the detailing stands out against the white paintwork perfectly, and the symmetrical design aspect is replicated within the porch area by the two bay trees and planters, with the result being a very stylish view.
15. Make it two tone
‘The outside of our homes are often the poor relation to our interior decorating,' says Helen Shaw, director at Benjamin Moore. 'Maintaining and refreshing your exterior masonry and woodwork not only protects the surfaces but it is a fantastic way of creating an impression, particularly if you embrace color.'
'Although the go-to paint is often a white or off-white, choosing a bolder color is a great way of creating a feature, especially if you have beautiful doors or windows in your property.'
For a unique look, great for porch ceiling ideas, why not paint the porch ceiling a bright, bold shade, guaranteed to establish an impact but keeping the color slightly concealed from the outside.
16. Create an alfresco dining set up
Designed by Marie Carson of M.Elle Design, this stunning porch oozes sophisticated style and comfort. A true extension of the interior, the neutral furniture and coastal decor feel timeless and refreshing, perfect for spring and summer hosting.
A dining table and chair set is a staple in any outdoor dining idea, alongside ambient lighting like lanterns or candles. 'Porches remind us of a calmer, slower-paced lifestyle,' says Marie. 'There is a romanticism about rocking in a chair watching the world go by. Make sure you have a comfortable seating space and add planters and greenery.'
17. Add character with vintage furniture
‘A good Craftsman porch is a mix of the traditional and eclectic. Storied, warm, and inviting are words I associate with a welcoming front porch,' says Jamie. 'I like to bring the indoors out on to a porch, which is usually well covered.'
Jamie decorates with vintage to give his porch a unique edge. 'An antique rug layered under traditional Adirondack chairs, fashioned with overstuffed pillows instead of outdoor cushions. A vintage marble side table is unexpected and used between them, offering an inspiring place to put your glass. A drop leaf early century dinner table becomes an impromptu outdoor dining spot or a daytime work alternative.'
18. Add columns to make your porch feel bigger
The structural design of your porch may not be easily adaptable but consider smaller changes. Speak to your architect about adding columns, railings or newel posts.
'If you have the ability to add a window to a covered porch area, then do so. It will provide much-needed light,' explains Nikki Rees.
California-based interior designer, Denise Maloney recommends adding wider, decorative columns in place of existing posts. 'It may sound counterintuitive, but it really does help elongate the space and give your eyes somewhere to land,' she says.
How can you make a front porch look more welcoming?
A simple way to make a front porch look more welcoming is to include some porch furniture for resting or removing shoes, and some well-manicured planters at varying heights to fill the space with life. Adding some nice soft glow porch lighting will also make the area look cozy, enticing your guests in and impressing your neighbors. And of course, you want to pick a welcoming front door color too.
How can I make my front porch stand out?
The best way to make your front porch stand out is to paint your front door a bright or bold color. Using a saturated hue, or a deep jewel tone will instantly draw the eye and give your home some personality. Porch lighting will help here, too, treat your scheme much like your indoor one, with different types of lighting for different tasks. Having a layered all-over glow will make your front porch stand out at night, and make it more welcoming too.
