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78 Best Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Making the Dreamiest Space Ever
Inviting guests for an outside visit? These ideas will pretty up your porch or patio with ease.
Feel that? The warm breeze drifting through the air? The sound of cicadas emerging and songbirds singing? Spring is firmly here and summer is just around the corner, which can only mean one thing: It’s officially porching season. Whether you’re getting your front porch ready for the first time this spring or are overhauling it for summer, there are so many fun and stylish ways to twirl it up just for relaxing or for entertaining.
To help you welcome guests in style and ensure you’re putting your best foot forward, we’ve rounded up the best front porch decorating ideas just for you. From designer-approved outdoor furniture to the perfect planters for your front steps, these high-impact ideas are easy to execute.
Check Out These Additional Ideas for a Picture-Perfect Porch All Season Long:
Craft a Party-Ready Porch
Get your porch ready for summer parties, last-minute get-togethers, or casual hangouts with rocking chairs, ample storage with piece of furniture, and a long table to set out food and small bites. Then, set the scene by adding garlands of greenery and comfy picnic blankets and pillows for the front lawn. Be sure to stock your cooler (a wheelbarrow also works!) or prep your favorite sangria recipe.
Lean Into Wood
If you love the look of a classically clean porch but still want seating to enjoy the views, then stick to simple silhouettes made of woods such as teak. Even if the silhouettes differ, the common material they share will keep the porch from looking too mismatched.
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Bring Out the Bunting
Just in time for the start of summer, give your front porch a patriotic punch up with layers of bunting, as photographer Sean Litchfield did here at his home.
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Or, Go Tonal With It
On her South Carolina porch, Michiel Perry, founder of BSB Media, chose tonal blue bunting to add subtle festive flair that can be left up all summer long.
Add a Pair of Classic Rockers
The classics are classics for a reason, right? A set of wooden rocking chairs looks great on almost every porch and helps create a welcoming, laze-about vibe that is quintessential to front porches. Here, designer Claire Zinnecker surrounded two vintage rocking chairs with freshly planted greens and a wedding ring quilt sewn by her grandmother.
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Go All-In On a Theme
Channel the “lake life” by choosing rustic elements with subtle theming. Here, simple enamel buckets make for planters with laid-back charm, while the plain wood canoe paddles and firewood add to the rustic atmosphere of this Massachusetts lake home.
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Add Barely-There Furniture
If your house has a stunning facade you can’t bring yourself to cover up with loads of furniture and decor, opt for disappearing furniture similar to what architect Nate McBride and his partner Kari McCabe chose for the front patio of their coastal home.
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Go Green
It’s no secret around here that we love green. (We mean it! Don’t believe us? See below....) So, why not bring it out to the porch? While painted wicker is always in style, painting it green means you’ll be blending trendy whims with timeless style.
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Go for Grand
Because the front porch is the first thing guests will see upon arriving to your house, we’re giving you permission to go a little overboard (on scale, on furniture, on everything). Opt for large planters to flank your front door. Fill them with tidy boxwoods for a more prim-and-proper approach, or go for more unkempt greens and spillers to keep things feeling a little humble.
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Think Outside the Box with Upholstery
Textiles are the perfect way to show off your porching personality. For a subtle country flair, pick something like a gingham tablecloth, plaid blanket, or a patterned quilt to wrap your swing cushion, like the homeowners did here on their California porch. If your upholstery is graphic, pair it with plain pillows in the same palette to bring the space together.
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Set Up a Mini Kitchen Garden
If you’re a dedicated green thumb, then you know that every spot—and we do mean every—could use a little greening up. Here, a small potting station on the covered patio acts as a mini kitchen garden with quick-grab herbs and small greens.
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Accentuate Architectural Features
If your home has unique architectural detailing such as archways along the front porch, then decorate to compliment. Here, designer Erick Espinoza hung potted geraniums from the arches to draw the eye up.
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Rely on a Classic Color Palette
If you aren’t sure where to begin on your porch design project, start with a simple color palette. On this Texas porch, varying shades of blue and white set the base while an antique flag hung on the wall provides the proper pop of red. A mix of country patterns, such as gingham and grain sack ticking stripes, add texture.
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Choose a Candy-Colored Palette
Bright, happy colors instantly boost curb appeal. Here, a pink Dutch door pairs perfectly with a white-and-yellow painted metal awning. Choose white furniture for a neutral base, then pile on colorful pillows to complete the palette.
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Set Up a Bar
There’s no rule against showing off your favorite antique pieces on the front porch rather than inside the house—they are the first things guests will see, after all. When it comes time to throw a porch party, utilize the piece as a drinks station.
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Pick Petite Plants
On smaller porches, you may be tempted to fill the space with larger-than-life plants to make an impact. Instead, try picking plants with smaller silhouettes, like homeowner Bambi Costanzo did here. This allows you to have more plants in the same area and doesn’t take up precious walking space by the front door.
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Paint Your Floors
Not only is a painted floor a quick and easy way to upgrade your existing porch, but it’s also on trend. You can keep it simple by washing the space in a single color or mixing it up with a checkered floor or other dynamic patterns. You also don’t have to have wood flors to paint them! Here, a concrete slab got a major upgrade with green paint.
Get the Look:
Floor Paint Color: Cypress Vine by Behr
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Bring On the Color With Flowers
Love an all-white exterior but want to add some color and don’t have a ton of room to do so? Take a note from creative Nancy Fishelson! Her longstanding affinity for whites and neutrals doesn’t mean she isn’t open to pops of color. Happy hydrangeas add just a dash of color when set against her white farmhouse flush with greenery.
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Hang Graphic Paddles
If your lakeside porch is in need of a quick spiffying up, try hanging graphic canoe paddles as art! They’ll set a happy and welcoming tone right by the front door.
Get the Look:
Red Paint Color: Rustic Red by Sherwin-Williams
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Sculpt Shapely Boxwoods
If you love the look of topiaries flanking the door but don’t love all the fuss of having to care for them, go simple. A pair of rounded boxwoods in tall planters adds height and drama without the maintenance required to care for more fanciful topiaries.
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