5 Front Porch Ideas For Your Home

Whether you have a small slab or a wraparound veranda, your front porch sets the first impression of the aura of your home. Whether you go for a rich luxurious feel or a homely cozy ambiance, a well designed front porch will serve to be the perfect relaxation spot for you and your family for as long as you keep the house. Be it a summer evening or a winter afternoon the right front porch is the perfect place to unwind and de-stress with a book and a drink.

So here are 5 creative ideas to get inspired from to make your perfect front porch!

1. Light & Airy

The key to any open-air place is to remember to keep its open aura. Cluttering it with an overwhelming amount of outdoor furniture or considerably reducing the space to increase seating totally ruins the very essence of a front porch. To make your nearest outdoor escape relaxing, keep it light and airy. The furniture should be sparse, the ceiling should be high and color tones of the walls and flooring should preferably be neutral to go easy on the eye.

2. Choose Colorful Furniture

Brightly colored furniture like rattan chairs, coffee table sets, sofas, seats, swings, cushions, and rugs set off well against the neutral colored walls and flooring. The bursts of color here and there create the perfect atmosphere of a tropical beach hideout during summers. You can also hang custom sign boards, wall hangings, wind chimes etc. to brighten and customize your front porch according to your taste and add a designer edge. Also, consider having a bright doormat to make the front of your home welcoming and bright.

3. Metal, jute and wicker furniture

Choose durable furniture for your front porch, preferably made up of sturdy and weatherproofed materials like metal, wicker, bamboo or jute. Add straw curtains during summer to avoid direct sunlight and heating. You can also add porch swings, hammocks or gliders which serves as the perfect seating area to enjoy chilled beverages in summer. Special outdoor wall hangings, such as vintage signs and wreaths or mirrors to add a personal touch to your front porch but make sure they are secure enough to endure strong winds, thunderstorms or snow based on your geographical location.

4. Garden

Having a mini garden is one of the best ways to brighten up your front porch. Plant seasonal flowers and smaller plants and climbers in pots to give it a very green look. You can even add hanging flower pots from the ceiling to add to the charm of the place. Grooming the plants regularly, is, however, the key to a bright and clean porch. However, gardening takes a good amount of time and attention. So, you can also consider having fake flowers and plants if you want to have the natural touch without the effort and time required for maintaining a garden. But keep in mind nothing can beat natural beautiful plants.

5. Hanging lights and fairy lights

Lighting is the core of any furnishing plan as it makes everything come alive. However, practicality is as important as beauty. So have options for bright lights for when you need them for any functional purposes but also have moody dim lights for calm lounging on your porch in the evenings. To make your lights attractive, consider vintage lanterns or modern hanging ornamental lights from the porch ceiling to customise your porch according to the decor of the rest of the house. They can also serve as a functional decor if you’re looking to modernize your garage. Also consider having fairy lights along the walls, wrapped around the posts of your porch or the strings of your swing or hammock to add a romantic aura to the place.

A nicely decorated and well maintained front porch gives a very nice feel to any house before you've even entered the house and this rule applies irrespective of the size of your home or the porch itself. While decorating your porch, always try to keep it in tune with the color tones and decor of the rest of your house. For example, if your house has a vintage feel, decorate your front porch in a classic manner too instead of going for a very modern sleek look which isn't in tune with the feel of the rest of your house as it would feel extremely isolated in that condition.

Also, improving the looks and aura of front porch by decorating it smartly not only lets you enjoy your house more but also proves to be a smart investment as it improves the selling price of the house by a good amount if you ever want to sell it. So when considering upgrades to your house, strongly consider working on your front porch to make it more accommodating and polished.

Author Bio:

Jessica Smith is a working mom and a passionate writer. She enjoys writing about the latest home decor and lifestyle trends all around the globe. She has been working with Elite Garage for sometime now. Through her writing, she hopes to influence as many people as possible to help build a beautiful home and space.