Imagine a hot summer night on the porch, with just enough breeze in the evening air to invite the crickets out to sing. The stars are twinkling, the lemonade is cold, and you and your favourite companion are blissfully rocking away the hours on your porch swing.
Whether your porch dreams are fresh out of a romantic movie scene or more of a practical way to enter your home, every front porch deserves a little pampering and pizzazz.
First impressions matter
The porch is the first thing you or your guests see when arriving and sets the tone for everything that follows. Simply picking up the mail or perhaps designing a completely separate living area – what’s most important is to create a space that says welcome, come on in, and make yourself at home!
Top 10 tips for a picturesque porch
#1. Walk this way
Roll out the red carpet and create a proper pathway to your porch. Freshen up cracks by re-staining your old concrete, or get creative and design a stepping stone path using crushed gravel, bricks, tiles, or wood. Add a colourful flower border and stylish railing to finish it off.
#2. Paint the front door
Nothing says HELLO and welcome like a brightly coloured front door! Designers are touting this year’s trends as teal, turquoise, and lime green. Fire engine red is a great choice to complement a stucco home, while grey, slate blue, and black say luxury lives here.
#3. What’s your number?
Add fashion and function by updating your address numbers. Line up numbers horizontally or vertically and consider stylized backgrounds from contemporary slate and wooden planks to charming country-inspired frames and even neon numeral lights.
#4. You’ve got mail
Give your rusty old mailbox a makeover! Choose from traditional brass, bronze, or black wall mounted boxes or go ultra-sleek and slim with a stainless steel industrial-style. For porches with personality, try a brightly coloured box, retro letterbox, or a one-of-a-kind art-inspired design.
#5. Door decor
Knock knock, is style home? Everyone loves using a door knocker, from traditional brass ring handles and vintage lion’s heads to more creative versions featuring everything from hands, woodpeckers, golden pineapples, and even spooky skull heads.
#6. Welcome mat
Instantly greet visitors and keep dirt where it belongs with a front doormat. Now a popular porch trend, choose from a huge variety including traditional welcome home and monogram mats to seasonal and design themed options, plus our favourite, funny message mats.
#7. Outdoor lights
Amp up the ambience with new lighting fixtures. During the day they add style, while at night they illuminate and invite a safe arrival. Choose from ceiling or vertically mounted options ranging from vintage lamps and nautical themes to modern sleek sconces and industrial globes. If you have a lot of space, consider hanging Moroccan-style coloured lanterns or a magical sting of LED bulb lights.
#8. Flower power
Freshen it up with flowers and plants. Add colour and style with potted planters, hanging planters and window boxes. Choose from shade happy ferns and bamboo to bright violas, petunias, and pansies. Plus, a front door wreath is a popular seasonal touch.
#9. A place to sit
If your front porch has space, create an inviting place to sit with your guests. Design a space that says “stay a while” with a pair of Muskoka or rocking chairs to a classic porch swing, and even an alfresco eating area with a café table and chairs.
#10. Outdoor art
Share your artistic flair with outdoor porch decorations. Welcome signs, patriotic flags, and seasonal pieces are very popular. Create a display of antiques, ceramics, or old window frames. There are also hundreds of wall hanging designs including metal monograms, moose, dragonflies, and more, plus the perfect plaque outlining very important porch ruled: relax and enjoy a glass of lemonade.
