It can be hard to figure out how to decorate your small front porch, but with a little creativity and effort, your porch can be beautiful! Here are some small front porch ideas to get you started!
Can I let you in on a little secret?
My house might be kinda cute on the inside but, um, it has zero curb appeal.
Okay, maybe not zero. We’ve got a giant tree in the front yard that makes me weak in the knees, a cute little tree swing that adds a bit of charm, and a couple of really great bushes that are overgrown but otherwise gorgeous.
But other than that? It’s not super cute. We hate the color of the siding and trim (and it’s kind of poorly painted to boot), the front flower bed is full of bushes that I don’t really love, and we’ve done absolutely nothing in the time we’ve lived here to spruce up the front entry or the front of the house in general.
Also, we’re totally those neighbors who always have a ton of trash and random junk on the side of our house. We’re constantly working on some sort of project, so we always have shipping boxes, extra materials, and other random stuff floating around while it waits for us to deal with it.
Basically, we’re just lovely to live next to.
We’ve been working really hard on sprucing up our backyard so far this year (some of my favorite projects have been Jackson’s playhouse, our patio, and my upcycled ladder-turned-vertical-garden), but we’ve continued to ignore the front. Now that the back is more or less under control, I want to start focusing some of our efforts on upping our curb appeal, so I don’t have to cringe when I pull in the driveway.
The main problem getting in the way of making the front of our house cute is that our front entry is tiny. Like, it’s hard for two people to fit on our “porch” at the same time. On top of that, there’s a giant brick column on one corner of it, which makes it feel (and look) even smaller. It’s a problem I’m not sure how to solve, so I’ve basically ignored it (which is naturally what I do anytime I come up against a problem – it’s totally a healthy way to deal with things). But, I’m feeling determined to get the front of our house to reflect what the inside looks like at least a little bit, so I’ve been doing some research on decorating small front porches.
And you know when I research, I like to come back and share my findings with you. Enjoy!
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Small Porch Ideas – 12 Ways to Decorate Your Porch
Oh, so much inspiration to draw from both of these! I love how Ariel (from PMQ for Two) used a ton of color in her front porch, I love the fun patterned planters, and I love the wooden divider she put next to the door. I’m also a big fan of the house numbers! Ours are so boring, they could use a little sprucing up. Kelley’s porch is much simpler, but I love it just as much. Sometimes all you need are a few pretty plants! I’m actually thinking I’ll end up doing something similar to what she has here, because there isn’t room for much else (though, she’s got a whole beautiful front porch that you can see in her post!). I really love the light she has above the door – I hadn’t thought to do a light that hangs down like that, but I love the presence it adds!
One theme that’s pretty consistent throughout all of these patios that I love is an abundance of plants and greenery. Even a tiny little porch feels luxurious with a ton of plants all over the place, right?! I’m not a fan of year-round wreaths (they feel decidedly Christmas-y to me) so I really love the idea of a hanging plant on the front door. How pretty would that be to walk up to every day?! I’m also drawn to the vertical planter in the photo from Behind the Big Green Door – our porch may be tiny but there just might be enough space for me to hang something on the wall by the door. Another thing I’m really loving in both of these is the varying heights of everything – it makes the spaces feel a little more layered and larger!
How adorable is that little tiered planter on Anika’s porch?! I also really love the light blue color she chose for the front door and, of course, the colorful door mat. This is another one that’s a great reminder to me that you don’t have to have a lot of space to make a beautiful entryway! The colorful flowers and a fun doormat really do a lot to brighten it up, don’t they?! The photo on the right is exactly the kind of thing I wish we could do on our front porch! This little sitting area looks so pretty and cozy, and I really love how perfectly that little sofa is nestled into the corner. So adorable! I’ve actually considered adding a little bench or sofa in front of our front window (right now it’s a flower bed with a big bush in it), but I wonder if that would be weird?
This front flower bed from My Creative Days is such an inspiration for me when it comes to the flower bed we have in the front of our house. Right now there are a couple of bushes in it, and while they’re perfectly healthy and inoffensive I just don’t like them. They’re kind of boring and don’t add any color, and I’d really love to spruce it up with some prettier options. It’s probably a little late in the season to plant something new (right? I know nothing about this), but maybe in the spring I’ll try to create a more interesting front flower bed! I also LOVE the bright colors Angela from Blue I Style used on her porch – along with, of course, the umbrella wreath. How cute is that?!
Both of these shots are a great reminder to me that putting some plants outside will make a huge difference. I know that’s kind of an obvious solution, but I keep thinking that since our front entry is so tight, we don’t have room for anything. But, of course, that’s silly and I can absolutely make room for some pretty plants. Now I just need to figure out what kind of plants can handle almost zero sun, since that area of our house doesn’t ever see any rays. Also, can I just say I’m incredibly jealous of the green thumb that Jenny from Paint Yourself a Smile has. Those flowers are stunning.
The porch from One Mile Home Style is approximately the same size as our front entry – maybe a little bigger, since ours has a massive brick pillar that seriously encroaches on what little space we have. Her post was a great inspiration for me, though, because her small entry looks way bigger with some decor added. Plus, our door seriously needs a fresh coat of paint, so there’s that too. I also love the stenciled concrete from Bella Tucker – how fun is that for a front porch?! I love that it’s a pretty easy project and it adds so much pattern and interest to boring ol’ concrete. Also, that light is basically perfect.
Hey Amanda, You have shared some Great ideas!
I was looking for some exterior decoration ideas and then I found your website which is full of amazing ideas.. You make some good points about front porch decoration that I never thought about.
Thanks for sharing!
My husband and I just moved into a home with a beautiful porch! I appreciate your advice that we should add a lot of color to the front area. I’d love for our home to feel inviting and warm!
I bet it isn’t too late to plant, fall can actually be a great time to get stuff established before the next hot summer. I would also encourage you to visit the LBJ Wildflower Center for some native inspiration. Better to attract butterflies and birds to your yard.
These are great ideas, thanks for the inspiration! I’m the last person you should listen to for plant advice, but I know your porch will turn out great!
I’ve currently just done a big renovation on my first home. The only rooms we haven’t touched are the two bedrooms and my office.
We’re currently working on the front of the house, because much more people see the outside every day than the inside. We can currently only get one car on the drive too, so we’re trying to expand it, as well as make it look lovely.
I love that all of these have some sort of foliage by the front door or on the porch. Always brightens the front up!
Ferns love the shade. But, don’t be afraid to get some nicer fake plants, so you don’t have to worry about maintenance and watering, and you can reuse them year by year. It would save you a lot of money in the long run, and would look nice all the time. I finally did this this year because I kept forgetting to water the plants (we don’t use our real front door – we have one off the kitchen and driveway that we use all the time instead).
Also, another quick update (and you may have already done this) is to replace/paint your light fixtures, get new house numbers, paint out your mailbox, and give your door a nice fresh coat of paint.
In terms of the garden, make sure all borders are rounded and not squared. Choose an actual border so that you can prevent grass from growing into your beds. Choose low-maintenance plants and some hardier plants too, that will show some green during the Winter months. Also, and I cannot recommend this more – consider crushed stone instead of mulch. We did this last year in the beds immediately around the house and I’ve weeded once for about 20 minutes in the last year. It looks so much better, doesn’t need yearly replacing like mulch does, and adds in a brighter color to your garden. Depending on where you are located, too, it may end up being the same price as mulch if you order from a landscaping company. There was $1 difference between the crushed stone and the mulch, so for us, it was a no brainer.
George says
Hey Amanda, You have shared some Great ideas!
I was looking for some exterior decoration ideas and then I found your website which is full of amazing ideas.. You make some good points about front porch decoration that I never thought about.
Thanks for sharing!
George says
Great ideas!
A front entry is a great place for a small garden. This trough full of herbs and flowers greet guests with color and wonderful smell.
Moira Blythe says
My husband and I just moved into a home with a beautiful porch! I appreciate your advice that we should add a lot of color to the front area. I’d love for our home to feel inviting and warm!
Kelley Nan says
Amanda, thank you so much for sharing! I love seeing everyone’s unique entries- so so fun! xoxo
Amanda says
Thanks, Kelley!
Sara says
I bet it isn’t too late to plant, fall can actually be a great time to get stuff established before the next hot summer. I would also encourage you to visit the LBJ Wildflower Center for some native inspiration. Better to attract butterflies and birds to your yard.
Amanda says
Ooh, I should definitely do that! Great tip, thanks, Sara!
Maria Brittis says
OH Wow they are all so pretty, paint yourself a smile door color is the color I plan to paint my new door to my home. they all have special something.
Amanda says
It’s such a great color!!!
Meredith @ The Palette Muse says
These are great ideas, thanks for the inspiration! I’m the last person you should listen to for plant advice, but I know your porch will turn out great!
Amanda says
Haha, thanks Meredith!
Laura says
Love all these small porch ideas! Thanks for featuring mine!
Amanda says
So many good ideas, right?!
Sarah says
I’ve currently just done a big renovation on my first home. The only rooms we haven’t touched are the two bedrooms and my office.
We’re currently working on the front of the house, because much more people see the outside every day than the inside. We can currently only get one car on the drive too, so we’re trying to expand it, as well as make it look lovely.
I love that all of these have some sort of foliage by the front door or on the porch. Always brightens the front up!
Amanda says
So gorgeous, right?! Good luck with your curb appeal projects!
Dana Tucker says
Such great inspiration!! Thanks so much for including our front porch 🙂 🙂
Amanda says
Thanks, Dana – LOVE your porch!
Amanda Z says
Ferns love the shade. But, don’t be afraid to get some nicer fake plants, so you don’t have to worry about maintenance and watering, and you can reuse them year by year. It would save you a lot of money in the long run, and would look nice all the time. I finally did this this year because I kept forgetting to water the plants (we don’t use our real front door – we have one off the kitchen and driveway that we use all the time instead).
Also, another quick update (and you may have already done this) is to replace/paint your light fixtures, get new house numbers, paint out your mailbox, and give your door a nice fresh coat of paint.
In terms of the garden, make sure all borders are rounded and not squared. Choose an actual border so that you can prevent grass from growing into your beds. Choose low-maintenance plants and some hardier plants too, that will show some green during the Winter months. Also, and I cannot recommend this more – consider crushed stone instead of mulch. We did this last year in the beds immediately around the house and I’ve weeded once for about 20 minutes in the last year. It looks so much better, doesn’t need yearly replacing like mulch does, and adds in a brighter color to your garden. Depending on where you are located, too, it may end up being the same price as mulch if you order from a landscaping company. There was $1 difference between the crushed stone and the mulch, so for us, it was a no brainer.