Decorating a Front Porch for Summer

Warmer weather is coming and it is time to get your front porch ready! I am going to give you all kinds of front porch ideas so that you have a welcoming front porch! No worries, though, even if you have a small space for a front porch, there are creative ways you can make your porch welcoming!

I LOVE having a front porch! I am so fortunate to have a large front porch. There are so many different colors you can use in your outdoor living space. I like to use red in the summer for the pop of color and improved curb appeal.

Welcome to my summer front porch:

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A colorful mat, layered with a rug is great even for decorating a small front porch.

If you don’t have a green thumb to be able to keep real plants alive, keep in mind you can always substitute some high quality artificial plants to add some natural elements to your porch.

I selected red as my color scheme for my porch this summer. Last year I used pink geraniums. From the flower pots of growing geraniums on the front steps and near the front door, to the artificial ones filling the basket on my front door, it is geraniums everywhere. Keep in mind that bright colors will give you a big impact.

Wicker baskets can be used instead of a front door wreath. I filled mine with faux geraniums and asparagus ferns. If you are looking for a diy wreath you can find lots of ideas right here.

I don’t use a lot of decorative items on my front porch, but seasonal throw pillows are easy to add to vibrant colors to your space. Outdoor pillows don’t have to be stored for spring and fall if you use pillow covers so you can keep the same pillows and just switch out the covers for the seasons. That little lantern does double duty, it is the BEST thing I have ever found for keep the mosquitos away! You can read about that and more if my ideas for porch decorating at 7 Things a Front Porch Needs.

A pretty hanging basket is an easy way to great way to give your front porch a summery vibe.

My porch is a place to gather and relax and spend quiet mornings or evenings. When my granddaughters visit, they insist on breakfast in this dining space with Papa! Many a pancake and blueberry has been enjoyed right here at this table! I hope they grow up to treasure those memories like the ones I still have from my grandparent’s front porch.

I wanted to share a little tip or more like a secret about my arrangement of geraniums on this table. I pulled them aside so you can see what is hiding in there. Can you see it? It is a tulip! I had Dollar Tree red tulips left from my Valentine’s wreath and really needed to fill in my arrangement a little more. Those red tulips were WAY cheaper than the geraniums I bought, so I just filled in the middle of the arrangement with those cheap red tulips, and if I hadn’t told you, then no one would have known any better!!

With our extra large porch, we have lots of seating options which gives us the chance to sit where we can get a breeze on a hot day or find ourselves in the sunny chairs on a cooler morning. We got this wicker furniture several years ago and will hang onto it as long as it holds up to the tough Florida environment. Throws and blankets are there to offer cuddly warmth if an evening gets too cool. You can find my husband out here with a cup of coffee and his newspaper on Saturday mornings. This is also a great spot to curl up with a good book. This spot is like our own little outdoor living room. If you have a small porch I would make a seating area a priority.

This view from our living room is such a pretty focal point on this end of the porch. This is the perfect place for our wicker table and chairs. The back porch has become more popular since it has become screened so this spot might eventually get a porch swing that I have been dreaming of! The outdoor rugs make the different areas each their own dedicated space.

Front porch memories:

I have so many fond memories of playing on the big wrap around front porch my grandparents had. Their house in southern Ohio was a Montgomery Ward catalog house that came on the train. My grandfather and a neighbor each bought one and then helped one another build them. The front of the porch of my grandparents home was where the front door was located was covered and then as it wrapped around the corner of the house to a large open patio. I remember playing out there with my cousins for hours on end. The columns on the corners of the porch and patio part were substantial. Those columns didn’t support the roof of the covered porch, they must have supported the structure beneath, because my favorite thing to play out there was circus! There were wide wooden railings between the columns which ended with big concrete caps at the top of the railings. We cousins would pretend we were lions and tigers in the circus and crawl down those railings from one column to the next like we were in a circus. Ah, such memories!

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