Porch Decorating Ideas for Spring and Summer

Interior Design Ideas

The spring and summer months are a great time to get outside and enjoy your front porch. If space permits you can even create an outdoor room that you, your family, and friends can enjoy all season.

* Create a seating/conversation area. Add an outdoor rug to help define the space. Include comfy chairs (covered in an outdoor fabric such as Sunbrella) and somewhere to put down drinks or a book (a coffee table, side table, or even an ottoman depending on your space restrictions). If there's enough room you can place a few chairs around a central table.

* Use accessories such as candle sconces, a mirror, hanging lanterns, a wall-mounted fountain, pillows, and other items that will make the space feel cozy.

* Add pots or urns of flowers and plants. Have them on either side of the front door, along the perimeter of the porch, and on the stairs.

* Hanging baskets full of seasonal flowers add color and life to the porch without taking up any floor space.

* If privacy is desired, consider hanging curtains around the perimeter of the porch. Hang them on a rod so that they can be opened and closed as desired. You can also install some sort of lattice up the sides of the porch and then have vines and flowers growing up them. It will provide a bit of privacy as well as block out some of the noise from the neighbors.

Decorating the Porch for Fall



As the weather starts to get colder most of us will put away the outdoor furniture and seek warmth inside. But there are still plenty of ways to make the front porch look cozy and inviting.



* Mums are a great fall flower to display on the front porch. They're indicative of the season, and they're inexpensive to boot. Put them in large planters, hang them in baskets, and plant them in the ground around the outside of the front porch.

* If you've got the space, bales of hay are a traditional and fun fall decorating item. They can be used as a base to hold other items such as potted plants, pumpkins, and gourds.

* For an elegant twist on the traditional, place a collection of white pumpkins near the front door. They're a bit more sophisticated than the classic orange, but still say "autumn".

* Corn stalks are often used in the fall. Attach them to the front door, railings, and columns. Add foliage such as leaves and pinecones for extra fall flair.

* Place galvanized metal buckets filled with fall items such as pinecones and berries near the front door or on the porch steps.

* Old leather boots are fun and a bit cheeky. Try filling them with mums or other flowers and put them on the porch.

Winter Decorating Ideas



Winter is a great time to decorate the outdoors, particularly around the holidays. Here are a few ideas to perk up your porch in the winter.



* Place a few flameless pillar candles on the front steps and porch. Place them in outdoor hurricane vases or in galvanized metal buckets. Turn them on to light the way for guests in the evening.

* Urns filled with winter greenery are elegant and sophisticated when placed on either side of the front door.

* Fill a basket or urn with large, colorful Christmas ornaments. They're cheerful and festive when put on the porch.

* Wrap railings and columns in wide ribbon in festive colors for a candy cane effect.

* Make a pinecone and evergreen garland and drape it across the porch railing.

* Don't forget about holiday lights. Wrap them around the railing and around doors and windows, but don't stop there. Try taking items normally used for other purposes and wrap them in lights and place them on the porch. An old bicycle or sled wrapped in lights has a nostalgic and charming feeling.