Ideas For Your Summer Front Porch

Easy ideas to refresh and update your summer front porch…or any outdoor space. A sitting area, soft furnishings, and plants make all the difference!

If you have owned the same house for a long time, one of the biggest challenges is making it feel fresh and new without completely reinventing the wheel. You want an updated and well-thought-out look, but you are working with the same old spaces. In this post, I’m sharing some tips and tricks that will help you rise to the challenge. These ideas can also be used to furnish a new outdoor space, and they can be adapted to most porches, patios, or decks. In some cases, you may have to think outside the box, but I am positive you can do it!

When I am refreshing an outdoor space for a new season, the first thing I do is give it a good cleaning. After that, you have a blank slate to work with, and it’s much easier to visualize the space.

Tips for the Perfect Summer Front Porch

Tip #1 Add one or two new items that give the space a pop of color.

This pop of color can come in any form, and can be any size. Some ideas are:

• new pillows or chair cushions (or a throw blanket in the fall)
• colorful planters
• a small side table
• a rug
• accessories such as lanterns, a vessel of flowers, or garden-inspired decor that reflects your personal style
• a wall sign

For my summer front porch refresh, I added new blue and white pillow covers and a very fun navy blue garden stool. The garden stool is metal, and light-weight. It can be moved around easily, and will be simple to store. All the other pieces that make up this summer front porch are things I already had…and of course, the bones of the porch didn’t change.

Tip #2 Look online for inspiration.

When I was trying to come up with a plan for this porch refresh, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. After I purchased the pillow covers, I hit a road block, and could not get any further. The indecision was driving me crazy! I knew I wanted another accessory that I had never used before, but I had zero ideas. After spending some time on Pinterest, I found this image. All of a sudden, I knew exactly what I was going to do. The layout in my inspiration photo is similar to mine, so I could picture what my porch would look like with a garden stool added on the end. I thought about painting the wicker table navy blue, like the green one in the inspiration photo, but in the end, I talked myself out of that!

Even though our front porch is smaller than the inspiration porch, with much plainer finishes, I was able to visualize what it would look like, and that in itself took the guesswork out of purchasing the garden stool. I just knew it was exactly right before I even ordered it.

Tip #3 Use different plants and switch up the colors.

The planters on our front porch never look the same two years in a row. I love huge ferns flanking the door, but I don’t use them every year. Last year, I used sweet potato vine and ivy, so this year I opted for ferns. Next year it will be something different. To add an unexpected touch to the sitting area this year, I found two galvanized containers in the garage and turned them into planters. They add a bit of vintage charm, and the fact that they are white is perfect.

Tip #4 Opposites attract.

Our outdoor spaces are small and simple. Both the front porch and our back patio are plain concrete, which is very neutral, so I add color and texture with accessories. If your outdoor spaces are colorful and have textured finishes, it’s a good idea to use simpler accessories. White or black outdoor furniture pieces are always a good choice. They anchor any size space, and allow you to change color combinations without starting from scratch.

I’ve been showing you the same front porch, three times a year, for ten years. That’s 30 different looks! I’ve only changed the chairs one time when I replaced wicker chairs with our white rockers. The little round table has never changed, not even once. It’s the same old space, year after year. I hope by sharing these simple tips, you will be inspired to breathe new life into one of your outdoor spaces. It’s easy, it doesn’t have to break the bank, and it’s completely gratifying.

*Affiliate links included. Click HERE for my disclosure statement.

Summer Front Porch Shopping Sources

• white porch rockers
• blue and white pillow covers (Silas)
• down pillow inserts
• blue garden stool
• information and sources for door area
• round wicker table (similar)
• galvanized plant buckets
• enamelware planters are vintage