People have spent a lot more time at home in the past year and a half and sometimes it can feel stifling. Instead of seeking respite far and wide, back and front yards are becoming little escapes from the same four walls. Whether you’re building a deck, adding a sunroom or redoing your front porch design, personalizing your outdoor space is incredibly trendy in 2022.
If you’re buying a home, consider looking for one that already has an outdoor oasis. If you’re upgrading your own house, use these ideas to turn your front porch into more than just an entryway—it’s not just steps leading up to your home, it’s a whole room of your home on its own.
1. Porch Railings
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Railings aren’t just a structural component of a porch, they can be an aesthetic element too. For a more current and lasting look, stick with railings that have clean lines and simple design that won’t feel out of style in a few years. If you favor traditional over modern, classic wrought iron railings are a classic touch.
If you don’t want to go the construction route to change your porch design you can update the look of the railings with decor. Add greenery, lights or ribbons to spruce up existing railings.
2. Wood
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Wood is an incredibly versatile building material and the wood look is in for front porches. It can be painted, stained or finished in any number of ways, and if you decide to mix it up again later it can easily be refinished or painted over in the future. Wood can be incorporated into any number of front porch features, such as doors, columns, shutters and furniture.
3. Black and White
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A classic combo, black and white is popping on front porches. Warmer-toned whites have grown in popularity in recent years, as have darker accent colors. Consider a pop of deep tones as a contrast in smaller features like lighting or furniture.
4. Metal Roofing
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Staying dry on a cozy front porch while listening to the rain drum on a metal roof is a lovely way to spend an evening. Metal roofing is unique but becoming popular and it can increase a home’s resale value due both to its appearance and its durability. Copper roofing especially is attractive, energy-efficient and strong, lasting up to 50 years.
5. Woven Decor
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Wicker, rattan, cane and jute are all common choices for porch decor. You can get creative with it—mix different materials, colors and patterns for different woven accents. Think outside the box in terms of how to incorporate it, too; it doesn’t just have to be furniture. Woven wall hangings, rugs and even outdoor dinnerware can be a fun twist on a familiar porch style.
6. Artistic Greenery
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You don’t need to have a large yard or extensive landscaping to incorporate greenery into your outdoor oasis. Consider topiaries that grow up from their pots instead of out, flowering vines weaved into trellises (built-in or free-standing) and hanging plants. Fake grass can also be used creatively—it doesn’t have to look tacky.
Greenery can help tie in any aesthetic you’re going for. The different types of plants and flowers you use can evoke a tropical paradise, a rustic cabin, a whimsical garden, etc. and can help elevate even the most basic furniture and decor.
7. Dual-Purpose Furniture and Decor
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We’ve learned a lot from spending more time at home over the past year and a half and one of those lessons is that flexibility is key. Versatile outdoor furniture that can serve dual-purposes is a great investment to get the most out of your front porch.
On the simple end, consider stools that can be used as seating or as end tables or stackable chairs that can be easily stored when you need more space. For even more multi-use items look for modular tables that can be pulled apart to accommodate more seating (or social distancing), tables with hidden compartments for drinks of cutlery and even a table with a removable cover that reveals a fire pit for chilly evenings.
Similarly, there is also furniture and decor that doubles as privacy features. If you want your front porch to feel more like a secret garden, look for free-standing panels, umbrellas or foliage that provides a barrier from prying eyes.
8. Eco-friendly Attributes
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Environmental awareness is at an all-time high and people are putting in an effort to update their houses in a sustainable manner. A key trend in home decor is making eco-friendly decisions, from big changes like adding solar panels to smaller efforts like purchasing outdoor furniture made of recycled materials. Keep the earth in mind when making your front porch your own personal outdoor haven. Think about ways to recycle items that you already have to turn them into porch decor, like painting an old, broken bike.
9. Outdoor Technology and Entertainment
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For many people, a front porch is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the world and a relaxing reprieve from the work and chores of the home, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be entertaining. Technology built to withstand the elements has become much more accessible in recent years. Outdoor speakers can pipe in your favorite tunes, and you can even find ones that look like rocks that will blend seamlessly into the space. An outdoor projector can show your favorite movies and TV shows. App-controlled LED lighting can change colors to suit the holiday or the mood.
Some people are even creating a work-from-home setup in their outdoors space with Wi-Fi signal boosters; smart homes that feature high-speed connectivity might not even need the additional boost. But if you’re trying to instill more work-life balance into your everyday routine then consider skipping this step.
10. Season-Extending Features
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If you live in a climate that is too cold or too hot to use a front porch year-round there is plenty of functional furniture and decor that can be used to extend the seasonality of your front porch. Fire pits and heat lamps help during colder weather whereas fans and misting systems keep you from overheating in warming weather. Outdoor pillows, blankets and even rugs and lighting help keep it cozy, too.
