Best Front Porch Ideas for Spring & Summer

Here are my Best Front Porch Ideas for Spring & Summer that will help make your home entrance inviting and expand your entertaining area now that warmer weather has arrived. Since pollen season has past, let’s gather our friends and sit a spell.

It’s porch-sitting weather friends. As a southern girl, I grew up rocking for hours and hearing all the family gossip on a front porch. Do y’all remember those days? Well, now that the pollen is finally gone, it’s time to get our front porches ready for some sitting.

Pitcher of Lemonade with vintage floral glasses on coffee table

There’s nothing better than fresh squeezed lemonade on a front porch. See the Perfect Fresh Lemonade Recipe.


Front Porch Ideas for Cozy Seating

The Front Porch has been a staple in American home designs for hundreds of years. When we planned our farmhouse, a huge front porch was at the top of the priority list. I wanted space for a swing and a rocking chair or four! LOL

two Kennedy Rocking chairs on Farmhouse Front porch with Spring and Summer Pillows

I love adding fun spring pillows to my outdoor areas such as these. Get a 10% discount with code PONDSFARMHOUSE10


We created a couple of seating areas on the front porch. This area with the swing and antique wicker is located in front of the master bedroom. It includes a coffee table and a couple of side tables, making it a perfect spot for entertaining friends.

Spring and Summer Front Porch decorating ideas with porch swing and vintage wicker seating.

Whether your porch is large or small, you can create a seating area for your friends and family to enjoy. To elevate your porch from boring to inviting, here is what you will need.

  • Area Rug
  • Seating
  • Outdoor Cushions & Pillows
  • Tables
  • Lighting
  • Accessories

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Area Rugs

The first idea for creating a seating area on your front porch is to choose an area rug to designate the space. This creates a cozy environment for the chairs to gather around. The choice of outdoor rugs is amazing. They are durable and made to withstand the outdoor environment.

A fun rug will definitely enhance your seating area.

Farmhouse Front Porch seating area with vintage wickers and porch swing, and iron coffee table on a spring rug.

Porch Seating

Next, you want to choose your seating and there are so many options. Most importantly you want your seating to be comfortable and appropriate for your space.

Not all front porches are created equal. If you porch is narrow, rocking chairs may not work. Another idea would be to add a bench to your front porch. It is a wonderful seating option when space is limited.

Regardless of your seating choices, you want to choose materials made for outdoor living so they will last for many years.

Seating area on front porch decorated for spring and summer with wicker rockers and porch swing

You have so many decorative options for outdoor cushion and pillow fabrics. Popular decor fabric colors for 2021 are Deep Rose, Blues and Greens. I’ve had the blue cushions for several years but decided to add some touches of the Deep Rose with pillows, throws & the flowers.

Rudy on front porch with swing, decorated with spring throw pillows and blanket

Rudy loves having a soft rug like this one to sit on.


Tables

In addition to seating, another front porch idea is to add tables for sitting drinks, food, magazines, books, etc. Small side tables work great for small narrow porches. It room permits, a coffee table is a great way to gather the chairs around for good conversation.

Pitcher of Lemonade with vintage floral glasses on coffee table with wicker chair

Lighting

Most porches will have some type of lighting in place. However, you may want to consider adding more subdued lighting to make your porch cozy and inviting. Nothing ruins a cozy atmosphere more than harsh lights. We added string lights around the edge of the porch to soften the lighting. Dimmers were added to the string lights as well as the front door lanterns. This helps to give a soft glow but allows for bright lights when needed.

French doors flanked by two white shutters with hanging baskets of pink flowers and planters with white flowers.

Using an oversized rug at the French doors makes the entrance feel grand.


Here are a few idea to achieve subdued lighting on your front porch.

  • Add dimmer switches to existing porch lights
  • Add string lights
  • Solar lights can be along the edge of the porch or added to plants on the porch.
  • Candles – both real and battery-operated. Antique Candle Co. offers great candles that hold up well on a porch.

See Best Summertime Porch Tips for more information.


Accessory Ideas

To enhance any design area, you need a few accessories to add a decorative flare to the front porch. I have many inexpensive thrift store finds which fill the vintage cabinet.

Primitive cabinet on front porch is filled with vintage copper and clay pots.

My favorite accessory to decorate the front porch is flowers and green plants in beautiful planters. Colorful containers are great for adding pops of color. If plants are not in season, you can add artificial flowers to give your porch a festive feel. One of my favorite tips is to mix real with faux flowers. It will keep your friends guessing which ones are real. LOL

Galvanized container filled with pink azaleas on front porch

Lanterns filled with candles, outdoor garden statuaries, wreaths and flowers all work together to create an inviting seating area. Using gardening tools and containers is a fun way to accessorize your outdoor areas.


Front door Ideas

I don’t have a foyer so I consider my front porch my entry and I want to make it as inviting as possible. When you walk up, I want you to feel welcomed to my home. So here are some ideas for your front door that say “Come on in!”

Farmhouse front porch with house number, old shutters with hanging basket filled with pink flowers and Rudy by front doors

Rudy say’s “Come on in”


First, I like to keep the front door fresh and here are the updates I made this year. Hopefully, these front porch ideas will give you some inspiration as well.

  • New door hardware – It’s amazing how updating the hardware will brighten your door. Bronze and Antique Gold are the latest trends in hardware. See how we updated our hardware here.
  • A new door rug. If space permits, I like to use an oversized rug by the front door. A larger rug has more impact and makes the space feel more inviting.
  • Large oversized planters, such as theseย urn-style planters, add visual impact.
  • Use real stems when you can. These are real azalea stem cuttings from our garden.
  • Creative hanging baskets with ribbon ties.
Front porch with rocking chairs and french doors, shutters with hanging baskets filled with pink flowers

I hope these front porch ideas will help you to create an inviting space for friends and family to gather and enjoy some Spring & Summer front porch sitting.

Y’all have the best day!

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24 Comments

  1. Your front porch is so beautiful and inviting, Rachel! I love how you always have it styled for the different seasons! Such great inspiration for the spring and summer!

  2. I love all these beautiful and cozy ideas. It’s wonderful to have an outdoor space that has all the comforts of the indoors.

  3. Rachel first of all you have the absolute best porch! Second, you do such a great job decorating it. Thank you for sharing your tips!

  4. I love all these ideas and your porch is gorgeous! Just where I’d like to sit! I love it so much I’m sharing it with my followers Sunday in my From My Neck of the Woods post!

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