7 Easy Small Front Porch Decorating Ideas

Need ideas for your front porch? Here are 7 ideas for decorating a small porch. In this post, you will find easy ways to decorate your front porch for any season.

Your front porch is your home’s first impression. No matter how palatial or tiny your porch is it should always be welcoming and happy and show off a bit of your personality! Today I’m sharing decorating ideas to make your porch its best no matter what the season!

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The Tanglewood house has a small front porch with really good bones! And to make it unique and welcoming it did not take much doing!

But my personal challenge was to add beauty, function, and personality to a space that is quite small!

My Front Porch Decorating Musings

I have learned a lot by having a small porch. When we first moved here I thought there weren’t a lot of fabulous small porch decorating ideas I could call on to make my tiny porch look amazing. But I was wrong.

I have learned that there are as many great ideas for decorating a small porch as a large one. You just need to keep a couple things in mind.

If you have a small porch like me it’s important to keep in mind Less Is Best! Also, scale and proportion are very important especially when it comes to decorating a small front porch!

Scale And Proportion are very important when decorating a small porch. You can read about these basic elements of design HERE. They will help you choose the perfect items to put on your front porch.

Start Decorating Here

Keeping a clean and well-maintained front door and porch is probably the best thing you can do to make a positive impact on your porch no matter how big or small!

Keep a small (or large) front porch tidy!

I like to define “tidy” as

• clean
• no clutter
• nice paint

We live out in the country and believe me we see it all! Fabulously maintained homes and some that are quite an eyesore! So when we are driving we often comment about how “tidy” a house looks. And that is a compliment! So tidy for us has come to be neat and nicely maintained!

One big advantage of having a small front porch is that is so easy to keep looking clean!

Add Something Seasonal To Your Front Door

Nothing makes an instant impact like something spectacular on your front door especially if you have a small front porch!

Our eyes will go right to the front door if there is a wreath or basket or some other focal point on it!

For late spring into the summer, our front door has a big French-inspired basket filled with red and pink geraniums hanging on it. You just can’t miss it! I adore red and pink together!

No matter the size of your porch and the time of the year, make your front door the focal point!

Did you notice the little hello sign on the door! It’s a cheery welcome for sure!

Applying A Decal To Your Front Door is a super easy way to add something personalized and unique to a front door.

Add Something To Sit On

Adding something that can loosely be classified as furniture helps to add visual weight and interest to a porch. Even a small front porch!

I tried a few pieces of outdoor furniture here before we settled on this bench.

First I added one of our rockers to the porch but it really did not fit into this space well. Then we tried a backless bench with a rattan seat. I could see we were headed in the right direction but I needed something (like the back of this bench) against the stone wall to give it more presence and visual weight.

It took months to find this little lattice back bench. Our specifications were very restricted. It had to be an outdoor bench even though we have a covered porch, and it had to be short and narrow.

Our bench is no longer in stock, but you can see a very similar one HERE.

It not only fills the space but adds a bit of practicality too! I can add a basket of flowers in the summer or a pumpkin and my Antique Buchanan wool throw in the fall! And my Amazon packages can be neatly stacked on it!

Adding an attractive piece of outdoor furniture is one of the best small porch decorating ideas I can give you because it will dramatically change the whole look of your porch!

Add A Shout-Out To The Season

Adding a nod to the season is an easy and so pretty way to decorate a porch!

Pumpkins in the fall. Evergreens at Christmas. Planters of blooming bulbs in the spring. And lots of pretty, colorful annuals in the summer!

For summer I added three planters of vibrant, colorful annuals to my porch and surrounding area. The tall architectural planter on the right side of the porch balances the bench on the left side and is filled with shade-loving plants. The planter does not get any direct sun.

These fast-growing annuals will fill this planter and spill over it quickly!

The large round self-watering planter gets sun until about 3:30 every day so it is filled with sun-loving summer annuals! This is a nice little front porch cutting garden.

I added a big round architectural orb to this container. I’ve had this and another one like it for years. The rustier they get the more I like them! As the flowers get larger the ribs of the orb will help support the taller blooms.

The last nod to the summer season is a basket of annuals on the bench. This area, like the tall pot on the porch, does not get sun… at all! So I’ll rotate a few pots of red and pink geraniums to sit on the front porch bench.

Add A Doormat

I love the layered look of an indoor/outdoor rug on a porch with a doormat on top of it. If you can, give that a try! It’s a really pretty designer look!

You can find lots of ideas for layering a rug on your porch in the post DRESSING UP A DOORMAT.

I would have loved to layer a rug under the doormat, but I opted for a LESS IS BEST look. The brick porch has lots of interest and adding a rug over the brick was just too busy, and hid the pretty brick.

So for now, I’m opting to put a simple, yet “tidy” doormat!

Make sure to replace your front door mat when it shows signs of wear! Pretty decor is all about paying attention to the details!

Add Your Personality

An amazing porch should begin and end with YOU! Decorating your porch with things you love and things that show off your personal style makes it a true extension of your home!

No matter the size of your front porch it should feel just right for you!

My Best Front Porch Decorating Idea

Okay, now for those of you darling readers who have read this post to the very end, I’d like to share my best of the best small porch decorating idea!

It’s all about knowing the style of your home’s exterior and complimenting it with decor.

Here’s what I mean…

While I was shopping for things to put on my front porch I fell in love with a tall galvanized planter that looked like a trough!

Oh, it was beautiful. But I knew since I no longer lived in a farmhouse in the middle of farmland the trough would look out of place in our classically styled home on a golf course. Even though our home is in the middle of Lancaster County farmland.

So I left it at the nursery! Boo-hoo! I must say I adore farmhouse things. But I am a smart enough decorator to listen to my home. It’s important to know your home’s style and decorate accordingly. You and your home will be happier! Much happier!

That does not mean that I can’t have a chippy farmhouse watering can on the porch or the rusty iron piece in my big planter. But here’s what it does mean…

• most of the decor on my porch is classic and compliments the style of our home
• the majority of my porch decor looks like it belongs to my home
• I’m not trying to make my home look like something it is not
• there’s a sense of order and beauty when styles work together and don’t fight each other
• when my home feels happy, I am happy

I hope I have inspired you with lots of small porch decorating ideas today! Now, get creative and decorate your porch!!!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Decorate A Small Front Porch On A Budget

The most cost effective way to create a beautiful front porch is to keep it clean, paint your front door and make a seasonal wreath to hang on it. Also, add an inexpensive doormat.

How Do You Make A Small Front Porch Welcoming

No matter the size of your front porch, the goal is to make it welcoming. Keep the porch and your door clean. This is the most important thing you can do to make a small porch welcoming. That is the most important thing to do to make a front porch welcoming.

How Should I Clean My Front Porch

Make cleaning your front porch part of your regular house cleaning. Sweep your porch and hose it down. Wipe down your front door and clean any windows. Also, pay attention to your light fixtures. Keep them free of dust and any cobwebs. Keep items on your porch in good condition.