Front porch colors for white house
The 10 Best Porch Paint Colors for the Front of Your Home
Caroline Biggs, Freelance Writer portrait
By Caroline Biggs Updated February 25, 2021
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Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Score some serious curb appeal by using one of these designer-approved shades on your porch.
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home front porch blue chairs
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Your front porch sets the tone for how you and any visitors view the rest of your home. That's why a fresh coat of paint can work wonders for the area as a whole. "Your front porch is where your home makes its first impression," says Hannah Yeo, color marketing and development manager at Benjamin Moore. "With the right color, you can transform an ordinary entryway into a welcoming and inviting greeting area."
Of course, there are several factors to take into consideration when choosing a paint color for your front porch—that process should start with your landscaping. "Consider the botanicals in your garden and play off those colors," says interior designer Crystal Sinclair. "Look for colors that complement the surrounding grass and trees." Don't forget about the parts of the porch that won't be getting a fresh coat of paint. "Be sure to consider the architectural elements that you won't be painting, such as brick, stonework, and the roof," says Erika Woelfel, color expert at Behr Paint. The colors you select should complement these pre-existing features."
You'll also want to think about the amount of light your porch receives since light direction can impact the appearance of paint color. "A south-facing porch will struggle with darker colors, so it's best to use lighter shades," says Patrick O'Donnell, brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball, adding, "whereas northern light tends to bring out the cooler tones in a hue." Ready to revamp your front porch with a crisp coat of paint? These expert-approved paint colors are a great place to start.
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Muted Greens
Muted Green paint swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
When in doubt, draw from the colors in your surrounding landscape.
"Green is a great shade for front porches because it ties in the [greenery] around the house to create a beautiful and cohesive look," says interior designer Ariel Okin. Consider a meadow-inspired green, like Behr's Back to Nature. It will warm up your front porch without stealing any focus from your gorgeous lawn.
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Deep Blues
Pale Blue Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Go with a chic and eye-catching shade of deep blue, like Benjamin Moore's Evening Dove, to create a stylish front porch scene that you can see from the street. "Blue makes a bold statement," Sinclair says.
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Warm Blues
oval room blue paint color
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
If your front yard landscaping is already wow-worthy, try offsetting it with an elegant shade of blue. "Blues that echo the skies of the warmer seasons, such as Oval Room Blue, are ideal to use in a space overlooking a garden," O'Donnell says.
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Off-Whites
Off white color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
You can always count on a creamy coat of off-white paint, like Behr's Swiss Coffee, to upgrade the ambience of your front porch. Our experts also say it plays nicely with the exterior of just about any home. "Since front porches often take up a decent amount of surface area, you want a warm but neutral hue that blends nicely with the overall exterior scheme of the house," says Woelfel.
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Pale Blues
Pale Blue Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Not ready to commit to painting your entire porch? Highlight the accents with pale blue paint instead. "Front doors, ceilings, and shutters are a great place to add color," Yeo says. "Blue porch ceilings have been a long-standing tradition in many parts of the country for centuries. Whether used to keep bugs away or to help visually extend daylight by matching the color of the sky, colors like Clear Skies 2054-70 and Arctic Blue 2050-60 are popular choices.
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Moody Greens
Moody Green Paint color
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
Cool and comforting, our experts say grayish-green shades, like Farrow & Ball's Lichen, will create a calming vibe for your front porch. "Moody greens work great for front porches because they offer an inviting sense of calm when you first enter a space," says interior designer Becky Shea.
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Silvery Grays
Silvery Gray color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
Looking for a sophisticated paint color that will enhance your porch's architectural details? Woelfel says to go for a sleek shade of silvery gray. "A composed gray-white, like Silver Mine, will elegantly play up interesting architectural elements on your porch and works wells with almost any color," she says.
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Light Gray
Light Gray Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
If you painted the exterior of your home in a commanding color, use a soft and versatile shade of gray on your front porch to tone things down.
"Light grays like Classic Gray OC-23 and Stonington Gray HC-170 work well with a variety of different hues," Yeo says.
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Light Gray-Blues
Light Gray Blue color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
For a soft pop of color on your front porch, Woelfel suggests painting the ceiling in a simple shade of light gray-blue, such as Gentle Sea or Light Drizzle. "A serene grayish-blue provides a cooling note overhead on the ceiling," she explains, "making it a perfect place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee."
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Navy Blues
Navy Blue Paint
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
When all else fails, our experts say you can always depend on a classic shade of navy blue paint, like Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue, to modernize your front porch. "Navy blue works anywhere in my opinion, but especially the front porch," Okin says.
"It's a contemporary neutral that will still make your porch stand out."
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10 colors and designs to boost curb appeal |
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The porch paint ideas you choose will have a big impact on your home's overall appearance and curb appeal. If you have a front porch, it's likely one of the first thing guests and passers-by will notice about your home, so if it is looking worse for the wear, a paint job will be a big upgrade. The back porch, on the other hand, is often the site of warm-weather entertaining, parties, and events.
Because there's so much riding on the look of your front porch ideas (no pressure!), we went to the pros for advice on creating an inviting, beautiful, and functional porch, all with the help of a little paint. The paint ideas, below, run the gamut from practical advice and insider insight, to color theory and more.
Porch paint ideas
These porch paint ideas are an effective and cost-efficient way to give your home exterior a facelift, whether they are for front or back porch ideas. Use the expert advice to get this element of the paint colors for the exterior of a house just right.
1. Highlight an architectural element with paint
(Image credit: Swan Architecture)
How you decorate a front porch should highlight its positive attributes. If you're lucky enough to have a front porch with an exciting architectural feature, like the curved entry ceiling, above, paint is the perfect way to give it the attention it deserves. A contrasting color, like a deep, warm gray on a white porch, will set special features apart.
The porch above is from a home by Swan Architecture.
2. Skip the porch floor paint
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
If your front porch flooring is looking worse for the wear, it's tempting to just cover it with a coat of paint.
Don't do it, says Matt Mosher, co-founder and CEO of Dzinly , a home improvement platform focused on exterior design that helps people visualize what upgrades will look like through online renderings.
'Installing flooring materials that require any type of painting should be avoided. Even the best paints have a difficult time handling ongoing foot traffic,' he explains. 'Furthermore, flat surfaces are more susceptible to water absorption. As the material absorbs water, it oftentimes causes the paint to peel.'
3. Embrace Southern tradition
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Have you ever noticed that so many porch ceilings are painted a pale shade of blue? It's not a coincidence, it actually started as a tradition in the southern U.S. There are a few theories about where it originated, including as a way to help repel bugs, to keep bad spirits away, and draw the eye to the sky.
'The quaint blue porch ceiling helps to visually extend daylight,' says Arianna Cesa, color marketing and development specialist at Benjamin Moore .
'To achieve this iconic look, check out Palladian Blue HC-144, Yarmouth Blue HC-150, and Clear Skies 2054-70. These colors often pair best with more neutral hues to let the ceiling be the focal point in the palette.'
4. Choose a contrasting porch paint color
(Image credit: Dzinly rendering)
When painting a porch, why not highlight it with a color that will help it stand out? Similar to calling attention to an architectural element, painting your entire front porch a different shade than your siding will make it the defining feature of your home's façade.
5. Camouflage ledges and windowsills
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When considering porch paint ideas, it's important to think functionally, too.
'Regarding porch design, avoid creating any type of ledges in your trim work. Even the smallest ledges are a bird's paradise,' says Mosher. Instead, paint them the same color as surrounding walls or pillars to help them blend into the background.
6. Complement the landscape
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
If you're having a hard time choosing a color for your front porch, take a hint from your front yard landscaping ideas, and the other materials on your exterior, says Cesa.
'Are there pavers or some sort of stonework? Do you have colorful landscaping? What color is your exterior, trim and any other accents such as outdoor furniture? Be sure to look at the whole picture and all of the colors in your exterior’s palette to ensure color cohesion,' she says.
7. Test colors to find the right shade
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
Just like if you were painting a room in your home, you'll want to test out your top paint color contenders before making a commitment. Even if you have a go-to paint color or your mind is set on a certain hue, the lighting your porch gets during the day will affect how it look. This is of particular importance for small front porches or cottage porch ideas, where the right colors can enhance the feeling of space.
'Your porch is the ultimate “outside room,”' says Cesa. 'Before you start looking for the perfect patio paint color to extend your outdoor spaces, consider how much sun it gets, since light and time of day affect how a paint color casts. The best way to choose a porch paint color is to sample your options and view them throughout the day to choose a color with confidence.'
8. Match the door and ceiling
(Image credit: Jean Stoffer Design / Stoffer Photography Interiors)
For porch ceiling ideas, take a cue from designer Jean Stoffer , and paint the ceiling of your front porch to match your door. In this case, the Michigan-based designer chose a true black to contrast her home's brick façade and white trim.
9. Go for a monochrome porch scheme with a pop of color
(Image credit: Swan Architecture)
If you tend to prefer neutrals or live in an area where most homes are painted a subdued color palette, there's no need to get overly creative with your front porch paint scheme (especially if you're considering a bold paint color as one of your front door ideas).
Instead, continue the color palette of your siding and trim work onto your front porch, and go bold with your front door color.
The porch of this home, by Swan Architecture, matches the white siding for a seamless look, while letting the red front door shine.
10. Layer creams on whites on greys
(Image credit: Future)
'For someone who loves color, I am a major fan of porch paint ideas that use different tones of white and cream alongside grey and black – there's something incredibly soothing about the combination, and it's so easy to accessorize with accent colors when you want to switch up the scheme from spring to summer to fall to winter,' says Lucy Searle, Homes & Gardens' Editor in Chief.
What color is best for a porch?
The color you choose for your porch should complement the color and style of your home. The hue doesn't need to match your house, but it should be in along the same spectrum (i.e. don't choose a warm white porch for a cool gray house, or a bright blue porch for a sage green home).
The style of your home will also clue you in about the best paint color for your porch. Traditional Victorian or Queen Anne-style homes lend themselves to experimentation with color, while farmhouses can be suited to colors like pale green, butter yellow, and brick red, or simple neutrals like white and gray. Colonial homes are contenders for warm white, blue, and gray, while contemporary homes look best with steely black, bright white, or a small pop of a bold accent color. For a small front porch, try a shade that contrasts the rest of your home to help it stand out.
Remember, too, the warmth cast by your front porch lighting ideas – this will affect how your porch paint colors look at night.
Looking for a few colors to start with? Arianna Cesa offers these front porch color suggestions from Benjamin Moore.
'For warmer color palettes, some favorite neutral colors to consider for the porch are Opaline OC-33, Simply White OC-117, and Hazy Skies OC-48. If your preference is for cooler hues, check out White Wisp OC-54, Metropolitan AF-690, and Silver Gray 2131-60.
To make a statement on your porch floor, opt for more saturated hues like Georgian Brick HC-50, Kennebunkport Green HC-123, Normandy 2129-40 and Iron Mountain 2134-30,' she says.
What kind of paint do you use for a porch?
'Generally a flat sheen presents best on the outside of a home because it helps reduce reflection,' says Matt Mosher, co-founder and CEO of Dzinly, a home improvement platform focused on exterior design that helps people visualize what upgrades will look like through online renderings. 'On a front porch though, it is important to consider the wear and tear it will be subject to from use. Therefore, a less absorbent sheen such as satin or eggshell should be considered for items such as pillars and walls around a porch that may be subject to heavy traffic.'
Kaitlin Madden Armon is a writer and editor covering all things home. Her work has appeared in Real Homes, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living, Refinery29, Modern Luxury Interiors, Wayfair, The Design Network, and lots more.
She graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism and currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, three kids, and black lab.
House porch design - 55 photos of amazing porch design ideas in a private house
A modern country house must have a small porch. After all, before you get inside the house, you will definitely have to walk along the porch. Any porch is a separate decorative element that gives the building an unusual and unique look.
The design of the porch has many different features, while the porch has a different design and structure.
So an ordinary porch can look like a small staircase with only a few steps, as a rule, they are installed directly in front of the entrance to the house. However, there are options when the porch is girdled around the veranda, or girded around the terrace.
Therefore, the design of the porch of a private house depends entirely on the style in which the building itself is built.
Beautiful street staircase design style
For different types of houses, different types of materials are used in the design of the porch. For example: a modern house of a prestigious and elite class with a porch, modern materials are used in its design, such as glass, plastic, sometimes stainless steel or metal with a high chromium content is used.
But for the porch of an ordinary classic country house, you can use ordinary tiles as a decor, while malleable metal elements can be used as an addition. Well, country-style houses have a large number of different decorative elements made of wood, for example, various wooden columns with decorative carvings.
At the same time, for a longer preservation of the natural color and for a long service life, all wooden decorative elements are recommended to be treated with an oil composition for wood.
Original design ideas
So when creating an unusual porch of an ordinary and simple house, you can combine different materials for a unique unique design of the porch.
Wood and natural stone can be called a good and simple combination, these natural materials will make the porch very beautiful and unique.
Concrete can also be used. The main feature in the design of the porch is the embodiment of design ideas or imagination.
How to decorate an outdoor staircase. Porch decoration
One of the main components of the porch is the staircase, and it can have a different design. For example, if the porch has a concrete base, then it is mainly lined with ceramic tiles or natural stone of natural or natural origin.
Decorative design with such materials is ideal for a brick building.
But the porch of a country house made of wood can have a large selection of decorative designs. But, many owners of such houses are trying to emphasize the importance of the material from which the porch is made. For this, the wooden porch is treated with a special oil composition.
In some cases, as a decoration for wood, it can be fired and then treated with a light wood lacquer.
Also quite common is a porch with metal stairs. Of course, this option has an aesthetic and beautiful appearance.
However, there are small nuances: firstly, the stairs of such a porch should not have a high location, and should not be very steep, besides, in winter, the metal becomes slippery under the influence of low temperatures.
How to build a beautiful original staircase. Railing design
The second decorative element of any porch is the railing. Therefore, the design of the railing is of no small importance, because the general appearance of the porch itself depends on it. So the most common design of the porch is the use of vertical balusters with horizontal crossbars having an unusual shape.
All railings have handrails made of wood or plastic. So, when decorating the porch of a cobbled or ordinary village house made of wood, it is necessary to use wooden handrails, but it is recommended to use plastic handrails when decorating the porch of a modern country house made of concrete or brick.
However, a porch made of wrought iron may have a metal railing.
How to make a beautiful decoration of the canopy
The canopy above the porch is another additional decorative element of the porch, it is made of materials such as wood, polycarbonate or profile sheet. For example, the porch of a wooden house must have a visor made of wood, while the visor itself can be painted or artistically carved on its surface.
But for houses with a concrete or brick structure, it is recommended to install sheds made of professional sheet or polycarbonate. In order for the design of the porch with a canopy to have a beautiful and unique look, you will have to work hard to get the desired result.
When doing this, observe a clear sequence of work.
Before you start making a beautiful and unique porch for your home, you need to develop a design idea and, based on this, make a plan for the porch. Next, you need to decide on the material from which the porch, railing and visor will be made.
But the most important thing you need is your imagination. Therefore, the porch at the house is not just an ordinary staircase, but a work of art.
Photo of the elegant decoration of the porch of the house
Private house porch design ideas
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The general appearance of its facade largely depends on how harmoniously and beautifully the porch of a country house will be decorated. Street stairs in the country can be made from a variety of materials - poured from concrete, welded from metal or assembled from wood.
Basically, depending on this, the methods of decorating them are chosen. Of course, the design features of the exterior of the building must also be taken into account. About what the design of the porch should be, and we'll talk in this article.
Contents
- Porch exterior and interior design
- How to decorate a beautiful outdoor staircase
- Original design ideas
- How to decorate an outdoor staircase. Porch decoration
- Arrangement of a porch in a private house. Stair design
- How to build a beautiful original staircase. Railing design
- How to make a beautiful canopy design
- Original design ideas for steps, railings and canopy
Porch exterior and interior design
Country porches can have a variety of designs, and, accordingly, a variety of designs. Sometimes it is a small ladder several steps in front of the house. Sometimes it is part of a large veranda or even a terrace that encircles the building.
The design style of the porch, as already mentioned, directly depends on the design style of the building itself:
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What should be the style of a beautiful street staircase
The porch of a luxury private home with a modern style design is often done using materials such as glass, plastic and chromed metal. Street stairs of cottages in a classic style are usually decorated with tiles. Sometimes forging is also used as decoration. The houses, with a country style design, are often complemented by beautiful wooden carved staircases.
Beautiful porch of a private house. Photo of a wooden carved structure with columns[su_label type=”success”]Idea:[/su_label] [su_highlight background=”#E0FEC7″]A carved staircase decorated in white will look very nice near the Provence style building. For a chalet, a beautiful design using forged patterns is a good idea.[/su_highlight]
Decorating the porch of a wooden house, if you want to preserve the natural structure of wood, is done using special transparent oil instead of paint.
Original design ideas
Next, consider the options for landscaping and decorating the porches of a private house using the original design. Let's start with this beautiful outdoor staircase:
Beautiful wooden porch. Photo of the structure, completed with a stone parapet and flowersIn the design of this cottage porch, it was possible to successfully combine wood and natural stone. The modern lantern present in the decoration of the parapet only emphasizes the naturalness and extraordinary beauty of seemingly simple materials.
Original and unusual design of a concrete staircase:
Porch design for a brick house. Photo of a beautiful radial designThe design of this small outdoor staircase, despite the absence of railings and all sorts of design frills, is very elegant and at the same time strict. The architecture of the march itself is interesting here, and in particular the unusual shape of the steps.
In general, when choosing a design for the front porch, you just need to show a little imagination:
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The beautiful porch of a private house can be decorated in different ways.
Any outdoor staircase provides its owner with the widest field for the manifestation of imagination during the design.
How to decorate an outdoor staircase. Porch decoration
Next, let's look at how to decorate porches in more detail. In particular, we will deal with exactly how the design of a street staircase can be done.
Arrangement of a porch in a private house. Step design
The steps of a concrete staircase are most often lined with ceramics and stone (natural or artificial). This design option for the porch of a concrete or brick building is just perfect. Treads when choosing such a design should be trimmed with beautiful rough tiles without a relief pattern.
Interesting design of the porch of a country house. The pattern of facing tiles repeats the pattern of pavingIn this case, for their design, it is worth using not a tile, but a polished or terraced board.[/su_highlight]
The beautiful porch of a wooden house can also be decorated in different ways.
Most cottage owners still prefer not to hide the natural structure of this material. The steps of beautiful wooden street stairs are most often simply coated with special oil.
The painted steps of the entrance porch made of wood also look good. For example, stairs look very elegant, with alternating colors. In this case, the design is performed using usually dark shades. Light colors are used in design for the most part only when required by the design style of the building itself.
[su_label type=”success”]Note:[/su_label] [su_highlight background=”#E0FEC7″]White stair steps are very harmoniously combined with either white railings or parapets, if they There is a dark gray stone in the design.[/su_highlight]
A beautiful white porch that harmoniously complements the exterior of the building in the Scandinavian style Another very interesting way of decorating wood is firing.
The steps of the metal stairs of a private house are most often sheathed with wood. However, sometimes they can also be made from sheet metal.
Beautiful porch of a brick house. Photo of the design with metal stepsThis option is quite aesthetic, but it is better not to use it when decorating a high steep porch. Wet or icy metal can be quite slippery.
How to build a beautiful original staircase. Railing design
The question of how to decorate the porch of the house comes down, among other things, to how to decorate its railing. Often this element becomes a real "highlight" of the design of the stairs. If desired, both vertical balusters and horizontal crossbars of an interesting beautiful shape can be used in their design.
How to decorate the porch of the house. Photo of a variant with balusters of an interesting shape Sometimes they are replaced with artistic filling. It can be openwork forging or beautiful through wood carving. Of course, such a design for modern-style concrete buildings is hardly suitable.
In their design, it is better to use balusters or crossbars of a simple cylindrical shape made of galvanized steel.
Handrail railings are most often made of wood or plastic. The first option is more suitable for the design of stairs of a chopped, cobbled or framed village building. Making the porch of a concrete or brick country house is often done using plastic. The handrails made of it look very good in combination with the galvanized metal parts of the street stairs. The porch railings of modern stone buildings can also be solid beautiful monolithic concrete or brick structures. In the first case, they are usually decorated with the same tile or stone as the steps.
Making a porch in the country. Photo of a monolithic structure with steps and railings lined with granite The parapets of the stairs of brick buildings can be laid out of beautiful facing bricks of different shades or from ordinary ones.
In the latter case, their surface is often plastered.
How to make a beautiful decoration of the canopy
The canopy can either be attached directly to the wall above the entrance, or rest on the elongated supports of the country porch. The design of the canopies on the poles usually follows the design of the railing. The visor itself is most often made of profiled sheet, wood or polycarbonate.
Photo of a canopy of simple design made of metalA beautiful porch to a wooden house, the design of which should be developed taking into account the features of the exterior of such buildings, is often complemented by a canopy sheathed with boards. The latter can be carved or painted. Canopies of street stairs of concrete and brick houses are usually made either from profiled sheet, or from translucent white or colored polycarbonate.
Arrangement of the porch of the cottage.
Interestingly shaped polycarbonate forged visor Wooden canopies can have not only gable or single slope, but also arched or even dome shape.
Canopy porch design. Photo of a street staircase with a gable canopyAs for the shape itself, it is selected based on the design features of the roof. So in combination with a shed roof, a shed canopy will look good. Beautiful triangular canopies "houses", as well as arched structures, are suitable for gable roofs. A hipped roof will harmoniously look with a round domed or hipped hipped visor.
Stairs, railings and canopies are original ideas
The structural elements of private house porches can often be quite unusual. Look, for example, at this construction:
An unusual beautiful construction in the Russian style with steps made of logs This, of course, is not a porch. But who prevents lovers of everything original and unusual from making the steps of a wooden street staircase near the house from wide logs. A march with such a design, made by hand, will turn out both beautiful and inexpensive.
