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45 Small Front Porches With Big Style

Inspired by Charm

Even the smallest front porch is a luxury that deserves as much attention to design as your interior space. Check out these modestly proportioned front porches that don't skimp on style, demonstrating the power of maximizing bonus outdoor space, enhancing your home's curb appeal, and helping to create a welcoming landing pad for both you and your guests.

12 ways to add interest to an entrance |

While it may appear challenging to decorate a small front porch area, don't let the diminutive size put you off.  

A compact porch offers a unique experience to create something special, making the most of whatever space you do have and, in turn, offering a wonderful first impression for visitors. 

From New-England style walk-up porches to a compact and contemporary structure that just about covers the front door, it's important to approach a small porch with thought and create something that works for the architecture and scale of your home. Whether you're looking for a way to decorate a small porch or you're building one from scratch, you'll want your small front porch ideas to feel like a natural extension of your home. 

Small front porch ideas

A porch, even a small one, is the ultimate mix of form an function. It adds visual dimension and character to the front of your home, while also offering a place to step out of the elements when opening the front door. These ideas consider both. 

1. Use space wisely

(Image credit: Rejuvenation)

If your home has a small front porch, resist the urge to cram you light fixtures, mailbox, house numbers, doorbell, and flag pole all onto your home's exterior. Instead, give each element some breathing room by mounting your house numbers and/or your flag pole on the porch beams, instead. 

2. Stagger planters down the steps

(Image credit: Michelle Cannon Smith)

When you are working with any sort of space constrictions, it's important to make the most of what room you do have. The same goes when deciding how to decorate a front porch. Here, stylist Michelle Cannon Smith maximized her front porch by adding planters to each step. It's the perfect way to make a statement with limited space.

3. Introduce subtle interest with paint and concrete

(Image credit: Future / Noah Webb)

Emphasizing the architectural details of a smaller porch with a crisp white shade works wonderfully, especially if you have a modern home. You can add interest to the space by choosing a different color for the door. A fresh blue or sorbet yellow will brighten up a grey urban street. Alternatively, a classic wooden door will create a unique contrast to the contemporary structure.  

For architectonic interest, create multiple levels with your front yard walkway. Here, floating concrete steps give the illusion of more space. 

4. Keep the surrounding area clean and free from clutter

(Image credit: Walls and Floors)

First impressions are everything, so make sure your small front porch – and front door – is a good one. Whatever your space or budget, there are many ideas to make a difference to your own humble porch.

Give the surrounding area a good clean and clear out any items that might be in the way. Even polishing a letterbox or door knocker will do a world of good.

5. Be at one with your surroundings

(Image credit: The Finish)

It’s important to coordinate the front door with the rest of the house, suggests Rebecca Thompson, Color Designer at Dulux, a UK paint brand. ‘Look closely at the underlying hues within your walls and natural surroundings to ensure they don’t clash. Get inspiration from your neighbors, too, and try for a unified look. A street with complementary tones looks more appealing than a mishmash of clashing colors.'

6. Add interest with color

(Image credit: Future / Dan Duchars)

Being creative with color, a specialist finish or decorative effect is the perfect way to give your small front porch individual style. For an unexpected look, embrace a colorful painted design for your porch ceiling ideas.

It is best to go for colors that make you happy and have longevity. If in doubt, it is often advised that you consult the color wheel. 

‘Current paint trends show a real shift towards using bolder and brighter colors outside,’ says Sue Kim, senior color designer at Valspar. ‘When choosing a front porch paint color, don’t forget to look beyond the walls – consider the door and window frames – and how they can be brought into the scheme for a statement look.’

7. Use the same color throughout

(Image credit: Future)

Whether you have a covered porch or one that's open to the elements, choosing the same color for the ceiling and walls will help lift the space and make it feel more expansive.  

'It's important to think about the flow, so paint the ceiling and the walls the same color. Also, think about what color you have in the hallway. There should be a thread that follows throughout and complements your hallway paint ideas,' advises Nikki Rees who runs an interior design practice in south west London.

8. Connect with other outdoor spaces

(Image credit: Taylor Lombardo Architects)

If your porch leads to a front garden area, think about how to keep the look cohesive. Use similar plants, choose paint colors that echo nature or speak to your designer about emulating the architectural features seen in your pathway or stonework. 

In this California property, designed by Taylor Lombardo Architects , not only does the stonework provide a cohesive look, but so do the plants surrounding the porch. 

9. Light it well

(Image credit: Mary Patton Design / Molly Culver Photography)

At the Southampton, New York home, above, by designer Mary Patton , the oversized lantern sconces help provide a visual framework for the small front porch.

'Opt for a pair of wall lights, perhaps to frame your front door or to hover over a standing plant. This will allow for an even spill of light where it's needed most, especially in the darker winter months when outdoor lighting is essential,' advises Rohan Blacker, founder of lighting company, Pooky .

Rohan also suggests using a range of different wall lights to create a lighting feature. 'Play around with the lights’ direction and focal points – illuminate your house number, your brightly painted front door or your favorite porch plant.'

10.  Keep it simple

Photography/Polly Eltes

(Image credit: Marian Louise Designs/Kaley Elaine)

Keep everything simple and unfussy in a small front porch. Don't try to fit in a seating area if there's not enough space. Remove anything that is tired, worn out or not used. Then include things that have a practical or a multi-functional purpose. 

'If you do have space, a bench is a great addition to a porch,' advises interior designer, Genevieve Hurley. 'I recently designed a stone-clad bench for a client which could be lifted up and used to store shoes.'

11. Get clever with plants

(Image credit: Arterberry Cooke / Mandy Harris)

Overgrown shrubs can overpower a front porch, so opt for smaller versions and consider symmetry. 

'Use plants in pots on either side of your doorway to frame the entrance,' advises interior designer, Genevieve Hurley. 'Whether it's two tall bay trees or lavender in low boxes, planting can help elevate the space. You can also add window boxes to tie the look together.'

12. Add tall decorative elements

(Image credit: Little Greene)

For the space immediately in front of your door, consider decorative elements such as lanterns, plant stands, stone decorations and an umbrella basket – these items are taller rather than wider, so will complement a small porch.

What can I do with a small front porch?

Making your small porch into a functional, yet stylish addition to your home is key.  

'Get the balance right, you need to make sure it feels open and spacious, but also allows for a practical space,' advises interior designer Nikki Rees. 

If you live in the country, an area for shoe storage might be useful, whereas in urban areas your porch lighting might need to work harder for security purposes. Speak to your architect or designer about the practical elements you need to consider before you start planning the decoration.

How do you decorate a small front porch?

'Keep it as open as possible – it will make the space feel larger,' says Nikki Rees. Avoid fussy details and instead embrace symmetry with simple items placed around the front door. 'Whatever color you choose for your front door, opt for a high gloss finish,' advises Genevieve Hurley. 'Not only is it more hard-wearing, but it bounces light around, making your porch area look bigger.'

Choose lighting that enlarges the space and makes it feel more expansive. 'Use spotlights to highlight dark corners and open up your porch area,' explains Rohan Blacker. 'By using a simple wall light to draw focus to feature elements, this will naturally give your space a larger feel.'

types, characteristics, features, design options, construction technology

Any owner of a private house strives to make his home convenient and comfortable for living. And it is really important that the house is warm, that a good microclimate is maintained, that there is reliable hydro, noise and heat insulation. However, one should not lose sight of the appearance of the building. Here, the porch can become the hallmark of any private household. This building element is able to give the home a complete and elegant appearance. 9Ol000

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    • Main functions of a porch for a house

    This important exterior element has two main functions: decorative and practical.

    The practical component involves, firstly, protection of the front door and the entrance to the house from the aggressive influence of natural factors: snow, rain, low and high temperatures, high or low humidity. In addition, if the house has a basement, then the front door is usually located much higher than the ground level and excludes the possibility of exiting the house directly to the ground. In this case, the function of the porch is that it is equipped with steps and railings for convenient and safe ascent into the house and down to the ground.

    Such a porch also allows the owners to make an additional storage room under the stairs , which is never superfluous in a private house. This solution gives even more practicality to the porch, as a building element of the house.

    The main thing that the owner should pay attention to when constructing the porch is that its dimensions correspond to the width of the front door, which should swing freely over the upper part of the porch and at this moment not go beyond it.

    What can be a porch for a house

    A porch, as an element of the exterior, can be conditionally classified according to two characteristics :

    • by design;
    • according to the materials from which they are built.

    Structurally, the porch of the house can be low, high, with or without a veranda.

    Low porch can be built for a house that does not have a basement. In such a structure, the front door to the house is practically on the ground, and the function of the porch is only to protect it from the influence of precipitation. For such a porch, experts recommend using stone or concrete. Such a porch does not need railings, but they can be built for design purposes.

    If the house has a basement, it will be necessary to build a high porch , since the front door is much higher than the ground level and it is not possible to leave it by stepping directly onto the ground. Such a design will necessarily require railing , and metal is best. Although for a wooden house, wooden ones will look better from an aesthetic point of view.

    Low porch with veranda has a very impressive appearance and makes it possible to implement a lot of design solutions on a large veranda area. However, the owner should keep in mind that at such a porch the veranda is close to the ground and it must be protected from the negative effects of water by building a moisture-proof pillow under it.

    A high porch with a veranda is certainly the most expensive porch option, but having invested the finances once, it will be possible for many years not to worry about the condition of the porch itself and the security of the entrance to the house. The possibility of arranging a storage room under the steps of a high porch has already been mentioned earlier, and here these possibilities are expanded even more.

    The most commonly used porch materials are concrete, brick, metal and wood, although stone can also be used.

    Concrete porch

    With this material, you can create a solid porch structure. If during the construction all the requirements of SNiP are met and the materials are of good quality, then such a porch will serve very for a long time .

    Wood formwork for pouring concrete requires strong, non-rotten boards that can withstand liquid concrete pressure. For mixing the concrete mix itself, it is best to take cement grade M400 (and not lower) and any high-density filler, be it sand, crushed stone or anything else. The concrete porch does not need reinforcement.

    The first thing to do when starting construction is to decide on the number of steps. Then a frame is created from wood, a liquid concrete mixture is poured into it. After hardening, the formwork is removed, the steps and platform in front of the door are polished and finished with tiles or natural stone.

    Brick porch

    Brick as porch material - economical option, but this construction is inferior in strength to concrete porch.

    The biggest mistake in self-construction of a brick porch is the use of used bricks, because the porch is not protected from the influence of weather factors in the same way as the walls of the house. The result of using the old brick will be its freezing in winter and subsequent destruction.

    According to building standards, bricklaying must be constantly monitored by building level , then the structure will be strong and safe. A brick porch will look spectacular and attractive, but if the owners have doubts about this, you can use tiles or natural stone for cladding.

    Metal porch

    Metal is not the most popular material for this type of building element, however, if the project developer has original thinking, a metal porch can look very impressive and will suit building of any architectural style . Such a porch has a number of positive characteristics: strength, resistance to any aggressive influence, excellent compatibility with other materials from wood to polycarbonate, and the absence of any size restrictions.

    However, has no less disadvantages:

    • high cost (especially if forged elements are present),
    • the need for reliable protection (almost constant) from corrosion,
    • rather loud "singing" in the rain.
    • metal steps are very slippery in winter.

    Wooden porch

    Today, perhaps, a wooden porch is the most common option among consumers. The building will look effective and solid if wood was also used for the façade.

    If it is planned to build a porch from wood, you need to take into account several important points.

    Wooden porch needs foundation . If, when designing the whole house, the foundation for the porch was not laid, it will have to be done separately. There are several options for the foundation. This may be a pile foundation, consisting of support beams (it must be covered with an antiseptic). A foundation made of concrete columns is also suitable.

    Steps for a wooden porch are made of durable wood, with the exception of construction pine. The ideal material for steps is larch or oak . Among other things, it must be borne in mind that wood can be painted, as a result of which a wooden porch can very successfully “play” with any style.

    If we are talking about some other materials used in the construction of a porch for a house (polycarbonate, corrugated board, tempered glass, etc.), then here we can only talk about additional decoration : canopy roof over the porch, decoration of the space under the porch railing.

    Do-it-yourself porch

    There are several options for making your own porch for your home. Or rather, several materials from which you can make a porch yourself - this is brick, wood and concrete. The most economical option is to cast the porch from concrete. As necessary building materials, sand, brick, crushed stone, cement and any material for cladding are needed.

    And so, the step-by-step construction of the porch looks like this:

    1. The shape of the porch is set. If side parapets are supposed, you need to start with them. It is best to lay them out of brick, because concrete parapets will require the organization of a solid formwork, and this is an additional cost of money and time.
    2. Filling steps. Here you will need to create a small formwork to shape the curing concrete. If the steps are rectangular, formwork can be made from any panel material or boards; if the shape of the steps is round, it is best to use plastic PVC panels that bend perfectly. Filling steps starts from the bottom up. To save time and effort, you can make steps using the backfilling method: large construction debris is laid out on the bottom of the formwork and liquid concrete is poured. The strength of the structure will not suffer, but much less effort and money will be spent.
    3. Step cover. After a few days, the concrete will harden, and it will be possible to proceed with the cladding. According to many builders, the best material for facing work is natural stone, cut into small rectangles. This material is practically unaffected by aggressive external factors such as sun, rain, low temperatures, etc. The rough surface of this material allows you to move on it in any season without fear of slipping and falling.

    This cladding material is applied to with a special adhesive resistant to all weather conditions.

    That, in fact, is all. A porch erected by one's own hands will give the house a solid and finished appearance, will delight the eyes and will serve its owners faithfully for many years.

    Beautiful porch options for the house (photo)

    • Author: Alexander Alexandrovich Chebotarev