20 Front Porch Ideas for Any Home or Budget

Don’t let your own front porch be an afterthought—feast your eyes on these 20 front porch ideas that are sure to improve any home and offer inspiration for any budget!

Front Porch Decor

Whether your front porch decor includes live or artificial plants, store-bought, thrifted, or DIY furniture, and a bench or a porch swing; front porch decorating ideas come in all shapes, sizes, and colors!

1. Black, White, and Red Front Porch Decor

From the black and white ticking stripe rug at the foot of a brilliant red front door to the eye-popping red radial wavey front porch lights; this enviable front porch decor provides amazing style with a budget-friendly price tag. The attention to detail and many areas of interest on the porch draw the eye in different directions but the bold red door and accents steal the show!

See post: Sophia’s - Live Beautifully|Farmhouse Style Front Porch With Pops of Red

2. Budget-Friendly Front Porch Planter

Front porch decor offers so much opportunity for creativity. This project was inspired by a similar catalog look that cost much more! This DIY front porch urn—created using styrofoam, dowels, and artificial flowers and moss—achieved the same catalog look and style at a fraction of the cost. The use of artificial plants means this decor will last for years to come!

See post: Celebrate & Decorate (Chloe Crabtree)|Catalog Inspired Decor for My Front Porch

3. Using a Stencil for a Faux Porch Rug

Save hundreds of dollars and paint a stenciled rug design like this one for front porch decor that is easier than it looks to create. Using a template to lay out the pattern and then painting the design was all it took to produce a dramatic transformation on this front porch floor. This brushed on rug highlights the rest of the beautiful front porch decor.

See post: ThisOldHouse|How to Paint a Design on Your Porch Floor

Front Porch Furniture

4. Budget-Friendly DIY Corner Bench

While sectional style front porch furniture can cost thousands, this corner bench project was completed for less than $130! The stylish but very durable furniture was built using porch bench plans and saved the homeowner a lot of money without sacrificing design appeal. The large corner bench provides ample seating for a crowd and makes great use of available space. The money saved by building the bench means more in the budget for throw pillows or cushions to complete the look!

See post: Stephanie Abbott|L-Shaped DIY Outdoor Bench

5. Revamp Front Porch Furniture with Paint

Instead of buying new front porch furniture and accessories each time your style goals or taste in colors change, it is so simple to find a spray paint color to completely transform the look of what you already have. This neutral khaki-taupe color mixed with a bolder navy blue makes a pleasant combination that is so easy to accent with many different pillow and rug choices and allows for choosing items on sale. The outdoor stool/ table was a great price but the original color was too plain. A coat of navy blue spray paint helps it stand out and provides a lovely accent to the neutral khaki front porch furniture and planters.

See post: Cyndy @The Creativity Exchange|Front Porch Revamp-How to Spray Paint Outdoor Furniture

6. Vintage Door Becomes Front Porch Decor

An old and unwanted door doesn’t have to end up in a landfill! Since brand new front porch furniture can be costly, repurposing an old wood door into a bench is a clever and very budget-friendly alternative. The door was cut in half and used to create the seat back of the bench. An old door has character, charm, and makes a special piece of front porch furniture that can’t be duplicated by anything available in stores.

See post: J udy Herbert Ainger at Vintage Street Designs|Re-Purposed Vintage Door To A Front Porch Bench

7. Close to No Cost Front Porch Bench

When there is very little room in the budget for front porch furniture, a bench is still possible using only cinder blocks and a few boards! The cinder blocks and a twelve-foot board were salvaged from a construction dumpster and after painting them and adding some tiles, created a DIY bench that added function and pizazz to the front porch. The bench was a perfect fit in the narrow space available under a covered area of a small front porch. 

See post: Jodi|An Almost Free Cinder Block Porch Bench

Front Porch Swing

8. Repurposed Bed Frame Front Porch Swing

With a headboard for the back of the swing and footboard for the front, this homeowner repurposed an old, unwanted bed to create a budget-friendly front porch swing with character. After connecting the headboard and footboard with side boards and adding slats for the seating surface, the entire structure was painted a glossy, bright white. Metal eye hooks and thick poly rope securely attach the swing to the porch ceiling.

See post: Sarah Trop|Hanging a Porch Swing Made From an Old Bed Frame

9. DIY Front Porch Swing From Reclaimed Pallets

This pallet front porch swing was made from standard swing plans and customized to create a shape that the homeowner envisioned using pattern rulers to make curved lines. The pallet board swing was painted a vibrant electric blue, sealed, and hung with chains from the front porch ceiling. 

See post: The Bold Abode|Nantucket Inspired Porch Swing made From Reclaimed Pallets

10. Dog Bed Cushions for Front Porch Swing

Cushions for outdoor furniture can be so expensive so this genius repurpose of dog beds for front porch swing cushions is clever, budget-friendly, and beautiful! The swing was built from repurposed wood—an old door and ornate wood headboard—and painted a very dark shade of blue. The door and headboard were attached to each other using furniture legs and the swing structure was hung with a thick rope. The addition of the colorful dog beds and lovely throw pillows in a vibrant turquoise hue polish off this wonderful front porch swing idea.

See post: Jasmin|Repurposed Porch Swing

Front Porch Lights

11. Repurposed Front Porch Light

Before running to the store when it’s time for contractor grade front porch lights to be upgraded, consider repurposing an old light fixture like the one used in this project instead! A trip to the antique or thrift store may find an old fixture to make new again with a fresh coat of paint. Two coats of black paint on a repurposed antique light fixture transformed this homeowner’s front porch decor from builder grade to one of a kind!

See post: GullyCreekCottage|Perfect Porch Light

12. DIY Basket Light Fixture

When a bare bulb ceiling light on the front porch bothered a homeowner, a wire basket pendant fixture provided the solution! A wire basket with an Edison style light bulb fit over the existing socket and instantly transformed the entire porch ceiling. Where no eyes were drawn to look up before, the new light became an immediate focal point in the front porch decor and provides a great reminder not to overlook the power of front porch lights to add dramatic style to the porch.

See post: Creatively Living|Replace Your Light Fixture for Under $20 With No Wiring!

13. Dazzling Front Porch Lights

Stunning white front porch lights like these will have neighbors stopping to stare and marvel at their glow! Mixed with beautiful garlands and holiday greenery, these soft lights welcome family and friends to a holiday house anyone would be proud of. The lights frame the door, adorn the garland, light the Christmas trees, and even weave through decorative branches suspended from the porch frame. A front porch lights display like this one must be very difficult to part with when the holiday decorations must come down.

See post: Janis @ All Things Beautiful|Christmas Porch and Front Door DIY

Front Porch Christmas Decor

14. Chalkboard Accented Front Porch Christmas Decor

So many beautiful details combined to create this Christmas porch! A mixture of vintage elements, chalkboard inspired elements and painted furniture blend together for jaw-dropping front porch Christmas decor. A painted buffet from a thrift store is a beautiful focal point of the black, white, and red front porch decor. 

See post: Atta Girl Amy|Schoolhouse Inspired Vintage Christmas Porch Decorations

15. Thrift Store Front Porch Christmas Decor

A thrift store find became a one of kind Christmas tree container after a coat of paint and simple vinyl lettering! When a homeowner found a worn out cabinet for $10, she used it to create the focal point of her charming front porch Christmas decor. Olive buckets on each side of the front door; filled with virtually no cost decor in the form of greenery and branches found around the yard are a great example of budget-friendly decorating! The warm red of the door, blanket, and ribbon garland perfectly complete the front porch Christmas decor and provide a lovely welcome to neighbors and friends.

See post: Judy Herbert Ainger at Vintage Street Designs|Thrift Store Finds Decorate the Front Porch

16. Clever Front Porch Ideas for Christmas

These festive red Christmas buckets were made from a surprising home supply you probably have in your garage! Elegant plaid ribbon and red spray paint cleverly disguise the fact that these are made from five-gallon utility buckets. This front porch Christmas decor, filled with discarded cuttings given to the homeowner for free at Home Depot is such a wonderful example that front porch ideas don’t have to cost a fortune to look amazing.

See post: Front Porch Ideas|Christmas Porch Festive Bucket Decorations

17. Collected Branches for Front Porch Christmas Decor

Collected spruce, pine, and willow branches from around a homeowner’s property created stunning arrangements for her front porch Christmas decor. While not every budget allows for the purchase of store-bought arrangements each holiday season, anyone can search outdoors for lovely branches and greenery and arrange them in a way that looks just as beautiful! This gorgeous front porch decor was created by reusing fall front porch decor! After her summer Boston ferns were ready to be thrown away, this homeowner chopped the dead ferns and reused their containers to create Christmas decor.

See post: Karen Freeland|How I Dressed Up My Front Porch for Christmas and the Winter Season

Front Porch Chairs

Even if a front porch is too small for a bench, swing or larger piece of furniture, front porch ideas can be as simple as a decorated chair. Look at these projects that use front porch chairs as decoration!

18. Fall Front Porch Chair

This spray painted front porch chair did just what the homeowner wanted—anchored the space—and held the throw pillow that was the inspiration for the entire front porch design. Look for a chair that can be repurposed and that you don’t mind spray painting and get to work!

See post: Krystal Kristiansen|Bringing Fall to Your Front Porch, Even With a Pink Door

19. Front Porch Chairs for Christmas Decor

When a homeowner found Christmas planters for $80 she knew there were better options and decorated a front porch chair instead! The height provided by the chair in a small front porch space makes a huge impact and allows a third Christmas planter to stand out from the other two with a bright red Merry Christmas sign. 

See post: Rose Lemke - What Rose Knows|Affordable and Natural Christmas Front Porch Decor

20. Classic Looking Front Porch Rocking Chairs

The classic look of front porch rocking chairs will always be in style. After a homeowner grew tired of a mismatched collection of furniture, she sanded and spray painted her rocking chairs a matching glossy and eye-catching jet black paint color. A small table in the center of the chairs painted in the same color ties in so nicely with the revitalized front porch chairs.

See post: Thea Osborne/That Sweet Tea Life|How to Paint Rocking Chairs for a Front Porch Update

Front porch ideas range from simple, classic decor to elaborate DIY building projects but all have one thing in common—making the best use of outdoor square footage for living and decor space. Whether your front porch furniture goals involve a custom built-in bench, front porch rocking chairs, or a swing; find your ideas and inspiration for projects like these on Hometalk! Have you transformed a front porch and want to share the process, tips, or results with others? Head to Hometalk and share your front porch ideas!

Written for the Hometalk community by: Kate Griffin | Eating in the Shower Blog