Tag Archives: front porch ideas

Porch Essentials | Create a welcoming outdoor space

There is something special about a covered front porch. Today I am sharing the front porch essentials that can help you create a welcoming outdoor room.   This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here   Most people who see a home with a…

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  • Love porches too.  And totally agree with you about the unwelcoming aspect of many modern homes.  They are welcoming to cars, not people! ReplyCancel

    • Houses have literally become a shrine to ‘toys’… and how many can be stored. Happy to have a front porch on our home at least!ReplyCancel

  • This is wonderful! I so wish I had a front porch! I bet it is so exciting to see your dreams become reality!! ReplyCancel

    • So exciting indeed! All my life I have wanted a covered front porch with a swing!ReplyCancel

  • Now I really wish I had a front porch!!ReplyCancel

  • I am a lover of a usable front porch.  Both houses we have lived in have had them, and I can’t imagine not having one!  Time just slows down on the porch!ReplyCancel

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: THE GREAT PORCH DEBATE

In the last Saturday Sketchbook post, I discussed the three outdoor spaces I have been working on for the cottage. I casually mentioned that the front porch may or may not have railings. Then someone on Instagram posted this picture, and it sent my mind spinning. image source Do you see what I see? Isn’t…

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  • Val

    I vote planter, possibly a taller scale but not the railing.  My reasoning is with the stone elements, putting is railing will give it a ‘boxed in’ feeling where the planters with flowers & or grasses; an airy, open dimension.  For added heights besides low growing foliage, try medium height native grasses ( which can stay & in the Winter( these look beautiful topped with snow ) With Mn Winters you can change it to include minature  , decorative Evergreens with lights.  Don’t feel like you have to be so ‘by the book’ some of the most beautiful  designs are a mix as is in fashion of clothing textures/designs. Looking forward to seeing what you choose- as always it will be beautiful! ReplyCancel

    • Good point – it really does lend to a more ‘open feel’! I love it!ReplyCancel

  • Bonnie

    For that style, railings. Our midcentury ranch has a brick planter and box hedge on the front edge of our porch and it’s one of my favorite things about our house, but I don’t think the planter aspect works as well for your plans. They might work better if they weren’t so low, but they feel really out of scale with those heavy stone elements. They work for that big neoclassical porch because the columns are slender, the bases are much more delicate, and the tops of the plants are basically in line with the tops of the bases. Your big stone elements need something taller, and the spaces between the railings balance their heaviness better than the solid planter. ReplyCancel

    • Erika

      I agree with the stone/planter sentiment.  With the stone, I like the railing better.ReplyCancel

    • Good points Bonnie – I’m not totally sold on the overall size or height of the stone elements… maybe I could scale those down a bit and the planter up a bit? To me it just seems weird to have a railing I guess, when the porch is so low to the ground. And I for sure wouldn’t want the rail where the porch swing will be – so even if we do use rails, they won’t go all the way around. The good thing is, there is still a lot of time to figure this out! 😉ReplyCancel

    • Bonnie

      Also, MN winters are going to make it hard if you’re using annuals. Better suited to a more temperate climate if you want to change it up seasonally.ReplyCancel

      • I was telling people in the Facebook comment thread that I see the planter more as a piece of furniture, that can be removed if need-be (like, in the winter maybe?).. I also think that it would work best to have the big planter piece, but have the actual soil and plants in separate containers that drop INTO the large planter, so that they too could be easily switched out. In the winter I can imagine some spruce type elements and berries with lights?! There would maybe be 3 changes during the year: In the early summer, fall, and for the winter – which I guess wouldn’t be any more work than if I had landscaping beds?ReplyCancel

  • Holly

    Planters I love it!ReplyCancel

  • Jennie

    Planters!!! As long has you have a green enough thumb to keep seasonal color in them 🙂 ReplyCancel

    • funny enough… that is one of Craig’s big worries. I don’t really have a green thumb, but I have had good luck with planters! Once the flowers get in the ground, they tend to get overgrown with weeds under my care! LOLReplyCancel

  • Craig

    Railings!  I’m all about maintenance free!ReplyCancel

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