How to design the perfect farmhouse style porch! An inspirational design guide for a charming farmhouse style porch.
I’ve been chatting about it for ages, and thinking about it even longer than that …
With it’s cracked, chippy boards (and not in a good way), sinking concrete steps & lifeless personality, our sad little front porch is in desperate need of a makeover.
I enjoyed many mornings rocking away in our rocking chairs, sipping coffee with my nose in a book – waiting for Carson to run out with his little plaid blanket and a stack of books to read in the rocking chair beside me.
Actually, I spent quite a few afternoons doing the same.
Evenings on the porch watching Carson ride up and down the sidewalk in front of our house practicing his mad bike riding skills with Daddy. Nights with a glass of wine and, you guessed it, another book.
We love our sweet little porch. Even if it is a little sad looking.
But, I’ll tell ya, from the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew this porch could be amazing! It could be a pretty space, that brings all sorts of charm and character to our home. It could be a place we spend all sorts of time together as a family, perhaps even a place where all three of us would have a place to sit.
Yes my friends, I’ve got some BIG plans for this sweet little space…
{choose your porch material}
Wood: treated pine, cedar, or even painted wood – all make for a very classically styled porch, but all come with a bit of work to maintain of course.
Faux Wood: vinyl or composite options can give you that classic look of wood without the maintenance, but this is definitely a pricier way to go.
Stamped Concrete: with all sorts of choices for shape, size and colour, stamped concrete can have the look of stone with the functionality (and height) of concrete. Plus, it’s relatively low maintenance. *This is the option we chose*
{choose your railing}
Wood: any sort of stained or painted wood would be your least expensive option, but the most work to maintain.
Metal: a slightly more modern look, though still offering classic styling options. Not really much maintenance to worry about.
*We debated about adding a railing to our porch, but because it’s just one step off the ground, we opted to just skip out on this part.*
{add a charming front door}
Obviously it would be lovely to completely replace our plain old front door with something bursting with farmhouse style (here are 15 gorgeous options).
Unfortunately, ours was replaced just before we purchased this house and, though it’s not what I would have chosen, it doesn’t need to be replaced just yet (so says hubs anyway).
Instead, I plan to paint my door with this lovely warm gray colour and add a beautiful new handleset and touchscreen lock. Thanks for the inspiration Twelve on Main!
A screen door like this one from Seeking Lavender Lane would be so lovely too…
Though, it won’t fit within the framing of our current door (I wish this was reason enough to replace that darn door!).
{don’t forget the lighting}
Lantern:
Barn Light:
Rustic:
Hanging:
String Lights:
*We went with a few of these gorgeous barn lights from our favourite lighting shop.*
{add more character with some architectural details}
Adding elements like columns (great DIY tutorial here) and pretty wooden corbels are great ways to inject a ton of charm and character!
{and my favourite part, some furniture and accessories!}
What porch would be complete without a comfy place to curl up and a spot to set your coffee and book?
Cozy Furniture:
The obvious choice here would be a charming little porch swing…
Though, we actually opted for something a bit bigger, and much more cozy feeling…
Farmhouse Style Accessories:
{or, you could always do it yourself}
I cannot wait to see our farmhouse style porch come together!!!
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
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Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com says
Gorgeous inspiration, Kristi! I cannot wait to see yours! It’ll be just as beautiful I’m sure!
Kristi says
Thank you so, so much Kendra! I’m dying to see how it all comes together!!!
Sarah B says
Ahhh! We are so excited to see this porch transformation!!
Kristi says
Thanks so much!!! I cannot wait to finally share it Sarah!
Erin says
I really like where you’re going with this! Porch cuddle sessions once again! We are going to tackle our front deck next year- so I’m excited for the inspiration!
MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says
Kristi! Love all your ideas! Will be anxious to see what choices you make! I just know that your “new” porch will be beautiful!
Kristi says
Thank you so, so much Mary-Ann! I can’t wait to share it soon!
Carole West, Garden Up Green says
Great transformation – looks so inviting and just makes you feel at home. Well done!
Kristi says
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to share the finished space!
janetvinyard says
Hi Kristi, Great ideas! Will look forward to the reveal! Thanks for the inspiration! Blessings, Janet
Kristi says
Thank you so, so much Janet! I can’t wait to share it!
Heidi says
Can’t wait to see how you transform your cute little porch. You’ve got some beautiful inspiration sources!
Kristi says
Awwww, well thank you Heidi! I’m so excited to see it all come together!
pamela says
Those darn frugal husbands. LOL I think your vision will be fine with the existing door but I get it. I love a colorful front door but so I was surprised by how much I liked that soft gray you are leaning toward. It really is perfect. I liked all the accent ideas as well and yes, they would be great for a farm porch but I think they could work for my coastal part of the world too. Thanks for the inspiration. Visiting via Creative Circle.
Oh, and don’t you like The Nest? Interesting read. Made me feel better about my family. 😀
Pamela
Kristi says
Thank you so, so much Pamela! I’m so darn excited to see how it all comes together!!! And I totally agree about The Nest! Thanks again!
Sabrina says
I love your ideas Kristi, they all look so cute. We still need to work on our front and luckily our door really needs to be replaced. Hubby is going to build a beautiful craftsman door, eek.
I am not sure what material your door is made of but you guys might be able to do some other updates to it depending on the material. For instance could you change the look of the side panels by either changing out the glass. Or you could go even go a little further and cut out the bottom half of the side panel and add full glass to both sides. That would brighten up the entry and it is not as price as a complete new door. Just an idea though…
Kristi says
YES!!! We actually have plans to change out those side windows, though I totally hadn’t thought of making them larger – I LOVE that! And how exciting for you! Good on hubs for BUILDING a beautiful door! Can’t wait to see it!
meximoments says
So Many great ideas!!! LOVE!
Kristi says
Thanks so much!!!
Helene says
Love your drapes, where can I get some for my porch?
Helene says
Also where are your door knobs from in bronze?