5 Affordable Summer Décor Ideas for a Small Front Porch

Want to greet your guests with a pretty entrance? Check out these five affordable summer décor ideas for a small front porch.

Today is the 1st day of summer!

My absolute favorite season because I just love the longer days & warmer weather.

Although you may hear me complain a bit when the temperatures get in the high 90s and it’s super humid, I promise it’s less whining during the summer than in the winter.

It’s been a busy few months around here with our outdoor spring projects.

We’ve re-stained the stamped concrete around our pool and patio, painted our Adirondack chairs, built a cover for our fire pit, transformed underneath our deck to hide our pool equipment & a/c units, and replaced all of our foundation shrubs in front of our house.

In addition, to the yearly tasks of power washing everything, cleaning all our outdoor furniture, and planting ferns and annuals in containers for our outdoor spaces.

Phew…I’m tired after just writing it all out! LOL!

Now, I need to share all the details here on the blog.

Some of those projects were a bit expensive like all the new shrubs we put in this spring.

But the others were DIYs that Chris and I did together so we just needed to pay for the materials.

However, it all adds up, even the DIY projects!

So, when it came time to get my front porch spruced up for summer I wanted to keep it affordable!

Some of the items used in this post include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you. You can read our full affiliate disclosure policy here.

How to Style a Budget-Friendly Summer Front Porch

This is my front porch…it’s beautiful and I love it…but it’s small.

It’s not the grand farmhouse-style front porch that I love.

You know the big ones that have lots of space for outdoor décor and a bunch of rocking chairs or even a fabulous swing.

It’s not large like Anne’s front porch that runs across the front of her home, but it’s perfect for the style of our home.

Oh, and speaking of Anne’s porch did you see it all dressed up in red, white & blue?

So festive & fun for the summer holidays!

I’m trying to talk her into adding a porch swing then we can hang out with a glass of wine chatting & swinging the afternoon away.

Since my porch is smaller, I like to keep the seasonal decorating to a minimum so it doesn’t look too crowded.

Last year, I gave my porch a makeover and added a bench which we love.

So, this summer giving my porch a little refresh was really easy and I didn’t spend a lot of money.

Check out these five affordable summer décor ideas for a small front porch.

How to Add Texture to a Small Porch

Adding layers of texture to your porch is easy with door mats or rugs and throw pillows.

I keep the colors neutral to coordinate with the house colors.

Last summer we had our house painted in a lighter color scheme and painted our door Anew Grey by Sherwin Williams.

The black & white wide striped rug contrasts well with the stone on the front of our home and the new lighter door color.

It’s a great rug to layer with a fun door mat but I also like it by itself.

The rug is reversible, it’s black and white checkered on the opposite side, so you’re getting 2 for 1.

And for under $15 at Target it’s a super affordable option.

Outdoor throw pillows are another simple way to add texture to your porch.

Whether you have a bench, rocking chairs, or even a small stool in the corner of your entryway placing a pillow or two outside creates a cozy vibe.

A striped black and white pillow I scored for 50% off several weeks ago behind a tan woven lumbar pillow adds some comfort and style to the bench.

How to Decorate a Front Door for Summer

Using a faux wreath or a hanging basket filled with faux stems on your front door is a budget-friendly decorating idea since they can be used year after year.

This spring I hung my favorite basket filled with faux grass stems and white berries on my front door.

A few days into spring I decided to move the basket inside and hung a wreath on the outside of the door.

Boy, am I glad I did that because a mama bird decided to build a nest on the wreath and lay eggs.

It took about four or five weeks for the birds to fly the nest and in the meantime, my wreath was ruined with bird poop.

The wreath was really old so I didn’t mind too much and I loved watching the baby birds.

But if my basket was out there I wouldn’t have been too happy. LOL!

Now that spring is over, I think it’s safe again to hang this basket outside again.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to find this exact hanging basket but this set of two baskets from Amazon is an amazing price.

Affordable DIY Front Porch Planters

I always plant flowers in containers and buy new ferns for my front porch as soon as the weather is warm enough.

Large planters can be pretty pricey, so why not make them yourself?

Believe me, if I can do it you can too!

Anne & I worked with Delaney Hardware and Ryobi tools last year and gave our front entryways a refresh for a contest.

We didn’t win but we did tackle our first DIY wood project using power tools without any assistance from our husbands.

Yay for us!

I made these two wood planters at different heights.

I thought I liked them during the holidays with Christmas trees, but I think I like them even better with ferns.

Another affordable idea is using décor pieces, even broken items, for another purpose.

I’ve had these black metal lanterns for years but one windy day they both blew over and the glass broke.

Instead of tossing them, I carefully removed the glass panels from the lanterns and cleaned them up.

Tada…new flower planters!

How to Beat the Late Afternoon Sun

The front of my house gets full afternoon sun so I need to use sun-tolerant plants and flowers on my porch.

After several years of buying Boston ferns and having them barely hang on for the summer, I discovered the Kimberly Queen variety of ferns.

They’re drought resistant so that means they do much better in the hot Carolina sun throughout the season.

I also plant annual flowers that tolerate full sun as well, like these white Sunpatiens.

Save money and be sure to purchase the correct variety of plants and flowers for your front porch so you don’t have to replace them halfway through the summer.

While you’re porch sittin’ on your small front porch, serve the least expensive but refreshing beverage this summer…water.

Add lemon slices to water for a thirst-quenching treat.

I hope you were inspired by these affordable summer décor ideas for a small front porch.

If you don’t have an outdoor living space and are considering adding one to your home, be sure to check out these tips to help you decide between adding a porch and a deck.

If you’d like any of the items I used to style my front porch just click the images below to shop.

Shopping Links and Resources

Click on any image to shop items from this post

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories! We’d love for you to follow us on social media! You can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Pin it to Remember it: