My Summer Front Porch Refresh: Easy and Affordable Ideas

Do you want to update your front porch? Look no further…I’ve got some simple and affordable updates to refresh your summer front porch.

I love big front porches but guess what I don’t have a big front porch.

And that’s ok because you can create a welcoming entrance no matter how big…or small your front porch is!

I promise!!

Want to see how?

Then keep reading…

Before Summer Front Porch

My favorite feature of our home is the stone surrounding the bottom of the house.

And that stone is the highlight of our small front porch.

But I felt this area needed a bit of sprucing up this year.

How to Give Your Front Door Makeover

The first thing I did was give our front door a makeover.

After 12 years it was time to repaint our door but I loved the black so it was just a matter of picking the right color black.

Who knew there were so many options?

All the details about the paint color and how I updated our front door can be found in this post.

Go check it out…I’ll wait.

Looks so much better, right?!

Not only did I paint the door but I also removed the chrome kickplate to give the door a cleaner look.

I just love how the door looks now without the kickplate.

I also hung a new door knocker…well new as in…I finally took it out of the box…but I may have had it for a while.

You will have to read about that story here.

What a difference these small inexpensive changes made.

It’s like I have a brand-new door!!

Use a Simple Outdoor Rug

If you follow us on Instagram you may remember the drama I had last year with my layered rug.

I mean don’t get me wrong… layered rugs look so pretty.

But…umm…I may have ruined mine last year.

Oooops!!!

You see when I would water the plants the water would drain and run under the rug so the pretty decorative buffalo plaid rug got all moldy.

Ewww!

It was really gross.

You’ll just have to trust me on this one because I didn’t take any before pictures for you…you’re welcome.

I know I could just move the plants to water but I’m kinda lazy…I mean I’m lucky I even remember to water the flowers daily.

So this year I went with a simple outdoor rug.

Although not as pretty as my layered rugs, a much better option for me!

You have to do what’s convenient sometimes am I right?

Add Seating Area to Summer Front Porch

I never thought our front porch was large enough for a seating area.

But this spring I carried our old wood bench from our deck to the front porch.

Then I moved some planters around.

And I really liked it…see the before picture above.

Once I decided we definitely wanted a bench for our front porch refresh I started searching online for the perfect one.

I didn’t want to spend a fortune but I was lucky to find some great bench options under $300.

Who knew our small front porch could have a cozy seat?!

I wasn’t sure about not having two matching planters on either side of the door as I always have.

Ya know I’m all about things being symmetrical….so I was a little hesitant.

But having the bench on one side looks so pretty.

Plus now we have a place to sit out front and watch the neighbors.

You know Anne lives across the street right…lol.

With the new bench on one side of the porch, I still have the other side of the porch for flowers and seasonal decor.

For your convenience, I’ve included links to some items used in this post. These are affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here.

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What Type of Plants and Flowers to Include on a Summer Front Porch

I’ve always struggled with flowers and plants on our front porch because it gets so darn hot in the afternoons on the porch.

A few years ago I discovered a variety of ferns that are drought tolerant called Queen Anne.

What a game-changer!

No longer do my ferns look awful halfway through the summer.

These beauties are the perfect plant for the hot afternoon sun my front porch gets.

Geraniums also do fairly well on the porch so I added them to a decorative container for a pop of color.

Want to hear about another failure from last summer?

You know we’re all about keeping it real here at S2M!

I had outdoor battery-operated candles in my lanterns…so pretty, right?

Well, you’d think so but…

…can you believe the plastic candles melted from the hot sun?

Yup, just my luck!

And then at Christmas time, I added greenery to the lanterns which looked great but they tipped over in the wind and the glass broke.

Ugh!

I still wanted to use the large lantern so I just removed all the glass panels and added a little potted flower.

So cute, right?!

Check out how to upcycle an old lantern here.

I hope you enjoyed my summer front porch refresh!

Do you redecorate your porch for each season? I’d love to hear about it!

More Posts You May Enjoy:

• Simple Summer Styling for Your Patio
• Simple Christmas Porch Decor
• Easy Halloween Front Porch Decor
• Classic Christmas Front Porch | AnnMarie’s Home
• 6 Tips to Decorate a Front Porch for Fall
• Front Door Makeover
• Patriotic Home Decor Ideas

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