We get asked often the question “What can I do to decorate my porch without a lot of effort?” Or, “I’m not a great decorator, what easy decorating ideas do you have that looks great?”
Porch decorating is much like decorating any room of your home. Think four things: color, theme, focal point and purpose. You can do an amazing decorating job just by using color. Don’t be afraid to use color.
Not good with decorating color schemes? Neither am I; however I can pick out at least one color I like. So how do you choose a color? Browse through decorating books, visit a department store home furnishings department or go to your paint store and pick out some paint strips that you like. Paint strips give you great ideas of complementary colors, too!
So once you’ve chosen a color you like, what do you do with it? Try painting the front door. The front door can serve as a focal point or it can be used to telegraph your decorating color scheme for the rest of the porch. So your first step is to go out on your porch or yard and determine a great color for your front door. Depending on the overall statement you want, that is, bold, trendy, subtle, or somewhere in between, choose a color that will complement that look. Then you might choose another complementary or contrasting color to go with that.
Most of us have at least some type of look or style we’d like for our front porch: country, Victorian, Southern, contemporary, southwestern, Tuscan, eclectic or even a sports theme. Or perhaps you want a seasonal look depending on the time of year – spring or fall decorating, for example. Some prefer, especially those along the coast, a nautical look. Others, like in the southwest, might prefer a western theme. This will help determine the items you want to display on your porch. Look at garage sales, flea markets, your dollar store, or a thrift shop to find items like pictures for your wall, furniture, tables or other charming knick knacks to carry out your theme. Chances are you have some items in your home already that you can re-purpose for your porch.