Tips for Creating a Welcoming Porch

Every homeowner wants every part of their home to be welcoming and inviting, to have that ‘home’ feel of comfort and safety, and a porch should be no different. A porch is so much more than just a place to store things or take off dirty shoes before entering the house.

It can be one of the main gathering areas, a sanctuary where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of life, or a place full of fantastic comfort spots. No matter what type of porch you have, you want it to feel warm and welcoming for guests. So, here are some tips on how to create that feeling for all your family and friends.

What Makes People Feel Comfortable?

When you think of a place that seems inviting, you likely think of somewhere that has plenty of comfortable seating, some tables with decorations, something for entertainment like music, a TV, some reading material, and even games. You can also have outdoor day beds, gliders, and porch swings if you want to make your porch super relaxing and inviting.

Check out our blog on choosing between a porch swing or a glider if you have trouble deciding between the two.

Having snacks and drinks on hand is a great idea. You can opt to have some glass drink dispensers handy, so you can make some lemonade and tea and have a place for other drinks to keep them cold, like an ice chest or a mini-fridge.

What other designs can you think of that are cozy? Cabin-style with all wood furniture and old-style décor is a comfortable design. What about a colorful porch with vivid colors that say to your guests, “the fun is in this room.”

Have some Windows

Transparency is inviting, whether anyone likes it or not. Something that is closed off tells people to stay away from it. If you want to make your porch have that warm, welcoming feeling, open the curtains and let the sunshine. For people that live under a harsh sun, you can always install unique windows that will block out the harmful UV rays the sun emits while still taking in the light. Plus, how are you going to enjoy the view when you don’t have plenty of windows on your porch?

Have Some Fun

If you have kids or have some little ones over at your house, you’ll know that you need to have things for them to do, you may end up with some cranky children. No one wants that. So, make your porch a place to do activities. You can continuously evolve your porch and upgrade it to have distinctive features all the time.

Get some chalkboard paint and make a part of a wall a chalkboard. Or, you can make a tabletop a chalkboard. You can challenge the kids to a game of tic-tac-toe, draw something awesome, or even help set the table by drawing placemats and placeholders, so they know where the silverware and dishware go.

Of course, all kids are different, and age is a factor, so if you house some toys and other things, luckily, you can store all those things in a seated bench for easy access.

Get Work Done

Another fun and inviting way to turn your porch into somewhere welcoming is to use it as a shop. It can be a place to create decorations, re-purpose older things, make picture albums, and create paintings, knitting and sewing, and other fun hobbies and activities. Children and adults alike love doing those things, and soon, you’ll have people wanting to come over to work on some cool stuff with you.