Drab front porch needs help!!
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A good wreath always brightens up my door and there are tons of tutorials on this sight how to make them really cheaply.
Can I see a picture of your house? It will help me suggest things.
You can check Pinterest for ideas and then head to your nearest thrift shop and see what they have that would work for you. You don't need a lot of money to make your own. Some planters paint to complement your new color (combo of paints you now have.) Cute, quirky sign for the door. Is there room for a chair painted to match. Let us know what you choose.
With out a photo it is a little hard to give anyone suggestions. Heres is a sight that may give you a visual ideas that meets your budget. https://www.pinterest.com/ejmoore510/porch-decorating-ideas/
I love the paint color you chose for your house!....like stated above, it doesn't cost a lot of money to decorate if using what you already have, or use what nature has provided such as pine cones placed in a flower pot or a planter. Go on Pinterest for suggestions as well.
Pinterest and Hometalk are my go to's! I guess I just need a starting point. I think that is the hardest, picking one to begin! Thanks!
Oooo! Those are great ideas! I will go to a thrift store tomorrow to see what might get me started! I love the idea of a quirking sign instead of a wreath!
Thrift stores, garage sales, whatever works for you. That is a great house to begin with, just needs a few personal touches. Like the paint colors you picked out, will look very pretty.
I'd start keeping my eyes out for some bright color pillows, to match a wreath or sign for the door. I always love seeing a cheery red or bright teal on doors, and both of those colors look great with browns. Also adding a valance in the windows will put some nice color out. I did a really cheap one with some on sale fabric and IKEA curtain rods. I would put up curtains that would block the light but just something across the top of those windows to bring some more color in.
Your right your porch is out of balance. Do you have a pair of chairs to put on the other side? Also you need something to hang on the walls right and left of the windows. On the left where there is no furniture a antique type china cabinet would work. Or hang a colorful wall hanging on one of the side walls. The rug in front of the door needs a pop of color...............bright red. The porch is very dull right now.
I think anywhere there are steps there should be hand rails for safety. And maybe a railing across the front to continue the look. It might not be in the budget at the moment but may be something to think about for the future.
And what about hanging baskets centered on the windows? They would soften the look and add color.
We used to have a wonderful porch rail with a mini pergola over the little step area. It did not look like we wanted. It closed it in and hid anything I wanted to decorate with, so down it came! Something very simplistic might be on our future project list. I love the idea of hanging something in front of the windows! I have very sad little porch lights to add to the forgotten look, so maybe even some hanging lights? Thank you so much for your input! Have a blessed day!
Kelly, what is the ceiling of the little porch made out of ? Can that be painted as well ? It's hard to tell from the photos what color is up there, but if it's not already white, I would give that a coat of bright white paint to brighten up the area a bit. And I think I would do the same for the window trim -- I would paint those the same color as the trim around the door -- that would also lighten things up. It look like there's some kind of light fixture up near the ceiling -- I would get rid of those and add larger sconces further down on the wall between the door and window on each side. You could do black fixtures or a metallic -- I think an oiled bronze would also look good with the house color. I love your idea for the red door, I think that's perfect. Not sure about the creamy beige for the shutters, though. I think they're going to disappear into the house color. I might even think about painting them to match the door. But I love bright colors, so that might be out of your comfort zone.
To add a little more curb appeal, I would trim those bushes next to the steps, it looks like they're taking over the walkway. I would probably put two tall narrow evergreens next to the door between the door itself and the windows. You can find artificial ones pretty inexpensively, and better yet, they don't require any maintenance. Add some additional color with potted flowers -- some sort of plant stand on the left would balance out the bench on the right. You could continue with the red theme in your flowers or go with a contrasting color like yellow or purple. Add a pillow or two to the bench -- mix up the patterns, but stay in the same color family --- again, stay with the red or go with contrasting colors -- but this will add more color and comfort for sitting.
Please send us "after" photos !
There is bare concrete on the porch floor. It is tan brick with very little wood except that tiny bit painted beige around the door. Hubby has promised to pressure wash the steps, eves and the whole porch so it will be fresh and clean. I tried to get a color just light enough to make the shutters look fresh and crisp and am hoping they won't blend away and get lost..I can always go the opposite end and do black shutters. I love some of your ideas. Especially the tall evergreens on each side of the door. That is just the style I am going for. If I were to paint the concrete, what color would look classy but fresh? I would like to use touches of black wrought iron. I think it would look great with the shade of red I picked. I promise to show an after picture. I will be doing some 'in progress' pictures soon to show how the paint colors look all finished. Thank you so much for your help!
New update!