Front Porch Ideas for an Amazing Porch

Front porch ideas can be found in many places - walking and driving around your neighborhood, looking at magazines and checking out porch plans.

Our site is jam-packed with front porch pictures and outdoor porch ideas to help you have an amazing porch, so let's get started.

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Front porch ideas can begin with the style of your home. Our chart below will give you some excellent quick ideas for front porch designs, landscaping, furnishing and decorating your porch - all based upon the style of your home!

Don't stop there. Our front porch designs section has just about every style porch under the sun, from screen porches to three season porches and more! We have a generous amount of front porch ideas, porch pictures and porch plans to inspire you.

If you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, we also have oodles of tips, pictures and front porch ideas for how to build or convert a porch.

Choosing the right porch railings and porch columns can give your porch great curb appeal. Visit these sections for ideas and even more front porch ideas and pictures.

Front porch ideas wouldn't be complete without loads of ideas furnishing, entertaining, landscaping and decorating.

Porch ideas for the style of your home

Architectural Style	Porch Characteristics	Landscaping and Furniture Ideas
Classical home styles such as Federal, Revival, Tidewater, Antebellum	Porches range in size from small to large; usually roofed; symmetrical facades with central entrance ways; an equal number of windows flank each side of the door. Roofs are either hipped (sloped on all four sides) or gabled; porch columns are classical or rectangular in design	Landscaping: Clipped hedges around porch; use brick walkways leading to porch, use geometric plantings in containers on porch Porch furniture: Teak furniture
Victorian home styles such as Gothic Revival, Italian, Queen Anne, Eastlake	Large, one-story porch that extends across one or two sides of the house; may have multiple porches with some on the second level; steep roofs of asymmetrical shapes; round or square towers; bay windows, ornamental spindles and brackets	Landscaping: Symmetrical and colorful plantings in containers or window boxes on porch; use elaborate details (moldings) on porch between posts or columns and around door frame Porch furniture: Wrought-iron furniture
Post-war home styles such as Cape Cod, Ranch, Raised Ranch, Split-Level	Rather small porch and most without roof or overhang; siding is usually clapboard, shingles or brick; symmetrical appearance; multi-paned windows (double hung); centered front door (often with a roof-portico); decorative shutters Pediments over the door, consider an overhang, small roof, or awning over door, upgrade door frame, extend porch to either side for additional space (perhaps a patio adjacent to porch for plants and chairs)	Landscaping: A low sheared hedge along the base will emphasize its horizontal profile, include a few simple plants with contrasting shapes, match plantings on either side, use stone walkways leading to porch Porch furniture: Naturally weathered or painted wooden furniture
Early 20th century style such as Arts and Crafts, Craftsman, Bungalow, Cotswold	Arts and Crafts (Craftsman) Homes: Porches have thick square or round columns, stone supports One or two stories; wood, stone, or stucco; exposed roof rafters;	Landscaping: Symmetric or asymmetrical plantings depending on specific house design, use layered, natural looking plantings, use a mix of wood, brick, in, on, and around your porch, use stone walkways leading to porch Porch furniture: Wooden garden furniture with simple lines
Colonial style also Dutch, Garrison, Saltbox	Porch is usually small in size with a pediment and perhaps more ornate door frames; narrow clapboard siding (could be bricked) Crown molding or a pediment over the front door: pilasters or columns; double-hung windows or multi-pane windows in pairs on each side of front door	Landscaping: Brick pathways, symmetrical large plantings on each side of the door, geometric beds, make the porch/entrance dramatic with striking door color and wreath Porch furniture: Classic teak furniture, geometric placement is the key
Farmhouse English/Country	Large wrap-around porches; tall windows; shingle or metal roofs; dormers and gables; lat siding; simple moldings and trim; odd, irregular shape; lack of ornamentation; tall, over-sized windows; natural materials like cedar or stone; blends with natural surroundings	Landscaping: Use symmetrical plantings, simple painted garden furniture, rockers and a swing of course! Use brick. flagstone and stepping-stone walkways to access the porch. Also consider using prominent features like arbors and pergolas. Use mixed beds and borders around porch. Porch furniture: Use teak or heavy wrought-iron furniture.
Contemporary or modern also Bauhaus, International, or A-Frame	Porches are usually large and can be covered or not; not easily distinguishable due to many shapes but the general rule is the presence of large, tall panes of glass. Odd, irregular shape design; lack of ornate moldings; wood or stone siding; blends with natural surroundings	Landscaping: Use asymmetrical plantings in, on, and around porch; evergreens around porch is common; flagstones for walkways Porch furniture: Stained or weathered furniture
Neo homes also neo eclectic, neo colonial, neo-Mediterranean, post-modern	Porches are usually ground level, deeply shaded with arches; usually incorporates a mix of details imitating the architecture of Spain, Italy, Greece, and Morocco. Often called Mediterranean, Spanish, or Hispanic. Low-pitched roofs; red roof tiles; stucco siding; arches above doors, windows, and porches; heavy wooden doors	Landscaping: Usually asymmetric bold plantings; incorporate herbs and plants with silver foliage, and brightly colored vines. Where feasible, use succulents and other drought-tolerant plants in the Southwest Porch furniture: Metal, artistic, or contemporary furniture
Mediterranean or Spanish Colonial	A distinguishing characteristic is the extension of the side or front wall to form a porch; blends with environment, usually built from stucco or coquina rock; thick stucco walls to conserve heating and cooling; limited ornamentation arched entrance ways; wooden roof supports over porches	Landscaping: Symmetrical or asymmetrical plantings depending on specific house design; use Mediterranean herbs and plants with silver foliage, use brightly colored vines to cover stucco walls Use tile or cut-stone pavers for walkways; include water features Porch furniture: Wrought-iron furniture
Southwest Prairie	Southwest houses usually have one-story porches with massive square supports; come in two styles--boxy and symmetrical or low-slung and asymmetrical. Roofs are low-pitched, with wide eaves. Brick and clapboard are the most common building materials.	Landscaping: Often symmetrical plantings, use succulents and other drought-resistance plants; use gravel and tile/sandstone for walkways Porch furniture: Heavy, carved wooden furniture

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