By Dave and Mary

Summer Porch Decorating Ideas

Create Your Own Summer Retreat

Kids running through sprinklers, dogs chasing cats, the aroma of a freshly cut lawn, and evenings spent relaxing on your front porch - its summer time! Time for some color and beauty on your porch!

Make this summer one to remember, lemonade and all with splashes of beautiful color and comfort on your front porch.

Let's start with our summer pillow toppers.


Two Tips: Summer Porch Decorating

Enjoy Our Video: Under 4 Minutes

I give you two tips to create a fun summer porch
Beach pillow toppers at Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com
Here's a close-up of one of the pillow toppers I painted
Simple as drawing easy shapes with a sharpie onto fabric, then painting inside the shape as you'd color in a coloring book. I dipped a small dowel into paint to make the dots. They are cute, don't you think?

Summery beach cushions and shells painted on pillows

Do you like our beachy cushions - summer porch decorating is easy with just a piece of fun fabric. If you watch our video above, I show you how to do it. It's much like wrapping a gift.


Summery beach cushions and shells painted on pillows

Our beach porch even has beach wall art. Same concept as our pillows.


Summer wall art

Our wall art is fun and adds a lot of personality to our front porch. Here are more wall art ideas to check out. Thank you!


Summer Porch Decorating
with Flower Pillow Toppers

Summer flower pillow toppers at Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com

I am excited to share with you our summer flower pillow toppers; they are bright and pretty cute.


summer on our porch with bright flower pillow toppers


For our porch this summer, we wanted something bright, colorful and happy. Painting these pillow toppers was fun. And honestly, this is only the 2nd time I've ever painted anything. My first time was the cute songbird pillow toppers that I made for our springtime porch.

Although admittedly, I have loved crafty things since I was a kid and sold handmade greeting cards door to door. But really, I don't have an ounce of drawing ability in me. These paintings are just simple strokes of a brush. I know you could do it, too.

I did not use any special materials for this summer porch decorating project - just fabric scraps and my acrylic craft paints. That's all. So let me show you the individual pillows. I am proud of them.


daisy pillow topper
This was the first flower I painted. It's a daisy of sorts.



pink daisy pillow topper blue daisy pillow topper
Variations on a theme: a pink daisy and a blue daisy



hydrangea pillow topper
We love hydrangeas and wanted to include one



geraniums pillow topper

If you recognize that it's a geranium in a basket, that's good! This one was a bit more advanced than my skills.


A Bit More about the Flower Pillow Toppers

beginning of daisy painting beginning of daisy painting

beginning of daisy painting beginning of daisy painting


Honestly, painting is something very new to me. I learned a few techniques by watching videos online. You can do it, too!

I assembled some very simple materials: swatches of fabric large enough for the pillow cover (around 15 - 16 inches square), craft paints, brushes (with a flat tip) and paper plates.

The daisy petals were made with white and pink paint. I dabbed one corner of the brush into the white paint and the other corner into the pink paint to give the flower a blended look. I found it took quite a bit of paint as it dries quickly on fabric. Basically I just made "loops" for the petals. It's the best way I can describe it.

I used my stencil brush to "pounce" some yellow into the middle of the flower. I also added a bit of reddish brown to give it depth.

For the leaves, I dabbed one corner of my brush into a light and bright shade of green and dabbed the other corner into a darker shade of green. Then I just painted on my best guess of a leaf. (I will get better at this.)

I didn't want to make the painting too busy, so I painted some leaves in more neutral colors to fill up the space. I got this idea by watching some painting videos.


beginning of daisy painting beginning of daisy painting

beginning of daisy painting beginning of daisy painting


The geraniums in the basket were a bit advanced for me to paint, but I think they turned out fine. You can see I painted the basket first. Then I added the geraniums and the leaves.

The geraniums are just splotches of bright and dark red on my brush. Nothing exact for sure. I added some white highlights, too.


Voila! All done.

Our summer porch with our cheerful pillow toppers

Summer porch decorating is easy if all you have to change is the pillow fronts.


Video: Showing You My Pillows

Spend a moment on the porch with me; I'll share my pillow toppers with you




More Summer Porch Decorating Ideas

Front Porch Amenities

summer on the porch at Anita's home

It's the small things that count - like ferns on the summer porch. Anita has a true knack of making the perfect welcoming porch. See more of her NC mountain home.


summer on the porch

Simple but lovely...vibrant potted flowers, comfortable furniture with patterned cushions. We love her porch.


House of Hawthorne's Summer Porch

Check out your garage or attic for old yard games like Pam's, of House Of Hawthornes, croquet set below and use them as summer decorating ideas on your porch. A small child's tricycle could become a stand for a potted plant.


summer on the porch at the House of Hawthornes
photo courtesy of House Of Hawthornes



add a croquet set to your summer porch Pam's old croquet set makes a unique decorative item and a fun conversation piece, too.

Look around your home, garage, attic, or outbuilding to find treasures you can place on your porch.


summer on the porch - birdhouse display Often used indoors, this birdhouse display works well on Pam's table.

Especially for summer porch decorating, consider items not normally used outdoors. Remember, your porch is an outdoor living area and as such can be decorated the same. Take care; however, to ensure fragile items are protected from the weather.


Our warm thanks to Pam for sharing your porch ideas with us. Be sure to visit Pam's House Of Hawthornes blog.


Housepitality Design's Vintage Style

Shirley, of Housepitality Designs, also uses vintage on her porch to create a summer-like display. Do you see her wagon filled with potted plants? It fills the corner of her pretty front porch; in addition, note the attractive hanging wall planter above it.

Select plants based on how much light your porch receives. And because they are usually protected from the weather, keep them watered so they stay looking nice like Shirley's.


Shirley fills an old wagon on her porch with summer flowers
photo courtesy of Housepitality Designs
Front door wreaths are a welcoming sight. Shirley hangs a wreath on her front door, something almost all of us can do. For summer,be sure to select one that complements your home, porch, and exhibits the freshness of the season.

To make this summer wreath, Shirley removed the acorns and feathers from her autumn wreath and added magnolias - clever and beautiful.


Shirley's wreath on front door

Not only does Shirley have a lovely front porch, she also has a magnificent back porch we wanted you to see. We really like her covered porch along with the pergola roof and charming chandelier. A perfect setting for family meals and entertaining.

Summer is the best time to create a dining area on your porch. If you do not have a lot of room, consider a bistro table and chairs.


back porch with dining area


Our many thanks to Shirley for sharing her porches with us. Be sure to visit her Housepitality Designs blog.


summer on the porch


Use Vibrant Colors in Your Summer Porch Decorating

Often times all a porch or screen porch needs is a dose of wonderful color. Take for example Linda's (It All Started with Paint) screen porch. She added the "wow" factor by using cool aqua and white (with a punch of red) in her tablescape and throw pillows.

We love her breezy porch curtains and strands of little lights. Pure ambiance.


colorful pillows on screen porch


Summer Decorating Ideas for Front Porch Landscaping

Enhance the look of your porch with exquisite landscaping; use it as an effective summer porch decorating tool. You can readily see how these porches become the centerpieces of the landscaping. The landscaping leads your eyes to the front porch.


summer on the porch


summer on the porch



Nothing says summer quite like colorful hanging baskets on your porch. These planters have a wide variety of mixed-colored plants that add sparkle to this front porch. Don't miss our hanging basket ideas section.


summer on the porch


Don't stop now, we have lots more summer decorating ideas ideas for you. Just too many to put on one page.


summer porch scene


Do you have a good idea for decorating your porch? Send us your ideas so we can share them with everyone here.



Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.

Our Sponsors
The Porch Store


Shop for Porch Parts at Vintage Woodworks.


Use the PCA Visualizer to design your screen door

End Sponsors


Helpful Links

Enjoy shopping Amazon (affiliate link)

Popular Pages

What's New

Join Our Newsletter Family

Porch Designs

Porch Ideas for Mobile Homes

Build a Porch | Small Porches

Porch Columns | Porch Railings

Screened Porches

Porch Curtains | Porch Enclosures

Porch Landscaping | Vinyl Lattice

Porch Decorating | Porch Ideas

Shop

Navigation Aids

Home | Top of Page

Site Search | Site Map

Contact Us

Policies

Disclosure Policy | Privacy Policy

Legal Info

Please Join Us Here Also

Join us on Facebook for porch talk Join us on Pinterest Subscribe to get our updates. Thank you!


Get in touch with pre-screened local professionals for work you need done
Find a Trusted Local Pro


Copyright© 2008-2025
Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com All rights reserved.
No content or photos may be reused or reproduced in any way without our express written permission.

At no extra cost to you, we earn a commission by referring you to some products on merchant sites. See our disclosure policy.
We, Front Porch Ideas and More, confirm, as stated on our privacy policy, that we do not sell personal information.

All content here is solely for presenting ideas. We recommend consulting with a licensed, experienced contractor before you begin your project.
We make no guarantees of accuracy or completeness of information on our site or any links to other websites contained here.

Thank you for taking your time to stop by. See what's popular and new here.

small rocking chair



Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
--- Cute Mushroom Mug ---
cute mushroom mug sitting next to a vase with daisies
Wouldn't this be an adorable mug for your porch? It's for sale in my Etsy shop!

--- Our Wonderful Sponsors ---
Use the PCA Visualizer to design your screen door

The Porch Store

Shop for Porch Parts at Vintage Woodworks.

--- End Sponsors ---


Our Newsletter, Front Porch Appeal
Learn more!


Thank you for being here!


small rocking chair
At no extra cost to you, we earn a commission by referring you to some products on merchant sites. See our disclosure policy.
We, Front Porch Ideas and More, confirm, as stated on our privacy policy, that we do not sell personal information.

All content here is solely for presenting ideas. We recommend consulting with a licensed, experienced contractor before you begin your project.
We make no guarantees of accuracy or completeness of information on our site or any links to other websites contained here.

Front Porch Home | Return to Top
Contact Us | About Us | Advertise with Us | Search | Site Map
Media | Privacy Policy | Disclosure | Legal Notice | What's New

XML RSS   Add to My Yahoo!  
By Mary and Dave Morris, Copyright © 2008-2025 Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com. All rights reserved.
No content or photos may be reproduced or copied in any way without our express written permission.

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape