Dream Spaces: Gracious, Spacious Front Porches

Like rotary phones and black and white TVs, a good old-fashioned front porch makes me think of quieter, gentler times. Those were the days when, without the distractions of the digital world, homeowners would gather in rocking chairs or lounge on porch swings and watch the world go by. Parents could keep an eye on their kids playing in the front yard and visit with neighbors, who would stop by to say hello and sit a spell.

Today the world is bigger and busier for many, with the focus shifting from porches to backyard decks, with all their bells and whistles. But a well-designed front porch is still on the wish list of many homeowners. Porches add character and curb appeal as well as enviable outdoor living space. If you are lucky enough to have one, are considering adding one or just like to dream, check out these inspiring photos.

This porch is all about the view, but the glossy white painted columns and railing with matching rocking chairs add to the appeal. Other nice touches: Restoration Hardware ceiling lights and slate flooring.


In the U.S. South, deep porches with lofty ceilings provide cooling shade to the home. With their screened enclosures, these porches really serve as outdoor rooms — and this one in Charleston, South Carolina, definitely feels that way, fitted with cushioned rockers and even a coffee table with a potted orchid. Note the ceiling: It’s painted in traditional Haint Blue, a shade thought to repel wasps (or, for the superstitious, haints — ghosts or lost spirits).


In this Florida cottage, the old-style shutters can be opened and closed for privacy and shelter from the weather. Imagine settling down on the cushy porch swing for an afternoon nap with the ceiling fan to keep you cool. Heaven!


With a lakeside setting like this one in upstate New York, it’s not surprising that a knockout front porch was part of the plan for this new home. It has all the essential elements: boxed columns, a bluestone floor, a wood ceiling (fir V-groove boards with a clear finish) and wicker seating with lots of plush cushions.


Simple yet elegant, this low-slung porch in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, features classic columns, weathered teak chairs and an ipe floor. The enormous feathery Kimberly Queen fern links the porch to the surrounding lawn.


This stately porch is attached to a house on balmy Daufuskie Island, South Carolina; the homeowners can enjoy it year-round. The dark wicker cushioned furniture contrasts beautifully with the house’s white walls and black shutters, and the porch is so spacious (54 feet long, with 11-foot ceilings), that a full-size dining table and chairs fit easily. The porch is lit by Bevelo’s French Quarter lanterns, and the ceiling paint is Benjamin Moore’s Sage Tint.


This beautiful porch in Charleston was constructed from the same bricks that are on the walls of the home (Boral Shadow Stone with Savannah ivory mortar). The traditional beadboard ceiling is covered in Duron Paint’s Piazza Blue.


With large screens designed to keep out pesky bugs, this airy front porch in a small Georgia beach house easily works as extra living space. The 1960s fiberglass furniture, updated with colorful pillows, is ideal for lounging, and a ceiling fan keeps the breeze moving. Note the clever use of color, from the bright yellow cushions to the pale blue concrete floor and mellow green clapboard siding.


Looking for decorating ideas? This well-furnished porch has all the right pieces: an Original Charleston Bed Swing lined with comfy pillows, retro 1950s metal patio chairs, a chevron-patterned indoor-outdoor rug and lime-green garden seats.


There are lots of inspiring design elements in this Beverly Hills, California, porch. A stacked-stone wall supports the columns, while long-wearing ipe covers the 10- by 37-foot floor. Hand-blown Hundi pendant lanterns from Pottery Barn provide light, and recessed heaters (my favorite detail) are set into the glossy painted tongue and groove ceiling, warming up chilly nights.


Designer Eddie Rider used clay pots and red geraniums on this porch to contrast with the sage-green wood siding. In case anyone gets too comfortable in the wicker rockers, a big wall clock keeps track of the time. The flooring is ipe, which turns a soft weathered gray as it ages.


This roomy front porch in Atlanta features a rustic cedar ceiling enhanced with a semitransparent Cabot stain, and painted brick arches that match the creamy exterior of the house. Softly lit by wall sconces and table lamps, it looks to be the ideal spot for after-dinner conversation.

More: Porch Life: 12 Ways to Beautify a Porch With Plants

URL: Dream Spaces: Gracious, Spacious Front Porches http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22980.html