Simple Small Porch Decorating Ideas for Summer

Today I’m sharing our small front porch decorated for Summer. With a few simple touches, the porch is updated for the warmer months ahead! I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I shared our freshly updated front porch for the first time! After giving this little outdoor space some love last year, it’s been easy to maintain by making a few simple changes each season! Today, I’m sharing my Simple Small Porch Decorating Ideas for Summer!

And lucky for you, there are 20+ other bloggers sharing their gorgeous outdoor spaces today as part of the Seasonal Simplicity Summer series hosted by The Happy Housie. A big thanks to Krista for organizing all of these wonderful seasonal simplicity blog hops! There is sure to be an incredible amount of inspiration to pull from while working on decorating your own outdoor space!

I had *hoped* our back deck refresh [mood board is here] would be ready to reveal today, but not quite. It’s sooo close though! The deck boards are done [you can see the most recent deck shot in this post] and the stairs are 95% done. All that’s left is a little more decorating and then I’ll photograph it.

Stay tuned! It shouldn’t be too much longer!

So instead, I’m bringing you this year’s Summer porch update 😉

Last year, I shared 13 Ways to Update your Front Porch When You’ve Ignored it for Years and that is exactly what we had done! I thought since our porch was so small, it might not be worth putting any time or effort into making it look nice.

But once I came up with a plan, it wasn’t that difficult at all!

And besides, once the work is done in the beginning, it’s so easy to spruce it up each season thereafter.

Since we still have the foundation in place [sconces, hanging lights, bench, planters, rugs, etc.] after a couple tweaks to get it ready for Summer, it was a piece of cake!

SIMPLE SMALL PORCH DECORATING IDEAS FOR SUMMER

Here are 5 ways to get your small front porch ready to roll!

1 || MAXIMIZE EVERY INCH OF SPACE

Your space might be small, but adding functionality to the small space is what’s key! A narrow bench for sipping a cup of coffee in the morning is all you need. A small chair & garden stool would work well, too.

In fact, I have a ton of outdoor furniture and decor sourced here and here!

This small metal bench is my go-to hiding spot when I want to sneak in a few minutes of reading!

The boys love sitting on it, too.

Another way to use your space efficiently is by adding hanging baskets!

They are perfect for small spaces because they don’t take up any floor space. I found these hanging flower baskets at Home Depot this year and love the red, pink and white combination.

2 || FLOOD YOUR SPACE WITH COLOR.

Pinks, reds and white were the colors I went with this year and have filled up 7 planters + 2 hanging planters with flowers. My front porch may be small, but it sure is alive with bright colors!

The flowers are a mix from Lowes & Home Depot. We normally get large prearranged flower-filled planters from Costco, but didn’t get there in time for prime selection during the stay-at-home order.

This year, I tried my hand at diy’ing my planters with individual flowers and am really happy with how they turned out! Maybe I’ll get a post out with my tips and the process I followed!

3 || ADD TEXTURE

Layered doormats and rattan lanterns give a natural warmth and textured look, while a simple textured black & white outdoor throw pillow with large tassels on it creates coziness and visual interest to the seating area!

My goal when purchasing this rug and doormat last year was that it was extremely neutral and could be used all year long. I’ve had my eye on several new doormat combinations and rug layering ideas, but I’ve stuck with my original duo!

I’m pretty sure I’ll have the itch to switch things up on the porch for Fall, but for now, I’m still loving this “Hey there, Take Care” look!

4 || MIX & MATCH YOUR PLANTERS, LANTERNS & METALS

Anything and everything goes! We use our same planters year round and they are a mix of metal, resin, ceramic and terracotta [which I spray-painted gold last year].

The 2 large metal ones have a more rustic feel to them as they wear and the black ones are taller, sleeker and more modern.

The side table is also spray-painted gold and since I had a few extra geraniums & sweet potato vines leftover after filling my large planters, I stuck them in an old patterned pot and set it on top near the bench to add some color!

I love grouping lanterns together by the planters and 2 are rattan and 2 are copper. 

Mixing the finishes gives the porch a “gathered vibe” which I love!

5 || A SIMPLE NO-FRILLS WREATH ON THE FRONT DOOR

Last Summer, I had a fun & festive Flamingo wreath up, but this year I wanted a more understated look. I went with a simple faux greenery wreath from Homegoods [similar wreath] and decided to leave it as-is.

Although I contemplated adding ribbon or other embellishments, I am loving the simplicity of it!

And that pretty much wraps up the Summer decorating on our small front porch!

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to see the rest of the outdoor spaces shared today.

For more outdoor living inspiration and ideas, be sure to check out my Full Outdoor Gallery filled with porch decor, deck ideas, outdoor diy projects and more!

You can also see all of my Summer posts here!

Don’t forget to pin for later:

This week, some of my blogging friends and I are sharing our summer outdoor spaces. Just click on the links below the images to be taken to see their full posts.

The Happy Housie // My 100 Year Old Home // Modern Glam // Cassie Bustamante

Craftberry Bush // Joanna Anastasia // Life is Better at Home // Inspiration for Moms

Clean & Scentsible // Finding Silver Pennies // Grace in My Space // Maison de Cinq

Life is a Party // House by Hoff // Zevy Joy // Two Twenty One

Taryn Whiteaker // Maison de Pax // Amber Tysl // This is Our Bliss

She Gave it a Go // My Sweet Savannah