How To Make Your Porch Inviting

Having guests over is a pleasurable way of showing off your home and for anyone interested in interior design entertaining can inspire you to try new things. Creating a relaxed and informal atmosphere in your home makes it a welcoming place and your design choices have a lot to say in the ambience of a gathering of friends. One of the most relaxed places you can entertain guests is your home’s porch.

Beach porch

There are few better places to relax on a summer’s evening than in your porch. Designed attentively, guests will find a porch the perfect combination of outdoors with indoor comforts.

Swing Seats.

Beach porch

No design element is more associated with a porch area than a traditional swing seat. The sight of one can make the make the whole home seem inviting, let alone the porch area. Nowadays, swing seats are available in huge number of varieties, so you will undoubtedly find one that suits your home’s style. It is now commonplace to find swing seats that are hung from the porch itself rather than one that has its own bulky frame. If you opt for one that will integrate with the porch, make sure the structure is strong enough to hold the weight of the seat before installing it.

Coordinated Furniture.

Beach porch

Along with your swing seat an inviting porch has plenty of furntiure for everyone to be comfortable. Coordinate the style of your seating in just the same way as you would for a living room. This need not mean all the furniture must be the same, but you should choose complementary styles and colors. Bring the look together with cushions, or a rug, which you can take inside during the winter months.

Connect The Spaces.

Beach porch

Truly inviting porches make you feel as though you are inside whilst enjoying the outdoors. Make your guests feel at home on your porch by connecting the space to your home’s interior. Expansive sliding patio doors create a sense of continuity between the interior and exterior. Folding doors are a superb choice if you want to open up an entire wall on to the porch. Another good idea is to use the same flooring inside and out, to connect the two areas.

Cook Outs.

Beach porch

Incorporate a barbecue into your porch for a really inviting feel. When you are entertaining guests on your porch, it can be frustrating to keep returning to your kitchen for food and drinks. Set aside a corner of the porch for a kitchenette if you have the space. Install a barbecue, a mini sink if you have plumbing, and a small refrigerator so that you can keep drinks cools on a balmy summer’s eve.

Tropical Inspiration.

Beach porch

Make your porch seem like a tropical veranda, even if you live further north, by taking inspiration from hotter climates. Add a fan or two, some succulent plants in pots and arrange your furniture in a regular pattern. Consider using a cooling ceramic to cover the floor of your porch, rather than wood. Select outdoor furniture that is made from rattan or cane, to complete the tropically inspired design

Beach Life.

Beach porch
Beach porch

Ever inviting, the beach hut look is a superb choice for a porch design. It is such a well loved look, that you can pull it off even if you live nowhere near the ocean. Keep the design simple with plenty of white washing and light tones. Contrast this with blue and white stripes here and there. Use sun loungers as well conventional seating. Finish off the inviting beach-life look with some towels and the occasional deck chair. Sit back and relax.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ,7 and 8.