45 Small Front Porches With Big Style (2024)

Room Design

Outdoor Spaces

Kristin Hohenadel

Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.

Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial Process

Updated on 06/10/22

Even the smallest front porch is a luxury that deserves as much attention to design as your interior space. Check out these modestly proportioned front porches that don't skimp on style, demonstrating the power of maximizing bonus outdoor space, enhancing your home's curb appeal, and helping to create a welcoming landing pad for both you and your guests.

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Pastel Pink

Connecticut-based blogger Annie Diamond of Most Lovely Things and her family have lived in 15 houses. "In every house we have made sure that the entryway is welcoming," she says. "Your entryway is the first impression that people have when visiting.I hope mine says, come on in... the door is always open!" Diamond uses Edison bulbs in her lanterns to create a warm and inviting glow, and keeps things fresh by swapping out plants, rotating seasonal decorations, and changing the front door paint color on a whim.
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Double Benched

The small front porch of this 1920s Portland, OR house BASE Landscape Architecture is flanked with simple pale wood benches on either side of the enclosed landing space that add a modern touch to the space, with its vintage pendant light, arched windows, and elegant painted black and white moldings.
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Leafy and Romantic

This 10x12-foot Catskills tiny house from AHG Interiors has a generous open front porch that creates extra outdoor living space. Classic decor choices and a tangle of climbing ivy create a lush, romantic setting.
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Mini Victorian

This fairy tale Victorian 125-square-foot cottage in the Catskills of New York is the stuff that tiny house dreams are made of, with its room-of-one's-own proportions and romantic all-season feel. The petite but open front porch painted white to match the home's exterior sets the tone for the frilly French-Nordic decor on the inside of what owner Sandra Foster calls her "shabby streamside studio."
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Small Swing

A hanging porch swing, rattan chairs, and blue and green throw pillows give this small front porch from Chamberlain Interior a natural sense of ease.
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Ready for Company

Blogger Michael Wurm Jr. of Inspired by Charm created a cozy sitting area on this small front porch with its black wrought iron detailing by adding a bench and hanging plants. "I love me a big front porch," he says. "However, after living in an apartment for a while, I realized you can make any space look beautiful. The size of the space doesn’t matter."
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Asymmetrical

A small bench and some plants make this cottage front porch with its asymmetrical roof from Kate Marker Interiors feel homey and inviting.
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Backyard Front Porch

A small front porch makes even a diminutive garden studio more inviting, as evidenced by this minimalist backyard front deck from Oliver Dang of Toronto-based architecture and design studio Six Four Five A. The front porch is crafted from the same cedar strips and matching wood boards used for the fence and studio, creating a seamless look. A deck chair provides a place to take a break, and a little garden gnome by the door adds a touch of whimsy.
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In the Navy

The little front porch on this modern Cape Cod from by AHG Interiors is designed to practically disappear into the facade, with a stone floor that matches the winding path to the front door, and a small bench painted in the same deep navy color as the rest of the house.
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Low Slung and Shaded

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Chicago-based architects Gregory Howe and Pam Lamaster of Searl Lamaster Howe designed the Lawless Retreat on the edge of a state park in central Michigan with a "shaded and low-slung front porch" that acts as an intimate landing space that opens into an interior with expansive views of the surrounding woods. The house and front porch are clad in both untreated and charred cedar and obsidian lap siding. A pair of rosy deck chairs adds a warm dose of color.
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Neutral

Neutral shades of white, gray, and black, a wire pendant light, and tall oversized planters make this Newport Beach front porch from Mindy Gayer Design Co. feel modern and the Dutch doors makes it feel inviting.
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Country Styling

Blogger Anita Joyce of Cedar Hill Farms created a French-inspired front porch with a classic vintage bistro table and chairs dressed up here for fall.
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Bistro Table

A bistro table and chairs and an unexpected framed print hung casually beneath the outdoor sconce give this small front porch from Leanne Ford Interiors an effortless dose of chic.
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Venice Beach

This cheerful Venice Beach, California Spanish-style bungalow from White Sand Design Build has black-and-white patterned floor tiles, a tall drought-friendly cactus, blond wood frame posts, and a candy-colored pink door.
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Boho Style

Camille Styles created a modern boho style front porch at her design studio with a rattan porch swing and accessories in natural woven materials, and a fresh coat of white paint.
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Sitting Room

Seattle-based blogger Susan of Saw Nail and Paint created an intimate outdoor living room feel in this small sitting area at one end of her front porch with "thrifted, vintage, new, and repurposed" decor.
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Graphic

Michael and Danielle Gutelli of design collective Clark + Aldine used inky black outdoor paint on the front door, porch floor, and outdoor steps to create a graphic counterpoint to the home's bright white exterior.
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Modern

The small front landing on this modern Maine house designed by Tyler Karu has warm wood cladding, an assortment of house plants, and a vibrant coral-colored front door.
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Outdoor Reading Room

This guest cottage from Peachtree City, Georgia-based Our Town Plans has a front porch perfect for one, furnished with a rocking chair, side table and table lamp that turns it into an alfresco reading room.
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Burnished

This front porch from Leanne Ford Interiors includes gold-toned front door hardware, warm sconce lighting, a natural woven door mat, and painted urns filled with oversize bouquets of dried flowers that add a burnished warmth to the all-white exterior.
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Welcoming Vibes

A welcome sign and hello doormat reinforce the message that guests are invited to make themselves at home on this small front porch from Coffee, Pancakes & Dreams.
The 10 Best Doormats of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
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Shades of Purple

Blogger Kelly Rinzema from Lily Pad Cottage uses the front porch as a starting point for seasonal decor. For this fall arrangement, she embraced the symmetry of the porch itself, flanking the walkway to the entrance with hydrangeas in shades of pink and purple as well as large planters full of kale and cabbage.
See Also
21 Cottage Style House Exterior Design Ideas
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XXS Front Porch

The classic 1999 Elm tiny house from Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has a portable dollhouse aesthetic that helped launch today's tiny house movement. The tiny but prominent front porch is one of the things that makes this RV tiny house feel like a home.
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Make Me Blush

A palette of black and white warmed with blush-toned throws and an upholstered sectional gives this front porch from Most Lovely Things an indoor living room feel.
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Deconstructed

This small Southern California front porch from Brophy Interiors has a covered entry with built-in lighting and a simple bench to make it welcoming. To add additional seating, a portion of the front yard has been turned into a patio space with a small fire pit.
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Texas Farmhouse

Blogger Rachel Paxton of Maison de Pax started the redesign of this tiny Texas farmhouse on the outside, painting the formerly burnt orange exterior in matte black and creating outdoor seating and living areas on her front porch with a hanging bench on one side and a rocking chair on the other.
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Greenery

Simple greenery and polished symmetry makes the small front porch from Calimia Home feel like more than just a pass-through space.
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Open

The wide open step up front porch on this little red house from Georgia-based Our Town Plans has a timeless all-American appeal, thanks to classic black accents on the door and shutters, and a pair of rocking chairs for contemplating the view.
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Suburban

Well groomed topiaries, a black-and-white palette, and a small seating area give this suburban front porch from Michelle Berwick Designs a sense of polish and grandeur.
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Modern Farmhouse

A simple black-and-white palette, a vintage number plate, and stenciled steps give this simple farmhouse style front porch from Thistlewood Farms a timeless modern feel.
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Renovated Farmhouse

A completely renovated early 1900s farmhouse from Michelle Berwick Designs preserved original features like the classic small front porch, which is furnished minimally with some rattan seating and a warm sconce light.
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California Wine Country

At the Cottage Grove Inn in California, a series of guest cottages include semi-private outdoor porches that open onto a grove of elm trees. Interior designer Kendall Ermshar kept it traditional with painted shutters, a basket of firewood for the interior fireplace, and white wicker furniture.
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Rule of Three

A trio of planters in varying heights on either side of the front door fill this small front porch from Most Lovely Things with a minimum of effort while offering a space to showcase seasonal flowers.
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Stick the Landing

If your small front porch is more of a landing, help it make an entrance with a pair of decorative planters like this home from interior designer Tyler Karu.
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Tropical

Your front porch should be decorated to complement the aesthetics of your home, but it's also a chance to give passersby a glimpse of your personal style. This small front porch from Casa Watkins Living has tropical colors and global accents that hint at what's going on inside the front door.
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Coastal Farmhouse

A potted citrus tree, an outdoor rug layered with and a robin's egg blue Dutch door make the minuscule front porch on this oversized Southern California modern coastal farmhouse from White Sand Design Build feel fresh and approachable.
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Set the Tone

A welcome mat saying "Howdy" on this front porch from A Beautiful Mess sets the tone and puts guests at ease.
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Black and White

This breezy Spanish-style front porch from Blanco Bungalow has a chic black door flanked with a mismatched pair of plants, a natural door mat, and an industrial style sconce to give it a modern feel.
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Patio Style

This Spanish-style LA front porch Julian Porcino is more like a covered patio, with a wire chair and matching side table under the arched facade and some plants and a pair of outdoor sconces to provide a private spot for morning coffee or an after-dinner drink.
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Mini Living Room

This small front porch from Most Lovely Things has a living room feel with upholstered seating, black-and-white textiles, and warm wood accents.
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Structure It With Planters

Adding a strategic smattering of planters helps define the front porch and side entry door of this Spanish-style home from real estate broker and interior designer Julian Porcino.
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Herb Garden

A hanging swing decorated with bright-colored throw pillows and DIY herb garden coffee table on this front porch from A Beautiful Mess add up to a feel-good space.
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Covered

This small covered porch from interior designer Maite Granda has a pale gray door, a simple pendant light, and a short flight of entry steps that is softened with plants and flowering branches that give the Florida home an effortless and warm vibe.
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Symmetry

The small front porch on this large suburban home from Whittney Parkinson Design has a hanging pendant light and a pair of tall double topiaries on either side of the tall black and glass framed double doors that adds a sense of classicism to a new build.
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Mini Garden

If you don't like the idea of sitting out on your front porch, take a clue from this Spanish-style porch from Blanco Bungalow and turn it into a mini-garden instead.
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Retractable Draw Bridge

The off-grid Greenmoxie Tiny House comes with a retractable electric draw bridge deck that serves as a front porch when open and pulls up for stress-free transport.