Simple Decorating Inspiration for a Small Front Porch

Would you believe me if I told you that we’ve never loved the way our small front porch was decorated?! Well, we finally do and I’m excited!

A Disappointing Small Front Porch

Expectations.

So many of life’s disappointments can be attributed to unmet expectations.

They say that if you adjust your mindset and expectations you can help to reduce the disappointments in your life.

It’s all about perspective.

Well that’s how this small front porch has always been.

The Expectation

In my dreams, I envision my husband and I sitting on the front porch with 2 rocking chairs relaxing.

Talking as the sun sets behind the curtain of trees in front of our home.

Or watching the girls run around and play in the yard.

The Reality

Our front porch is too small for 2 rocking chairs to comfortably fit on the porch.

Can I squeeze 2 rocking chairs onto this porch?

Sure, I can!

But, can you walk around the first rocking chair to get to the second rocking chair?

No, no you cannot.

The reality is our front porch is not the place for my husband and me to relax and enjoy each other’s presence as the day ends.

That’s what the back porch or patio offer.

What Can I Do With a Small Front Porch?

Since I’m a mostly stay-at-home mom, I’ve learned a few things about myself. I’ve learned that if I’m not careful I can turn my whole life into an extension of my girls’ lives.

I can become obsessed with their academic performance, (they are pre-k and pre-pre-k) and making sure that they are always involved in some sort of activity.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying my little girls and soaking in all the things while they are still little.

But, God didn’t create me to be an extension of my children.

I was created to be me and if I’m not careful I can let parts of me slip away. I’ve learned that I must be intentional about remaining myself in a season of life that would have me be less than all I was meant to be.

I have to create space for myself.

Que the front porch!

What can you do with a small front porch?

Turn it into a space to go have alone time.

A place to recharge and get a break at the end of a long day.

The thing is, we used to do this. We used to make sure I got a mini-break from hearing my name on repeat after my husband got home from work.

We’ve just got out of the rhythm.

But I’ll tell ya what! I’m so excited about getting back into it!!

(Rest assured we plan to let my husband use the small front porch when he has long hard days at work too!)

How to Turn A Small Front Porch Into a Place to Relax

1. Add a Chair

The main thing I need for this space is a place to sit. I mentioned earlier that 2 rocking chairs don’t fit on this front porch.

But…

One chair easily fits!

I decided on a rocking chair because I love to rock or swing. To me, the motion is very relaxing.

So as long as the goal is to recharge and relax, a rocking chair seemed like the perfect solution.

Why this chair?

We selected this chair from Cracker Barrel because it was the most comfortable chair to sit in.

We’ve been looking at different rockers, and the chairs with round spindles in the back hurt a little. The chair with flat spindles, no longer hurt our backs, but the part you sit on was a little longer making it difficult to reach the ground while I sat in it.

The only issue with this chair was the price tag. $189.00!

After talking about it we decided since we were only buying 1 chair it was actually within the budget. So I went out to buy it.

After getting to Cracker Barrel I discovered they only had 1 of the style we wanted and it had a bit of damage on it. But because of the damage, the lady offered it to me at 40% off!!

BOOM!

The only downside to this chair was now a non-factor! It was officially within the budget of one chair!

2. Add a Side Table

The next thing I needed the front porch to have was a side table.

You’d be hard-pressed to find me wondering around the house without a drink of some kind.

Coffee. Tea. Water. Tea. Sparkly Water. Tea. Smoothie. Tea. Water. Tea.

Are you seeing a pattern? haha! I actually often use a regular mug too.

My husband reminds me that travel mugs help keep things from spilling and hot. But I just love my good old fashion regular mugs!

Have I broken a few mugs transporting them from the house to the car and from the car to my moms’ house and back again?

I sure have. But I just can’t stop myself haha!

I also need a side table for books!

I love to read and frankly, I don’t do it nearly as much as I’d like. But if I get 20min each evening after my husband gets home from work I’d say that’s a good place to start.

PS I found these books strolling through Ollie’s one day and had a mini freak out! I felt like I was meant to buy them and read them!

The author is Jen Schmidt and you can find her blog HERE and her Instagram account HERE.

3. Add Potted Plants

I know there are a ton of plants all around the front porch. But I think, the more the merrier when it comes to plants.

I found this cute pot at my favorite vintage shop.

Isn’t the chippy paint gorgeous!! I love it! It adds some of my favorite decor aspects to the front porch.

I stuck with a fern for my front porch because I have a covered porch and this little corner of the house is shaded until 5-6p in the evening.

Then it gets shaded again when the sun sets behind that blanket of trees I was telling you about.

I was actually flipping through the Gurneys catalog and looking for some more shade-loving plants to add up here.

I’m thinking maybe a plant with pretty blooms?

4. Add a Blanket

Okay. I hear you over there. Who needs a blanket in the Summer?

I’d say most of the time I won’t “need” it. But I also know that there will definitely be nights when I will want one.

Like I said earlier, this is a very shady part of the house.

Also, I’m that strange person who is cold when the rest of the room is warm.

For now, I’ll be using this blanket for my evening porch recharge. But maybe by August, I won’t need it anymore haha!

Pin for Later!

Well that’s all I’ve got for you today. I hope this post helps you look at some of your unmet expectations a little differently. I hope that you decided to turn an unmet expectation into a dream come true.

If you’re interested in my daughter’s take on the 4 elements needed to make a home just right (hint the porch size didn’t make the cut) head over here and check it out. These little girls have truly helped me transform my thinking in all areas of life.

Tell me about some of your experiences with shifting your mindset! You guys have no idea how excited I get when I hear from you! It is such a huge blessing in my day.

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Open Your Doors,
Aliya