Charming small porch decorating ideas and tips for summer

Want to make your small porch more inviting? Copy these five outdoor decorating tips and tricks to make any porch look nice! + my porch reveal!

Our small porch is still a work in progress. It's actually more of a narrow deck running the length of our house leading down onto our patio. Last year, we finally had the glass roof installed. I love that we can now sit outside under the covered porch even when it's raining.

I still have a to-do list of projects that need to get done before this small porch is finished but I'm pleased with how far we've come (Rome wasn't built in a day!). I thought I'd show you what we've done so far, tell you what we have planned and show you how we decorated our small porch for summer.

Small porch BIG ideas

Here is how this tiny porch started out. In this photo, the roof had just been installed and we were waiting for the glass to be delivered. It's a little hard to see from this photo that the porch widens slightly where the patio ends.

Even though this is such a small porch, I wanted to include a few seating options along the deck.

I also wanted to close off the far end with a screen to create a windbreak. Someone in our village was having a clear-out and I bagged some tall doors from them. With a bit of work, they will make a great screen. I've already started working on them but have had to stop because I've run out of the spray paint I need for the glass inserts. I've looked all over and can't find that paint in stock anywhere. It looks like I bought the last can last time. Now, I'm left with the project half done, which leaves me so frustrated that I can't finish it!

I have an idea to spice up the wooden deck too. The way things are going with all my other projects, it might need to wait until Autumn.

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My Five tips for decorating a small porch

Before I reveal my small porch makeover, let me explain the principles I've followed to make my porch look more inviting.

• Add furniture - Even if there's just room for one chair and a small side table. If there is somewhere to sit, your porch will immediately become more inviting so you'll be more likely to use the space
• Mix in some flower containers – Flowers and plants make any space look more inviting. Fill up a few pots or planting containers, with summer annuals, you'll be amazed at how much better your small porch will look. You could even save money by growing annuals from seed. Don't have any seedling pots? This tutorial shows you how to make your own seedling pots.
• Add sparkle with lanterns – Lighting makes a world of difference on a small porch. Transform your porch into a magical space with lanterns, tea-lights, votives, string lights and festoon lights. Everything looks cosy in flickering candlelight.
• Use the vertical space - Just as in a garden, tall trees can make a small garden look larger so it is on a small porch. Hanging baskets, lanterns and lights all draw the eye upwards and give the impression of a larger space.
• Add texture – Drape a comfy throw over a chair and add some textured outdoor cushions. You can change the entire look of your porch with indoor/outdoor rugs plus, they are nice underfoot. Rugs are also perfect for covering imperfect porch flooring.

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My small porch makeover

With all that said, let's see if I took my own advice with my small porch makeover!

Small Porch Furniture

Swing Chair

I was having a hard time finding seating for such a small porch. I flipped back and forth between swing seats and benches. If you read my post about outdoor furniture for small spaces, you'll know that I fell in love with this chair at first. Read that post to find out why I didn't go with that in the end.

Here's is the porch swing chair I ended up getting. It's perfect for our small porch. Instead of hanging it from the porch roof, I ordered this base stand for hanging chairs so that I can bring it inside in winter. I plan on using it in our loft. I'm so glad I went for a swing chair. I love that when I'm sitting in the chair, I can turn it around to look at different areas of the garden or easily turn myself out of the sun. It's so comfy too! It comes with a thickly padded seat cushion, back cushion and two side cushions to rest your arms. The swing chair has quickly become my most favourite place to read or to think.

Small metal table

This small metal side table is in a similar style to our patio furniture. The tabletop can hold a large flower planter and still leave space for a cold drink or cup of coffee.

Round Granite Table + Decor

As well as the swing chair, I wanted to create a seating area just outside the patio doors. I thought a table would be nice but I wasn't sure that I would find one small enough. Then, one day when I was scrolling through eBay, I came across an ad for a small table that was 'free to collect'. I couldn't believe my luck.

It was hard to tell from the eBay photo, but it looked as if the tabletop was made out of some kind of stone. It turned out to be black granite. It has one central wooden leg and a metal foot. With a 70cm diameter, the table is just the right size for our small porch. Here is where I eat my muesli and drink my morning cuppa!

I've decorated the granite table with a rustic heart made of twigs. I twisted some LED string lights around it for an extra bit of sparkle.

A container filled with Lavender and a bowl with floating candles rounds off the décor for this small porch table.

You can find similar Iron patio chairs here.

I made the grass wreath above the table last summer.

Here are some more outdoor posts which might interest you:

Seagrass, Willow & Rattan furniture

Beautiful outdoor rugs

Small porch – flower containers

Three large flower containers have been placed along the length of the porch. All three contain the same summer annuals, creating a consistent colour pallet on the porch. Our house is painted a deep blue colour so the flowers have to complement it. This year, I've chosen purple and white summer annuals.

A hanging bamboo in a wicker basket is hanging over the hanging chair. It disguises the chain and draws the eye upwards.

See how I create summer flower containers here.

In my Summer Home Tour, you can see how I use outdoor flowers inside.

Small porch – lighting

Outdoor lighting creates such a magical atmosphere in the garden. Although we have porch lights and garden lighting, I love to spice it up a bit with lanterns and party lights. This year, I added a string of festoon party lights along the glass roof. Even the swing chair got its own set of sparkly string lights making this corner even more magical.

Lanterns

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I'm a HUGE fan of lanterns in my home and garden. I've placed large metal lanterns along the deck and glass baubles filled with sand and tea lights anywhere there was a free spot!

These hanging glass tea light lanterns look so pretty. I've filled some of them with sand before adding a tea light. They look so pretty, hanging at varying heights from the porch roof beams. I found mine at Loberon but you can also find them at Target (currently on sale) and Walmart. Hanging lanterns also draw the eye upwards, giving the impression that the porch is much larger than it truly is.

If you're looking for a DIY lantern idea, these pretty pressed flower lanterns might be just the thing. They are very popular on the blog.

Texture

Round Jute Rug

I used to think that Instagrammers put one of these rugs underneath a swing chair because they wanted to hide the frame. Now I know different. The chair frame gets so hot in the sun that adding a rug is a practical thing to do! I've added a lovely jute rug for now but that's only temporary – either that, or I'll have to take it in when it rains. Jute and moisture don't mix! I'm on the lookout for a nice outdoor rug.

Pillows & Cushions

I already had the outdoor chair cushions and the hanging chair came with lovely off-white cushions. All I needed to do was, add a bit of colour with a pillow I made last year. You can find the tutorial for making a pillow cover here.

Small Porch - What's to come?

DIY Screen project

I'd love to finish the screen this year but that depends on whether I can get the paint. I know that during the Corona Pandemic many items are in short stock the world over. With everyone having more time to create, DIY supplies are in high demand.

Deck painting project

I need good weather for this project. It has to be dry over a few days and not too hot. The way things are going with the weather and my time, I'm not sure I'll be able to get this done until Autumn – we'll see!

I hope you enjoyed touring my small porch with me. It was fun to share with you where I love to spend my time on warm summer evenings!

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