Scale Down Small-Porch Furniture
Outdoor spaces equal liveable square footage. For dwellers with small front porches, sized-down outdoor furniture can help a space from feeling overwhelmed. Look for round accent-size tables (no angles mean better traffic flow), comfy chairs without arms, and sectional sofas.
Zone Small Front Porches by Purpose
It’s easy to divide a large front porch by purpose — eating, relaxing, cooking, to name a few. Luckily, small front porches can utilize the same principle. Dedicate the space in front of a door, for example, to moving people into and out of the house. Tuck in two comfortable chairs and put down a petite area rug for a relaxing conversation nook, provided there is more space.
Match Plants to Small Front Porches
Too-big trees, shrubs, and other plants can overpower a small front porch. Pay careful attention to plant labels at the nursery or home improvement store and opt for dwarf or mid-size options. Those scaled-down plants add restrained structure and beauty to a small front porch.
Create Connection
Your small porch might lead to lots of other outside spaces, such as a driveway, another outdoor space, and a backyard. Joining those other spots increases the sense of cohesion and creates a feeling that your small front porch is bigger than its actual footprint.
Make It Practical and Pretty
A smaller front porch means anything you choose has to be beautiful AND work hard. Use artwork, for example, to hide an unsightly wall; a small table might offer personality-driven colour as well as a practical spot for glasses and plates during meals. Use soft window treatments to create intimacy and block the unsightly views.
Reduce Clutter
Too much stuff — knickknacks, furniture that’s sardined in corners — can easily distract from the liveability of a small space. Get rid of anything that’s dated, worn out, or ill-used. Then, include only those things that have both purpose and charm.
Scale Down Small-Porch Furniture
Outdoor spaces equal liveable square footage. For dwellers with small front porches, sized-down outdoor furniture can help a space from feeling overwhelmed. Look for round accent-size tables (no angles mean better traffic flow), comfy chairs without arms, and sectional sofas.
Zone Small Front Porches by Purpose
It’s easy to divide a large front porch by purpose — eating, relaxing, cooking, to name a few. Luckily, small front porches can utilize the same principle. Dedicate the space in front of a door, for example, to moving people into and out of the house. Tuck in two comfortable chairs and put down a petite area rug for a relaxing conversation nook, provided there is more space.
Match Plants to Small Front Porches
Too-big trees, shrubs, and other plants can overpower a small front porch. Pay careful attention to plant labels at the nursery or home improvement store and opt for dwarf or mid-size options. Those scaled-down plants add restrained structure and beauty to a small front porch.
Create Connection
Your small porch might lead to lots of other outside spaces, such as a driveway, another outdoor space, and a backyard. Joining those other spots increases the sense of cohesion and creates a feeling that your small front porch is bigger than its actual footprint.
Make It Practical and Pretty
A smaller front porch means anything you choose has to be beautiful AND work hard. Use artwork, for example, to hide an unsightly wall; a small table might offer personality-driven colour as well as a practical spot for glasses and plates during meals. Use soft window treatments to create intimacy and block the unsightly views.
Reduce Clutter
Too much stuff — knickknacks, furniture that’s sardined in corners — can easily distract from the liveability of a small space. Get rid of anything that’s dated, worn out, or ill-used. Then, include only those things that have both purpose and charm.
Use Colour to Trick the Eye
If your small porch is primed for paint, your colour combos can create a sense of visual expansiveness that belie a space’s limited dimensions. Pastel colours, of course, are a natural fit, but a balance of light and dark hues — say, navy walls with a white ceiling and floor — can create cosiness that doesn’t feel suffocating.
Blurring the lines between small front porch and yard helps a pint-sized space feel bigger. Use appropriate sizes of containers or hanging baskets to help; plant trailing flowers in hues that tie together your colour scheme and blend the hardscape with the soft scape.
Use Colour to Trick the Eye
If your small porch is primed for paint, your colour combos can create a sense of visual expansiveness that belie a space’s limited dimensions. Pastel colours, of course, are a natural fit, but a balance of light and dark hues — say, navy walls with a white ceiling and floor — can create cosiness that doesn’t feel suffocating.
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