Spring Porch Styling Tips

Hello, friends!  Spring has sprung and what a weird season it has been, right?!  With so many people working from home, I decided to bring a little cheer to our outdoor space.  This is the quarantine edition of decorating your porch for Spring!  I’ll share some tips and advice for styling a porch using what you already have.

I’m blog hopping with my friends Jackie and Liz today and we’re sharing our outdoor spaces with you!  I hope you’ll check out Jackie and Liz’s blogs to get some outdoor spring inspiration!

If the neighbors are going to be stuck at home, at least my porch will look pretty for their numerous walks around the block.  That was my thought in decorating the spring porch.  Being outdoors is such a refreshing way to get some sunshine and Vitamin D.  It’s been beautiful Spring weather in Alabama and the neighborhood kiddos have been outside playing.  In addition to styling my Spring porch, I put out some fun stuffed animals for the kids to find in the windows.  So many neighborhoods are having bear hunts while the kids are in quarantine and I think that’s a fun idea!

When it comes to home decor, shopping your home is always the best piece of advice I can give you.  Now that we can’t go to the store, it’s time to really get creative with what we have! I’m sharing a few tips for shopping your home and putting together a quarantine styled front porch using items I already had around the house.

Tips to Shop Your House Before Decorating:

• Decide on a theme or a color palette before decorating – this gives you an idea on what kind of items to pull.
• Gather any items that gives you inspiration and can tie into your theme.  Think about lanterns, baskets, signs, vintage containers and boxes – any of these things can quickly create a beautiful outdoor space.
• Don’t be afraid to bring items that are meant for the inside into your outdoor decor.  Blankets and pillows can instantly add texture and make a space feel cozy!
• Get creative!

Styling Tips for the Spring Porch:

1. Decide on your theme or a color scheme.  Are you decorating for a season or a particular holiday?  Having an idea in mind will help you when look around your home to choose items to decorate the porch with.  For decor inspiration, you can always peruse magazines, Pinterest or Instagram. 
2. Before you decorate, give the porch a good cleaning and wipe everything down.  This insures that you have a clean slate to work with when you begin to decorate.
3. Consider how large of an area you have to work with.  Our porch is small, so in the case for decorating my porch – less is more.  If I had a larger porch, then it would require more patio furniture and decor.
4. Layered door mats are a popular home decor trend right now.  The layered look adds interest and draws your eye in.  The trick is to pick a larger, patterned mat for your base and then add a smaller mat on top to create the layered look.  The blue and white striped mat that I used as the base is actually reversible and I picked it up from Target awhile back.  The hello mat on top is from Walmart and I’ve had it for several years.
5. Create a cozy space using pillows and even blankets.  This also adds lots of layers and texture to to your decor.
6. Flowers and plants are a quick way to add color and brighten up any space!  Use color coordinated planters and pots (or paint them to match!) for your plants.  Think outside of the box and plant flowers in unexpected containers such as a basket or vintage container.  Maybe even plant a flower or succulent inside of a vintage teacup!

Styling my Porch for Spring

For our small porch, I decided that the vintage door would stay in the corner. A simple wreath on top adds a little dimension and an extra layer within the space.  Next to the vintage door, I added a fern to the planter chair that I bought several years ago at The World’s Longest Yard Sale.

We have a swing on the porch that I painted several years ago.  After cleaning it, I added the yellow outdoor pillows and the swing cushion back.  These were just hanging out in the shed.  To keep the pillows looking fresh, I spray them with ScotchGuard to help protect them from the outside elements. They match the yellow door, which is actually a little brighter yellow in person.  The door color is Sherwin Williams Decisive Yellow.

Of course what I have around my house will be different than yours, but with these spring porch styling tips in mind, I know you’re going to create something beautiful!

Let’s check out what Jackie and Liz are sharing with their outdoor spaces:

Jackie at Jackie Can’t Blog: No Spend Patio Refresh

Liz at Living with Liz:  The Deck Debacle 

Chat with me in the comments or connect with me on social media! Use the hashtag #sweetsouthernoaks on Instagram to share inspiration from the blog. As always, feel free to find me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to chat with you about all things home decor! You can also pin with me on Pinterest for even more inspiration for home decor, recipes and more!