Sharing modern front porch ideas and the process of transforming my stone front porch.

My front porch makeover has evolved over time including replacing the double front doors, installing a brass doorbell, adding faux planters and making the lights a visual impact for the space.

It’s a pinch-me moment over here. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but our covered porch is finally done! I’m a HUGE believer in upgrading dated hardware, doors and lighting and in this space we needed to do all of those things.

After each new piece was installed we got closer and closer to a space that we loved. To be honest, I love adding a piece here and there over time, because I appreciate it that much more.

Let’s take a look at where we are and then I’ll explain some of the upgrades, why we did what we did and what I’d highly recommend… I know you are going to walk away with lots of small porch ideas to implement!

Here’s My Modern Front Porch

Isn’t it beautiful? Let me help you really see how beautiful it is compared to where we started five years ago!

Here’s the BEFORE Front Door Porch Photo:

Backstory on making progress with our curb appeal

When we first moved in, there were storm doors over the double wood front doors. They were broke and didn’t add any visual interest, so I quickly took them off. After that, I tried to improve the space by adding decor (an outdoor DIY rug and some plants).

A few months later, I made some plywood house numbers, DIY planters to flank the doors and added a few other pieces (like the bench and wall decor).

As you can see from this pulled back picture, the landscape was out of control, the doors looked ok from far away but the handles were installed incorrectly and, overall, the space just looked dated.

The front porch decor stayed at this stage for a few years. Here’s your reminder that projects take time!

Modern Front Porch Ideas : Improve or Replace Damaged Doors

Two years ago, we decided to replace the front doors. We debated trying to save them but, ultimately, they were unable to be saved and modernized. The fresh new look of the glass and the dark doors made the front so much more inviting! Plus, it added some much-needed light in our foyer.

A front porch decorating tip: Incorporate Faux Plants

As you can see here, the front porch decor changed a bit, too. As much as I loved those plants by the front door, they just didn’t last. We have so many squirrels and chipmunks around here (and deer too – we live by a lake) that, everyday, I would go outside and those plants would be dug up and on the ground.

After repotting them, covering the soil with rocks, etc., I finally gave up and replaced the plants with fake ones. Our Fall Front Porch is pretty much how the space looked for another six months or so!

Christmas rolled around again, and I found a better style for my porch. You can see more sources of the Modern Christmas Front Porch in the blog post last year if you are curious!

Front Porch Ideas : Brass Doorbell Button for interest!

Then, I decided to update the doorbell button. This was the easiest and cheapest project and I LOVE it!

Finally, there was only one last thing to update (minus decor which is always changing) and that is the lights! A few of you loved the lights; and although they are very high quality and unusual, they just didn’t speak to me!

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I was able to partner with Lumens to replace the lights and boy, do the new ones shine!

Updating old lights by front door porch instantly changes the look of the space!

As I replaced the lights, I decided to replace the old planters that I made as well as upgrading to larger faux plants for the new planter pots that I bought. It all came together so well! One thing that I really kept in mind for the front porch makeover was making sure to choose items that would go with all seasons! The wreaths on the front door will, of course, change when it warms up a bit through Spring and the pillows will change as well. Other than that, the rest of the items are timeless.

As I’ve gotten more and more into the house renovation projects, I know my style is a balance between modern and classic traditional. I love to find the balance and, although sometimes it can be hard, I think the modern front porch is a perfect balance of how my style and the house aesthetic come together.

Let me help you though! Here’s some front door porch ideas to get you started!

Small Front Porch Ideas On A Budget

• Start with power spraying! You’ll be surprised how much a deep clean can really affect a space.
• Brainstorm ideas for a small porch, specifically for your space. Do you need to replace doors, repair a cracked stoop, or are you starting from scratch?
• If you need renovation work, I’d suggest saving most of your budget to fix what the problem is before spending money on decor.
• Inexpensive fixes to help beautify your covered porches: painting your front door, replacing a light fixture, changing your doorbell and cleaning!
• Next up, start adding front porch decor!
• A seating space is always a good visual for curb appeal. Can you fit a bench or two chairs?
• Don’t forget some sort of rug, planters and house numbers (or mirror) to make your small front porch feel more welcoming!

Another consideration is to look past your covered porches to the whole front of your house and yard. Are there other ways to improve your space? We’ve done a few at our house that have really made an impact!

Curb appeal ideas that we’ve done

• Cutting back overgrown plants is FREE and drastically changed the look of our house.
• Taking off our shutters took our more dated house to a fresher look.
• We added a cute little free library in the front of our yard and I know it makes the space feel more welcoming.
• Also, mulch is hard to keep up with. Replacing mulch with rock was a big improvement for us.

These modern front porch ideas and curb appeal updates will take time, but take an idea out of these and have fun implementing it.

One last look at my before/after front porch makeover

Stone front porch before photo:

After incorporating a bunch of curb appeal ideas:

My hope for you with these modern front porch ideas…

I hope the evolution of my front porch decorating inspires you to make small steps towards working on a space in your home and appreciating it as each new phase happens. Renovations don’t happen overnight and the best thing you can do is stay encouraged by being excited about each new thing as it happens.