7 Decorating Mistakes That Make Your Porch Look Unfinished

We all know that there's nothing more Southern than a front porch. Front porches come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, from a 660-square-foot cottage to a historic Mississippi farmhouse. A porch can make a big (we're talking huge) difference in a home's look and feel.

If you're lucky enough to spend your mornings, afternoons, or evenings on a porch, it's high time you optimized your sitting potential with the right design. Your porch's style should work with the architecture of your home just as it does with your personality and lifestyle. While there are many ways to decorate your porch area, you should also avoid a few things to prevent it from looking incomplete or out of place. After all, curb appeal is essential.

Working Against Your Home

A picturesque porch design starts with the architecture of your home. "For a clean and polished look on your porch, create a design that works with the architecture of your home; not against it," Woolsey says. "This seamlessness allows one to appreciate the whole of the outdoor space, without having to reconcile two very different aesthetics." As tempting as the boho aesthetic may be for a sun porch, it will look out of place paired with a modern farmhouse layout and decor inside your home.

Ignoring Your Personal Style

Woolsey recommends maintaining your home's primary design while switching minor details if you want to change or add elements from different design styles to your porch. For example, if you have a traditional home and are hoping to incorporate modern style, choose furniture with clean lines but keep the color palette soft. You could also approach a switch in aesthetics by choosing classically designed furniture with contours while adding a rug with geometric patterns for a modern touch.

Skipping Storage

Add functional furnishings, like benches with hidden storage or rolling carts, so you can hide all your garden supplies when entertaining. Outdoor spaces serve many purposes, so find a way to cleverly disguise garden tools, children's toys, or miscellaneous equipment so you can still have a serene porch environment for enjoying a morning cup of coffee or late-night cocktails with friends.

Neglecting The Softer Touches

Be sure to add plants to your front porch—you know we're suckers for a dramatic container garden. These containers continue your garden landscaping and help illuminate the beautiful blooms planted in your yard. Adding plant species that will thrive in your growing conditions is also essential. Plants that love full sunlight will not tolerate porches completely positioned in the shade. Also, specific porch elements can make using it more enjoyable, such as outdoor pillows, an area rug, and a citronella candle to keep flies away.

Skipping Outdoor Products

To extend the life of your outdoor furniture and decor, clean them before the weather gets warm and store any fabrics, even if they are weatherproof, to maximize their lifespan. Also, indoor pillows will not tolerate weather conditions like outdoor-specific furnishings. This rule is the same for dining plates and glasses. Simplify outdoor entertaining and patio aesthetic by leaving delicate glasses inside.

Forgetting About the Fences

If your yard has a retaining wall or fence bordering the landscape, these are excellent opportunities to infuse some personality into your outdoor spaces. Try training vines or climbing plants to crawl over the wall or add hanging baskets to add more colorful blooms to your backyard. Switch the flowers to match the seasons.

Overdoing The DIY

It's tempting to get creative with your outdoor decor, but sometimes the DIY installation you've seen online is a lot more challenging than it looks. Be mindful to include elements that add personality to your patio without investing in a project that will never be complete.

Now that you've learned the secrets to an effortless porch design, it's time to focus on which refreshing drink you'll serve your guests.