Budget-Friendly Ways to Spruce Up Your Front Porch

Hello Polished Habitat readers and friends!

Last month we talked about How to Style A Couch Three Ways and that was such a fun post. I loved hearing all the different combinations you would put together yourselves. We’ve got some very style savvy friends here!

Since the sun is shining and the temperatures are above 60 degrees (most of the time) that means it’s time to focus a little decor attention to our outdoor spaces.

I’m going to share some great tips on how to achieve a front porch spruce up without breaking the bank! They’ll leave you feeling totally giddy about walking up to your own front door.

The biggest impact you can make (with very little time and money) is to paint your front door.

Wow – what a difference this can make! Play it safe by sticking with neutrals like tan, black, or grey OR you can really have some fun with this and show your personality.

Jewel tones, bright colors, and even my favorite {pink} are popping up everywhere and I can’t get enough of it. Stumped on a what color to choose? A simple Pinterest search well give you oodles of examples of just about any front door color you can dream up.

When we bought our house our front door was a navy color – not terrible but definitely didn’t reflect my style. After debating between several colors we landed on Sherwin Williams Cay. It’s bright and cheery and definitely says welcome!

People say they know which house is mine ‘by the blue door’ and I love that! Sometimes you gotta stick out in these cookie cutter subdivisions. If you have $20-$30 to spare, you can spruce up your front door as a quick weekend project. You can see the process I used to strip and paint mine here.

Another great bang for your buck update that’s budget friendly AND allows your personality to shine is to add an outdoor rug to your front porch. I could go on and on about how much I LOVE rugs but I don’t want to ramble.

There are so many great places these days to find outdoor rugs but some of my favorite online shops are Rugs USA, Target, and Esale Rugs. For under $50 you can find lots of 5 x 7 options! I bought mine from Rugs USA last year (here’s a similar one) and I love how it adds some character to this space.

You’ll notice I layered two rugs and that’s because … well why not! Layering rugs is a fun way to switch things up and add some dimension plus that Target doormat saying ‘hello|goodbye’ was just too cute to pass up!

If you’re in the market for an outdoor rug here are some other great under $50 options:

     1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

I’m really drawn to number 1 and 3 but they are all terrific options for that price!

Now that we’ve painted our front door and added some texture with rugs, let’s bring some life to our outdoor space by adding some budget-friendly plants!

I have almost zero ability to keep a plant alive – it’s almost laughable how bad of a plant mom I am. I bought some rose bush trees last year and planted them in pots by the front door – they were gorgeous for a few months and then DEAD. Since I didn’t feel like spending (throwing away) another $80 on plants I opted for some uber cheap and gorgeous boston ferns from Lowe’s – only $12 a piece!

I love the texture and greenery and that aside from having to water generously they seem relatively un-killable. A quick trip to your local greenhouse should be able to help you pick plants that will thrive in your environment and within budget. For me, simple is best and those boston ferns are a winner in my book!

Of course, the container is just as important as the plant.  Because I was looking to update our front porch on a budget I was determined to not spend a fortune on planters.

I found these black urns for $12 at Lowe’s and they are PERFECT! Yes, they are plastic but I threw in some rocks in the base to give them some weight so they won’t tip over with a gust of wind. You’d never know they were that inexpensive.

I’ve rounded up some other great under $25 options here for you:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

I’m totally crushing on that black and white striped one!

The last touch I like to give is to accessorize!

Just because the space is outdoors doesn’t mean we can’t give it a little something extra. By adding wreaths, decorative house numbers, and some accessories, the front porch becomes instantly more inviting.

I took some old plastic mirrors and sprayed one of them gold (as I always do), then used outdoor strength adhesive to secure them to the brick (no tools needed). You can find the mounting tape here and it works like a charm. I also used it to secure this DIY painted ‘W’.

Shop your house or scour garage sales to find inexpensive yet chic pieces of decor to add to your front porch. The more lightweight the better, unless you want to drill into the side of your house.

Switching out the front door wreath (or adding one) is always a great way to give your front porch the ‘ole spruce up too.

I took a gold embroidery hoop and added a mix of faux and real florals to create a summery look with the perfect pop of blush.  {If you want the DIY on how I made a similar one you can look here}

So there you have it friends – A chic and inviting space without breaking the bank. And I’m counting on you all to bust out those paint brushes and paint those doors!

What’s your favorite way to spruce up your front porch?

Thanks to Melissa for having me! I love stopping by with you guys!