Searching for front porch ideas that go beyond the ordinary? Look no further.

Whether you plan on chilling in a hammock or grilling up some fun for your and some friends, it’s time to get your porch ready for the season. If you are like most people, the porch is where you huddle while trying to get into the warm house as quickly as possible for most of the year, but summer is the time for your porch to shine. Don’t let your porch down, instead, give it the love it deserves and make the most of the warm weather months.

When considering how to decorate your porch, there are definitely some key marks you want to try and hit. They are: relax, sit, swing, eat, drink, entertain, plants, and lights. Of course, you want to think about how you plan on using your porch and make sure to decorate accordingly. If you don’t plan on entertaining much  then you may not worry about including that element in your porch plan.

Wondering just exactly how to decorate your porch? It’s certainly a personal thing, but we would like to offer some inspirational suggestions to get you started on setting up your porch to be the most desirable place in the world (or at least your house) this summer. Read on to get inspired by our picks for decorating your porch.

Front Porch Ideas

Cottage Image via Shutterstock

1. Relax – One key component when considering how to decorate your porch is color. One way to add color is with paint. If your porch is bland, or is in need of some tender loving care, give it a once over with some paint. You can also bring worn porch furniture back to life as well. We like Annie Sloan chalk paint for adding some color to both.
   

Image: Peak Season Store

2. Sit – Rocking chairs feel like a must have on the porch to us. If that’s your thing, consider adding a few rockers interspersed with outdoor poufs for the ultimate in porch living.

Image: Porchco

3. Swing – Much like rocking chairs, porch swings seem like a no-brainer when upgrading your porch. This porch bed swing looks like even more of a good idea!

Image: Terrain

4. Eat – Whether grabbing a snack or having a romantic dinner on the porch, a table is a nice addition. You don’t want something that’s going to take up tons of room, though. That’s where a marble accent table comes in handy.

Image: West Elm

5. Drink – Whether for a party or a lazy Sunday afternoon, something to stylishly serve the sangria in is a must. Just because you are outdoor living, doesn’t mean you need to rough it.

Image: Anthropologie

6. Plants – Adding plants and greenery to your porch is a great way to meld the outdoor with the indoor feel of porch living. Consider some funky planters like these sea creatures planters, or something else that suits your taste and serendipity level.

Image: Terrain

7. Lights – Whether you will be throwing a party or just watching the fireflies come out, adding porch lights is making form and function into one. They can add some great atmosphere and allow you to continue enjoying our porch even after the sun goes down.

Related on EcoSalon

10 Wonderful Ways to Master the Art of Outdoor Living
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‘She Sheds’: How to Create a Backyard Escape Without Ever Leaving Home

Beach Bungalow Image via Shutterstock

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The warm season is upon us, so let the outdoor living commence!

Whether your home has a deck, porch, patio, backyard, or a balcony, it really doesn’t matter–they all work equally well for outdoor living.

Outdoor living is the art of spending your life outdoors as much as possible. When warm weather strikes who wants to be stuck inside? Outdoor living requires some foresight and planning, though. Just like living inside your home, you also need to make some decisions about how you want to use your outdoor spaces. Maybe you want a chill space for catching up on your relaxing? Or maybe you want a space for entertaining? Or both? Time’s a-wasting, though, so figure it out and get to work on creating the perfect outdoor living space!

Here are some must-do suggestions to mastering the art and science of outdoor living.

Image: Shop Terrain

10 Ways to Rock Outdoor Living Like a Boss

1. Outdoor Drink Station – Whether you build it yourself or buy an outdoor bar cart, an outdoor drink station is a must for magical outdoor living. And not just for entertaining, but just for any old lazy Sunday afternoon. Stock it with lemonade or with your favorite sangria, because who wants to have to keep running in the house for a refill?!
2. Swing – If you are lucky enough to have a porch, a porch swing is a necessity for some serious outdoor chillaxing. And if you don’t have a porch, try a good old-fashioned tree swing instead!
3. Hammock – Whether for one or two, a hammock is the easiest low-key way to relax outside, If you don’t have a tree handy, try a hammock and frame instead.
4. Warm Things Up – A chimera is the perfect way to warm up cooler evenings, keep the bugs at bay, and to add a little ambiance to your outdoor evenings.
5. Lighten Things Up – String up some lights, make your own mason jar lanterns, or add some outdoor lanterns to light up your nights outdoors.
6. Rocking Chairs – Rocking chairs may seem old-fashioned, but there’s not much else that’s better in this world than rocking the day away with a cold beverage in hand.
7. Cushions, Table, and Stools, Oh My! – To make any outdoor space more comfortable and versatile, add comfy cushions, stools, and folding tables for when guests arrive.
8. Outdoor Curtains – If you have an outdoor space with a roof, consider adding outdoor curtains to help shield you from the sun’s rays, nosy neighbors, and cooler breezes.
9. Outdoor Seating – To truly make the outdoors just like home, you must have comfortable seating. Whether you choose sofas, chairs, or lounges, choose outdoor furniture that suits your comfort needs.
10. Outdoor Dining – And finally, outdoor living must involve outdoor dining. Pick a dining set that will work for parties as well as work for any night of the week!

Related on EcoSalon

10 (Almost) Instantly Gratifying Outdoor DIY Projects to Try for Spring

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‘She Sheds’: How to Create a Backyard Escape Without Ever Leaving Home

Top Image: Woman Relaxing via Shutterstock

The post 10 Wonderful Ways to Master the Art of Outdoor Living appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Great Outdoors: everyone wants a piece of it.

The outdoor furniture boom is producing design that is anything but garden variety. Just as Padma Lakshmi and the Naked Chef made cooking sexy again, shows like the DIY Network’s Indoors Out and HGTV’s The Outdoor Room are making outdoor dining, bathing, working and living downright pornographic.

Some stats to consider: outdoor furniture imports reached $2.5 billion in 2011, up 8.7% from 2010. Outside furniture sales are expected to boost 21.4% by 2016.

Earlier this month, the New York Times cited a survey by HGTV and Casual Living magazine in which 87 percent of the roughly 5,000 Americans interviewed said an outdoor room in their homes was “important or very important.” An additional 15 percent said they were in the throes of making one.

Also per the Times:

In the $80 billion home furnishings industry, the market for outdoor furniture is “not huge,” said Raymond Allegrezza, editor in chief of Furniture Today and editorial director of its sister publication Casual Living. “The total value is $3.8 billion, but if you’re a retailer in a challenged economy, a $3.8 billion slice of pie is nothing to sneeze at,” he said. “People are actively going after it.”

Husk Outdoor designed by Patricia Urquiola for B & B Italia.

OK Lounger from Kartell.

Blu Dot’s Hot Mesh stacking chairs.  

Functional art/bench by Jim Drain for Cumulus Studios. 

Also from Cumulus, Rirkrit Tiravanija’s outdoor chrome bench. 

It’s hot outside and not cooling down anytime soon, at least if you’re a recreational furniture purveyor like B & B Italia, or alfresco functional artwork producer Cumulus Studios.

We suspect that a post-housing crisis reality check has a lot to do with it. Instead of valuing our houses for their market value, there’s been a definite shift towards venerating them as homes. Trending, too, is mainstream homesteading – and a renewed back-to-nature movement, one that starts at your back door.

Whatever the reason, we’ll take it. We’ll also take Patricia Urquiola’s luxe-woven Ravel series. Armchair backyard travel inspired by field experimentation in the Philippines.

Image: Pfieffer Lab/Plank Collection

The post Outdoor Furniture Gets Sexy appeared first on EcoSalon.

Get ready for summer with sustainable outdoor furniture.

The Haskell outdoor furniture collection is the perfect blend of modern luxury and simple, fun in the sun. It includes a chair (image above), chaise lounge, occasional table, side table and sultan riser. Prices range from around $1,000 to $2,500 per piece. Not inexpensive, but the company is convinced this will be the last outdoor furniture you’ll ever own.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

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Is it just me, or does summertime beckon you to move your living space into the outdoors? Who doesn’t love soaking up all that the sunny weather has to offer? This brilliant company called Loll Designs creates colorful, affordable and modern 100 percent recycled plastic outdoor furniture to make the transition from indoor living to outdoor reveling easy and appealing.

From Adirondack rockers and chairs sized for adults and children, to sun loungers, table and chair sets, birdhouses and dog bowls, it’s time to cozy up to the notion of spending quality time in your backyard!

All of Loll’s sustainably designed outdoor furniture is made in the USA from 100 percent recycled post-consumer HDPE, and Loll furniture is also 100 percent recyclable. You can sit pretty knowing that “for every pound of weight in a Loll chair there are an estimated eight recycled milk jugs being used, saving natural resources and reducing land-fill waste.” The furniture is also easy to clean and requires no upkeep!

Kids will love indulging in green art projects under a calm sky, at the cheery, kid-sized Loll table seen above. And parents can relax in the sleek de Luge sunbed while reading a great novel or writing in their eco gratitude journal.

Bird lovers will delight in Loll’s chirpy birdhouses, which come in a variety of punchy colors; and the dog bowls perched in convenient stands will help welcome furry friends to enjoy some R&R as well. The folks at Loll certainly have nature’s best interest in mind. To offset their carbon emissions, they spend one day per year planting trees for each order they received during the previous year!

The post Recycled Outdoor Furniture Eye Candy From Loll Designs appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s hard to grasp the concept of investing in outdoor furniture in February, but winter is actually the best time to look. While many vendors put their collections on sale now, you should also keep an eye out for modern porch furniture that is always well priced. Loll Designs, billed for the “modern lollygagger” is far from lagging behind.

Minimal in stature like its namesake, the company’s new Napoleon Series of recycled all-weather furniture compensates for its size by going big in green design and comfort. Incorporating modern lines with country Adirondack appeal, the chairs, double benches and plank top tables don’t require the high maintenance of outdoor wood, which can be tiresome if you are seeking to avoid the gray, weathered patina from exposure to the elements.

This Duluth company goes really strong on color, offering its pieces in bold, happy shades that make a powerful statement outdoors. Vivid blue, green, red, brown, black and white – all pack a punch. You can order color samples from the site and also find out where the nicely priced furniture is sold in your area.

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