9 Side Porch Designs We Love
By: Sarah
We love a good side porch. Side porches can be small places for family members to kick off their shoes and access the home via a mudroom. Or they can be expansive outdoor spaces, complete with multiple areas for lounging and dining. Either way, we enjoy helping our clients fix up their existing side porches or seeing what their home could look like with a new one. See below for some of our favorite recent side porch designs for our clients.
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#1 // Mimic the front porch
The small side porch on this home — to the right of the façade, off of the driveway — mimics the front porch. The stone skirting, wood columns, iron railing, and metal awning are all the same. It’s a smart way to tie the two porches together.
#2 // Industrial style side porch
This industrial home has both a front porch and side porch, connected by the same concrete flooring that wraps around the home. Similar to the design above, the two porches share common elements — in particular, the porch columns. However, the awning over the side porch is flat and extra tall, making for a nearly open-air experience when lounging outdoors.
#3 // Small but functional
Above is another example of a side porch that’s accessible off both the front and sides of the home. The design is simple, but effective. Once again, each element connects to materials used elsewhere on the exterior. The wood columns correspond with the wood shutters and window boxes, while their stone and brick bases match the home’s cladding. Plus, the dark metal roof on the awning is used over windows on both the front and side of the home.
#4 // Connecting to driveway
This home is narrow but deep, and its side porch is correspondingly long. Plus, it plays the important role of connecting the the driveway to the front door. Our designers made deliberate material choices for this porch that enhance the home’s historic aesthetic. The thick, off-white porch columns, x-railings, copper gutters, and wood accents were all intentional. Finally, note how we made the same choices on the back deck. The effect is cohesion, and it gives the homeowners tons of beautiful outdoor living to enjoy!
#5 // Side porch runs length of home
This side porch runs the length of the home and is split into distinct zones. To the left is a small, fully covered porch, with access into the home and steps down to the yard. A water feature and planter beneath a large bay window connect this space on the left to a larger lounge area on the right. The section of the porch on the right can be reached via sliding doors in the home and is covered by a tall wooden pergola. Such a gorgeous, practical layout!
#6 // Front patio access
This side porch could also be classified as a deck or balcony space. However, because it can be reached via a stone-and-pavers walkway and a few stairs from the front of the home, we think it qualifies for this list. This outdoor living space has a simple, pragmatic design that will make it beloved by the homeowners. Note that the same walkway that leads to this porch space also guides the way to steps that lead down to the lower level patio. The side porch provides coverage for a porch swing and double doors into the home. And there’s a lovely, simple open-air lounge space complete with a firepit.
#7 // Partially screened-in side porch
This side porch / deck space features a screened-in portion as well as an open-air section. We love when we can recommend multi-functional spaces like this for our clients. It’s great to have the option for a screen when the bugs are bad or when it’s raining and for the open-air when the elements allow. As with example #4 above, this porch has convenient stairs that connect it to the driveway. Finally, one smart decision our designers made was to use horizontal iron railings and horizontal wood skirting as they tie in to the many other horizontal patterns on this side of the home: the windows, window headers, garage doors, the awning over the garage doors, and the lap siding.
#8 // Cozy and rustic
The design of this side porch embraces the home’s rustic aesthetic while bringing in some cozy touches. The warm wood porch columns, privacy fence, steps, side door, and decking material combine with the soft twinkle lights to give this space a “let’s stay on the porch all night” energy.
#9 // Open air side porch
This simple side porch is fully open air. We designed the layout to maximize usability, with an outdoor kitchen and dining table for meals al fresco. The sun umbrella can be moved around to offer shade as needed. Additionally, the off-white x-railings and skirting coordinate with the home’s white trim.
Side porch designs we love
Designing side porches that marry both style and function is one of our favorite things to do. We love helping our clients enjoy their outdoor spaces — and if we can make their exterior design more beautiful in the process, then it’s a win-win! We hope you found some inspiration in the wide variety of side porches featured in this post. Ready to design yours?
We created the concept of virtual exterior design and have been helping clients achieve the curb appeal of their dreams for years. We’ve seen thousands and thousands of design challenges and bring that experience to each and every project that comes our way. All we need from you to get started is a photo (or blueprint!) of your property as well as what you do and don’t want to change on your exterior. Using that, we’ll give you a visualization of your updated design as well as a resource list to bring it to life. Now’s the time to start planning your exterior renovation! Get started today.
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