15 Southern Porch and Patio Decorating Ideas and Tour

What Are the Different Types of Porches?

So many kinds of porches to relax on, so little time. And so many names! In Charleston, you have gorgeous, grand piazzas. In Florida, a lanai is a must to keep the bugs away. And in New Orleans, those famous wrought iron wrapped galleries line Bourbon Street.

While we don’t have every kind of porch and each one isn’t overly large, this house is definitely not lacking in the number of places to be lazy. Let’s first take a quick overview to begin our tour.

The Front Wrap Around Porch.

Our front door is surrounded by a symmetrical front porch that curves around the front sides of the house. It’s one of my favorite places to decorate to welcome each new season and guests.

This summer’s front porch decor echoes the blue and yellow color combo I’ve used inside, with these easy DIY monogram wreaths, and some yellow, blue, and white summer flowers in the porch pots. This color scheme just so happens to really work with the yellow and white exterior and blue porch ceilings!

The Back Porch.

Our most used patio is the one outside the family room. To fully appreciate where it is now, let’s look at some photos from before we moved in:

Both of the back patios were screened in, leaving no open covered places to sit at all in the backyard. During our renovation of the kitchen, family room, and primary bath, we transformed this screened in patio into an open, covered porch.

We got rid of the sagging lattice on the nineties forest green ceilings, and the droopy, outdated ceiling fans. (Why there was an umbrella in a covered, screened-in patio has me scratching my head…)

Taking off the screens made a huge difference in the look, the amount of light in the family room, and the usability of our main patio.

We made one side a place to eat and hang out:

And the other section is a place to recline and watch TV.

The back patio came with the built-in potting bench that I’d always wanted. Although it was kind of ugh-ly when we moved in—it had the same peeling green paint as the ceilings. That was an easy fix with some opaque wood stain:

The Screen Porch.

The other small porch in the backyard remains screened in. It’s a nice place to sit and have morning coffee, or to read a book or magazine on a Sunday afternoon—which sometimes turns into a summer snooze.

At the beginning of each summer, I give all the pillows and surfaces in here a good cleaning and de-pollenation, and decorate it with a few new tropical plants.

And the screened-in porch is a comfy place to wait for the dog to do her business. Having a fur baby this small comes with the responsibility of having to watch her every single time she goes out, to keep her safe from predators that would make her a snack.

The Sunroom.

Above the screened-in patio is an all season sunroom or Florida room, which technically qualifies as an enclosed patio.

The sunroom has the same stucco walls as the exterior and a patio ceiling, but since it’s fully enclosed it has central heat and air.

Here’s a peek at what it was before we moved in:

The second thing my husband did right after taking a saw to the tiny built-in TV cabinet in the family room was to pull down the infestation of all the dusty fake ivy from the walls of the kitchen and the sunroom.

This room made a perfect place for our exercise equipment. It also has a nice view that we should probably take advantage of more often…💪

Balconies.

Over each covered patio on the front and back of the house is a balcony. We don’t actually use them a lot, but we do have a few chairs to where we can hang out on the backyard balcony. It’s nice in the morning and evening up there, but you will bake to a crisp during the day.

The Pergola Outdoor Kitchen.

We tore out the old outdoor kitchen that was here before, took out the Pavestone pavers, and extended the patio. Then we rebuilt it using Austin stone topped with Lueders stone counters.

And my husband built the stained cedar pergola to provide a little shade and light—all by himself with no help (I’m still impressed).

The Side Porches.

In the side yard outside the laundry room/office, is this small porch. This is the window I look out of when I’m working during the day—and there’s always a literal squirrel out here to distract me.

There’s even a little porch on the other side. It’s not necessary or a door we ever use, but the pitched roof and columns do make the look of this side of the house more interesting.

Since I’m obviously still needing to replant the flower beds for the summer, don’t judge that there are no flower pots on this mini porch. Truthfully, I doubt there ever will be. I’d totally forget to water them.

Decorating Elements That Define the Southern Porch or Patio.

Now that we’ve seen the porches and patios, let’s break down their features that make up a quintessential Southern porch!

Columns.

One of the architectural features that gives this home its Southern curb appeal is the multitude of classic round columns that line the front porches.

And in the back, we wanted something more casual when we tore out the screened porch wall, so we designed these porch posts of beams wrapped in trim:

Balconies and Porch Railing.

The next feature that gives this home its unique exterior look are the balconies and railings. All the balconies are wrapped in black iron fencing on both the front and back of the house that match the fence around the front yard.

But I have reason to believe the original railing was white wood and that the front porch was also trimmed in it. I wish I knew what it looked like!

French Doors.

The last of the Southern exterior trifecta (along with the columns and balconies) would have to be the many French doors on the house.

We have two sets of double French doors on the front porch, and two above on the balcony. As well as a few more dotted around the other sides. Whoever designed this house was all in when they liked an architectural feature.

Haint Blue Ceilings.

Do you know why the ceilings of Southern porches are often painted light blue? There are a few reasons, mostly rooted in history and tradition:

1. To keep evil spirits away. In old Southern cities, the light blue color was said to ward off evil spirits or “haints”—thus the term, “haint blue“.
2. To keep insects away. It’s been said that the bugs see the color as the sky and won’t nest there. I can personally vouch this doesn’t work that well, though once upon a time lye in the paint may have helped.
3. To keep darkness away. In the Victorian era, blue porch ceilings were popular because they reflect light, which makes the porch seem brighter at night.

Even if none of these are true, I love the soft classic look of haint blue ceilings—it’s like the color of the sky! This painted ceiling on the front porch is a pretty Sherwin Williams shade called Atmospheric.

Stained Wood Ceilings.

To replace the sad lattice when we remodeled the back porch, we upgraded to this stained beadboard ceiling.

I love how it complements the brick patio floor in color and texture.

Brick.

If you’ve toured our kitchen and family room, you might remember the brick backsplash and inlays in the slate floor. The same brick carries out onto the back patio.

This porch may be skinny but I got over that real quick, because it had me at brick.

Ceiling Fans.

Ceiling fans are a must-have in the South and not just for looks. All of our outdoor fans were droopy and outdated and needed to be replaced. We went with this lantern style indoor/outdoor ceiling fan in the sunroom:

And outdoor-rated fans on the back patio.

As you can see we couldn’t resist a little haint blue ceiling paint in the inset.💙

A Welcoming Place To Sit.

Seating that invites you to settle in is crucial for a welcoming porch.

Even though the front porch spans the front of the house, it’s actually not a large porch at all—it’s quite shallow. So the porch swing you’d expect to see on a Southern porch won’t work here. The next best thing? A pair of rockers were a great option!

In the screened-in patio, I took advantage of a daybed frame left in the attic. With a twin mattress and a sofa bed cover, it makes a great place to relax, safe from mosquitoes.

This Grandin Road wood bench is the perfect size for a place to sit on this patio in the side front yard. It was a score on FBMP and just needed a coat of black spray paint to cover the red.

We invested in these outdoor wicker recliners, and they’re a great place to kick back and watch TV on the patio when we’re hanging by the pool.

A Place to Set a Cold Drink.

Where we settle in, we need a place to set things down. On the screened patio, I made this makeshift little side table with a basket turned upside down and a tray:

I wouldn’t mind having a small coffee table on this screened patio, so the hunt continues on FBMP.

And these cute metal garden stools from Michaels were a bargain for beside the front porch rocking chairs.

Lots of Ferns, Green Plants, and Blooming Flower Pots.

It’s early in the summer season and we’ve had three brutal winters that have killed much of our landscaping, so I have some work to do this summer. The grass is starting to rebound and I’ve already filled most of my planters. Some fresh new ferns for the front porch:

And pots of ferns and sweet potato vines anchor all four corners of the pool.

I’ve replanted more pots around the yard, and next up I’ll tackle replacing the bushes that didn’t make it.

Indoor Furniture Used Outdoors.

To really make our outdoor areas feel like living rooms, we use a few pieces of actual indoor furniture in our covered areas.

One of my favorite FBMP finds of all time is this weathered wood French country dining table. Not only did I love what it looked like, it’s extra narrow and can be super long (even two leaves longer than this) so it’s a perfect fit for our shallow patio. I protected it with a couple of coats of matte marine varnish by Total Boat to make the finish more low maintenance without changing its aged look.

The rattan and wicker chairs are also made for indoors, but also look right at home outside.

And that armoire in the background was a coastal-style piece from Pier One we bought on Craigslist about fifteen years ago. At the price we paid it was cheaper than a plastic outdoor storage cabinet, and with some touchup now and then, it’s done great on our covered patios.

This bakers rack on the screened patio has been so many places I can’t even remember. But originally it was in my in-laws family room back in the eighties.

An Area Rug.

Most of our patios aren’t deep enough for an area rug, but having one in the sunroom really ties the sitting area together, making it like a little outdoor living room.

But I am able to layer a couple of outdoor rugs on the front porch with this layering rug and a welcome mat.

Lanterns.

I’m not sure why lanterns on a porch seem southern—maybe it’s those beautiful gaslight porch lantern pendants. And the fact that they make for easy decor, plus the candle flames won’t blow out in the breeze.

I found this pretty pair at Homegoods last year for the patio dining table:

And I keep this large lantern on the front porch:

Pillows and Throws.

Pillows are a great way to decorate for the season inside and out. For summer, I changed the covers in the rockers for these Amazon bargain outdoor blue and white chinoiserie pillow covers.

And the daybed in the screened patio is loaded with pillows to lounge on, and a throw for when it’s chilly.

I even keep a few pillows for a pop of blue on the far side of the pool where we have more outdoor seating and a fire pit chat set.

String Lights.

Strands of party lights not only light up the grilling area, but they add a little magic to summer evenings strung on the pergola and the back balconies.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of our outdoor spaces and found a few porch decor ideas to use to create your own outdoor sanctuary!

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