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Porch Ideas on a Budget

June 24, 2016 By Lisa Sharp 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here for full disclosure and privacy policy.

Looking for porch ideas? These ideas are not only easy but they are also budget-friendly and perfect for creating a welcoming space. I’ve partenered with At Home to share these great ideas with you.

collage of porch after makeover

For a lot of my childhood, I lived on 40 acres in the middle of nowhere. My home was surrounded by woods and it was so peaceful. I loved spending time in our woods, walking on the trails, and using our paddle boat on the pond. It was a really wonderful place to grow up.

When I got married I moved back into town. It’s a small town but still very different from country life. I often miss being in the country. My husband is not a country boy though, he’d be happy to move to the city and live in a condo. Staying in our small town is our compromise. When we started house hunting a nice outdoor space was on my list of must-haves. We weren’t going to have land but I really needed a nice backyard to enjoy.

After a lot of house hunting, we found a home that I fell in love with. While the house itself is what sold me, the yard was a big plus. It’s a good size but not huge for my town. What really made me love it is the big shade trees and it already had lovely flower gardens. It’s a very peaceful yard for being in town.

Once we got this new house I knew I wanted a fun back porch where I could drink hot tea in the morning, work on my laptop and of course entertain friends. We had some furniture for it but it wasn’t a very inviting space. That is until now. It’s really the first space in the home that I have finished decorating.

Porch Ideas on a Budget

porch before photo

Since we just bought a new house and all that goes along with that, I needed to stay on a budget with this project. I ended up setting a $150 budget and I was able to stay under budget by about $20.

Around the time I was planning this, I heard that an At Home was opening near me and the blogger I follow posted about her porch makeover and had used At Home. It sounded just like what I was looking for. My husband was happy that we could go to one store to get what we needed instead of spending a whole day shopping. I was able to create a great space by just focusing on a few things.

outdoor furniture, pillows, and decor pieces

Find Your Color Scheme

I started with throw pillows because that’s a really great way to make a space more welcoming and make it more comfortable. The ones I found had some of my favorite shades of blue so that became my color scheme.

Add Meaningful Touches

Our friend group has a thing for anchors, it’s a long story for why this landlocked bunch loves anchors but we all seem to have them in our homes so of course, this space needed one. The wooden anchor I found for the space worked perfectly and added that touch of nautical I was looking for and makes it feel even more like home.

White wooden anchor

Find Functional, Yet Attractive Pieces

It’s easy for an outdoor space to just seem functional and not very pretty or welcoming. I love outdoor friendly pieces that can add a more welcoming feel while still serving a function. A metal serving tray is one great way to do this. It can add a pop of color but is also very useful for carrying food and drinks out to the space when entertaining.

Citronella candles and containers are great as well for adding style and function. I found a great little blue glass citronella jar that was perfect for the space and also threw another essential oil candle out there that is good for keeping bugs away.

Chair and pillow, white pot with yellow flower, blue candle and blue mason jar

Use Flowers and Plants

I adore fresh flowers and they really make a space welcoming so I had to have some on the porch. I added one hanging flower to the front of the porch and planted one in a nice pot and put it on the end table along with glass citronella jar and a mason jar light I already had on hand. I plan to add even more plants and flowers over time.

porch furniture, pillows, and decor

Being creative and having dual-purpose items can make your budget really go far. Also shopping where you can get the most out of your budget is important. I really enjoyed shopping at At Home, there was such a great selection and everything was priced really well. I will be going back for more of my home decorating projects.

porch åfter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susannah

    June 24, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    I love it! We’re in the process of buying a house and I can’t wait to start decorating! <3

    Reply
  2. Niki | Hipster's Hollow

    June 26, 2016 at 8:51 am

    A porch is just the most calming and peaceful part of a home, and yours is decorated so nicely!

    Reply
  3. GiGi Eats

    June 28, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Love DIY things!! HGTV is my favorite channel 😉 Can’t wait to have a home that I can MAKE MY OWN! 🙂

    Reply

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Welcome to my blog! My name is Lisa and I'm the Retro Housewife trying to live a greener life. I share my love of all things vintage, homemaking and green living here on the blog. To read more, click here.

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