Simple doesn't mean boring

At this time of year, porch season is on my mind!  It's been a few months for us here in Northern Arizona and since early spring is often windy here, it's not quite porch sittin' time, but it's getting so close.

Meanwhile, what better to do than ponder some inspirational ideas on how to dress up that porch and put some projects on the honey-do list.  

I thought I might do a quick look at a few inspiring porches over the next few weeks to get the juices flowing and highlight a few design or layout concepts that I think are worthy.

First up:  Simple does NOT mean boring.

With this photo it's hard to know how big the entire porch is.  Could be just this bit and then the front door to the right or twice this large perhaps.  

But given that's it's a fairly shallow space and likely not all that large, there's a few things I truly love about this styling.

​Scroll down for 4 reasons this porch works.

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great ideas

1. Fun but simple color palette:  There's actually only 3 colors here if you think about it.  The pistachio green of the house and bench, the grounding chocolate brown of the pots and floor tile as well as the fixtures, and then the pops of white in the plantings and the trim.  I guess we could add the dark green of the foliage but to me in this setting that's more texture rather than another color.  ​
2. Clean and simple planting scheme:  While the porch has four different plants in pots, they are all perfectly tied together in a very lovely and elegant way with the same dark green foliage and primarly just white flowers along with just a hint of raspberry for contrast.  Plus these are all just really simple, classic plants - the fuschia, geranium, and english ivy aren't show stoppers, but together they frame the entrance and make a cozy welcoming space.
3. Scale and style of the bench:  The bench has turned wood details that are just enough of a decorative detail to add some charm while still blending beautifully with the board and batten siding.  And the slightly deeper green of the bench gives it just the tiniest bit of contrast with the house to set it off but not make it look out of synch.
4. Negative space:  While it sure is tempting to want to add more potted plants to the left of that bench, or even just a longer bench to fill the space, that empty space there does give the whole design a little room to breath which is calming and avoids an over-done feeling.

​Looking for more porch inspiraion?

Check out some more posts with informative and inspirational goodness:

More Porch Inspo

And stay tuned for a few more porch styling reviews this spring...!

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Thanks for following along.  Let me know what you think about this cozy little porch setup in the comments below.  I'd love to hear.

Peace and contentment,
~Miriam
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