This month, we collaborated with four designers in North Carolina to create two front porch displays that you can replicate during the spring season. With a few staple pieces, some greenery and a pop of color or two, your front porch will become instantly refreshed and transform into an outdoor sanctuary that everyone can use. So without further ado, discover some of our favorite decorating ideas to help you showcase your design skills this season. Maestro, cue instant curb appeal.
Meet the Designers
Designers Sarah Howerton and Tiffany Page (pictured, above right) decorated the front porch of our Hadley model home at Empire Oldenburg, while April Gilmore and Amber Quarles (pictured, above left) were the forces behind the front porch design of the community’s Amherst model. We challenged these four designers to create two spring porch designs that homeowners can recreate themselves, and with a little imagination, they showed us how achievable these looks can be. Read on to hear what they had to say about their designs and what sparked their inspiration.
Pictured: The Amherst model home at Empire Oldenburg.
How can people use your ideas as inspiration and create something that reflects their personal style?
“Your design should reflect what you like. Find a palette that complements your overall design style and be confident in your decision making. Don’t be afraid to use bold colors, stripes or patterns, and play with height too — each of these things can create a totally unique look.”
What are some simple, budget-friendly ways that homeowners can take their design from good to great?
“Identify what you want your front porch to look like and the colors that you want to use. You can always look to websites like Pinterest or take to Google to look up inspiration too. After you know what look you’re trying to achieve, you can source cost-effective furniture pieces from local or online stores. To add some extra pizazz, you can play with flowers, burlap and ribbon which are budget-friendly additions.”
What’s your favorite spring accessory to use on the front porch of a home?
“We love using black and white stripes, just like we did when designing the front porch of the Amherst model home. We also gravitate to bold colours like pinks, purples, greens and blues. By using black and white, you can incorporate new colors into your design every season. I have a small black and white rug on the front porch of my own home, and when it came time for the holidays, I mixed in some hints of red.”
Pictured: The Hadley model home at Empire Oldenburg.
How can people use your ideas as inspiration and create something that reflects their personal style?
“First, nail down a general color scheme and then mix in different materials or things that speak to your unique design style. For example, decor pieces like vessels and vases can add texture and volume to a space, while giving off some personal flavor.”
Share some DIY decorating tips that make it easy for someone to stay within their budget?
“Take a simple, decor piece and make it your own. When designing the Hadley model home, we wanted to achieve more of a custom look for one of the terracotta pots we used. Since we had a lot of different textures and materials incorporated into our design, we wanted to create something with more of a geometric look so we bought painters tape and some craft paint — which was less than $2 — and created a handmade design.”
How did you achieve the look that you wanted while staying within budget? Talk through your decorating process.
“We came up with our inspiration, and then we gathered even more ideas while we started pricing decor pieces out. We tried to purchase items that were at lower price points, but with today’s supply chain issues, it created more of a challenge. By purchasing from stores like Target, At Home and Lowe’s Home Improvement, we were able to stick to the initial design themes we had in mind and stay within our budget.”
Next, learn how Empire’s designers decorated some of our front porches for fall or discover designer-worthy entryway inspiration for your home.