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I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like spending time on a porch. Odd that there are two types of porches with two distinctly different personalities.
Your front porch is designed to welcome visitors and invite guests through the threshold of your home. It’s where we make an amazing first impression to family, friends, and visitors and whether your front porch is minimally austere or shows signs of down-home comfort, outfitting it correctly gives everyone their first glimpse into “you” in your natural habitat. Here it’s all about the look – getting the most curb appeal for your dollar.
The back porch screams for relaxation – resting back on a chaise lounge, umbrella overhead, cold one in hand and watching the sun disappear over the horizon. Back porches are where we cook, dine, relax, and entertain to bring back some sense of order into your chaotic life. Where the front porch is all about form, the back porch is all about function.
How then do we treat our two different porches to upgrades that are both meaningful and good looking? Here at Patio Heat and Shade, pretty much all we think about is outdoor living, and our patio experts have given us some of their favorite outdoor porch ideas for upgrading your outdoor porch(es) to be the best that they can be. Let’s take a look.
For many families, retractable awnings are the perfect answer to how to keep cool in the summer, allow sunshine on gorgeous days, and keep the raindrops off the little ones’ heads. The Advaning Slim-Gray Series MA1410-A108NG manual retractable awning features a super-simple raising/lowering mechanism and their unique Easy Pitch system which provides the most convenient way to adjust the canopy’s pitch angle.
There’s nothing better than gazing into the brightly flickering flames of your own fire pit to cure what ails your soul. The Fire Sense Langhorne 62738 square aluminum LPG fire pit pulls double-duty as a patio table when not in use when you add the included fire bowl lid.
Heating up to 215 sq. ft., the Bromic Heating Tungsten Smart-Heat BH021-500 gas patio heater warms your family while looking gorgeous doing it. Choose between natural gas or propane and with its stylish matte black design and exceptional wind resistance (up to 8 m.p.h.), you’ll have the perfect way to either start your morning or end your night.
This is truly an amazing cooling system – fill the 2-gallon reservoir with water, set it near your table and you will have 2-4 hours of personal cooling (covering up to a 400 sq. ft. area) on hot, dry summer days. The EcoJet by Joape LVP-020303 tabletop misting fan spits out a super fine mist (that doesn’t make you set) that evaporates quickly, lowering the temperature by up to 20 degrees in the process. As another bonus, the fine mist keeps away mosquitos and other bugs to insure a perfect patio day.
Our friends at Craftmade have upgraded one of their best fans, the Craftmade Lighting END52MBK5PC1 ceiling fans to now include an integrated opal glass light kit to add even more utility for this super-popular fan. When hanging multiple fans, consider purchasing the optional remote controls for each and set all your fans on the same frequency, giving you one button control of all your patio fans at the same time.
When selecting an outdoor TV, pay attention to how much shade it requires. Full shade TVs (like this one) are meant to be in areas where sunlight won’t directly reach it (less protection and brightness required). Select partial-shade or full-sun TVs if your location requires it. We rely on the strength of the Furion FDUF43CSA full shade 4k LED outdoor TV to bring us an amazing picture, whether it’s the big game you’re viewing in outdoor splendor or the kids’ favorite TV show for the ninetieth time.
Whether you’re age 3 or 83 (or somewhere in between), cozy front porch swings have long been a go-to feature that calls out to you almost every time you cross the porch. Lazy evenings swinging leisurely to-and-fro and discussing the mysteries of the universe become treasured memories with a classic porch swing. On hot days, you’ll be thankful for the Hinkley Lighting Indy 900956FMM-NWA outdoor ceiling fan’s ability to provide the breeze that Mother Nature cannot.
Front porch sconce lighting provides safety and security in multiple ways; light to help your guests maneuver to your doorway and extra light directly over your house number to assist first responders in finding your home (anything we can do to save a few precious seconds can make all the difference). We love the Maxim Lighting Artisan 3175CLBK outdoor wall-mount lantern for its frame within a frame design, supporting an inner frame with clear glass panels for a clean, crisp appearance.
There’s almost no more iconic image than a rocking chair on a front porch (in fact, front porches that are hospitable have evolved to be called “rocking chair front porches”). You while away the hours lost in a good book even as night descends by turning on the Maxim Lighting Westport VX 40105MCAT outdoor wall sconces that are made with Vivex, a material that has twice the strength of resin, is non-corrosive, is UV-resistant and is backed with a 5-year limited warranty.
In covered areas, the simple addition of decorative throw pillows can add character and whimsy to an otherwise stodgy area. Make sure your guests see them in their best light by adding two Maxim Lighting Wharf 35001EB wall lanterns to illuminate your patio game.
One of the most popular lighting collections at Kichler is the Ahrendale, bringing a luscious auburn stained finish and anvil mesh shades to create a timeworn classic look. In the Kichler Lighting Ahrendale ceiling fan these stunning assets create a unique ceiling fan that will look amazing on your porch.
Keeping a cohesive look requires coordinator your color scheme so that there is a consistent flow. Here the Quorum Lighting Estate outdoor ceiling fans with black motor and black blades makes a striking contract to the bright white ceiling. We would suggest buying the remote-control kit for each of these three fans, which you can set to then use one remote to control all three fans at once.
Just a touch on the included wall-control of the Quorum Lighting Proxima 196608-65 outdoor ceiling fan can whisk you away with a breeze brought by a 6-speed ceiling fan to keep your guests cool. The modern DC motor means quiet, super-efficient operation to ensure years of faithful service.
Most of the day, your porch is just fine… but there are a few hours where the sun is relentless. This is the perfect situation for the Insolroll window shading systems with their multiple stock widths and varying colors – one will perfect accent your home. Keep your toddlers cool during the brutal times of the day with a roller shade system.
The good folk here at Patio Heat and Shade have dedicated themselves to the idea that you should have the best time on your patio that you possibly can. Our patio experts have put these eye-catching outdoor porch ideas to inspire you to add a little… something… to your porch to make it truly your own.
We promise to keep working on new inspiration, new ways for you to want to get off the couch an spend more time outdoors (and yes, we know that we have been discussing adding outdoor couches and TVs to get more out of your outdoor time). Take a few of these ideas and run with them – what would they look like in your space, which one is PERFECT for you.
If you’re having a hard time deciding, or you’re unsure whether one product or another will work for you, give us a call. We’ve got the best patio experts in the business ready to help you select the right products to make your porch THE place that you’d like to spend time. Call and we’ll walk you through it, every step of the way.