Friday Favourites – Front Porch Swingin’ {5 Great Styles of Porches}

Last night we went to my parents’ house to celebrate my mom’s birthday because we won’t be able to see them for her real birthday over the weekend. We were sitting out on their back porch enjoying some homemade ice cream (recipe to come soon!) and I realized how much I love just sitting on a porch, watching the world go by.

My mom put up these great ferns this year, instead of her usual flower hanging baskets, and they make it look so green and lush up there.

My love of porches has gone back many years. The house I rented while I went to university also had a great little porch, where you’d often find me and my housemates sitting out there enjoying a bowl of Kraft Dinner with chopped up hot dogs (our favourite cheap student budget meal). Our apartment now has a small porch landing up to our door, but I daydream of the day when I can sit out on a real porch in the evening and relax.

For this week’s Friday Favourites, I’m sharing what I think are the 5 best styles of porches. Each one has it’s own character and features, but they all make you want to grab an ice cold drink and sit a spell. Here’s a little architectural eye candy for you to enjoy on a lovely Friday afternoon.

1. Farmhouse

Whenever I drive by a farmhouse with a big wraparound porch,  it looks so welcoming, like you could just picture neighbours coming over and sitting outside together. Throw up a little bunting and grab a couple of rocking chairs and you have the ultimate Americana.

White painted plank floors, wood shingle siding and white tongue and groove ceiling. Can’t you just picture sitting out on one of those rocking chairs?

Not only are porches a beautiful addition to a farmhouse but they are practical too. They offer shade and shelter from the elements, while you look out over your farm. Can’t you just smell some fresh apple pie wafting out from an open window?

2. Craftsman

Craftsmans houses are known for their gabled roofs, exposed beams and paned windows, but also their great porches.

The large tapered columns and wide open staircases are the showstopper when you drive up to one of these beautifully designed homes.

One of my favourite bloggers, Erin from Make Something Good Today, has a beautiful historic craftsman in Laurel, Mississippi that was featured on Hooked on Houses. She and her handy husband have since added a lovely porch bed to replace that bench on the far end – perfect for daydreaming.

3. Colonial

There are many different styles of Colonial architecture – American Colonial, French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, Dutch Colonial and Georgian, but they all have great lines which translate well into gorgeous, expansive front porches.

Their structure and columns provide the perfect frame, playing off the sharp lines of the rest of the home.

I love the symmetry of this style and how the porch really opens up the front of the home.

4. Victorian

Oh Victorians – you and your gorgeous ornate details. How can anything so grand not have at least one porch…maybe two…and a balcony…and maybe even a widow’s walk up top. There is no such thing as getting “carried away” with a Victorian. There is always room for more trim! more banisters! more carvings!

There is something both gothic and romantic about this style. In the daytime it can be a beautiful backdrop to a lovely garden and then at night turn into an eerie setting for a ghost story.

Is there anything more lovely than a porch wrapped around a turret? When I was little, I dreamed of living in a turret (although I’m sure a curved room would have been a nightmare for my mother to decorate). Now I dream of sitting outside a turret, with a dog at my feet, a beautiful garden…and someone else to do all the weeding.

5. South Florida

Over the years, my family has taken many trips down to various parts of Florida, but the area that has always called to me was Southern Florida. They know all about porch living, whether you’re sitting out in a screened porch on the ocean, or opening up plantation shutters looking out over lush tropical greens.

We saw some classic South Florida architecture when we visited the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. Both houses of the Edison estate are completely surrounded by porches in lieu of hallways, and the two building themselves are connected with porticoes.

And when you get under those porches, you notice all the details – like french doors, paned glass windows and the perfect shade of turquoise on the ceilings.

All that talk about porches has me looking forward to getting outside and spending some time in the open air. It may be hot, but I’m going to soak it all in and remember that feeling when it’s about -30°C (-22°F) this winter. I hope that you all have a lovely weekend!