3 Ways to Create a Picture-Perfect Porch

There’s nothing more welcoming than a front porch. Whether you’re seated outside with a morning cup of coffee or taking a “porchtrait” with your family, this outdoor haven gets a lot of attention. Give your porch a colorful update with these three ideas.  

Front door painted in Clary Sage with a boxwood wreath and boots to the right.
Photo Courtesy of @likehoneyblog 
Featured Color: Clary Sage SW 6178 

Refresh Your Door

Creating a warm and welcoming look starts with giving your front door a fresh coat of paint or stain. Whether you go bold with color or keep it neutral, this simple DIY takes less than a day to complete and gives your porch an instant facelift.

Front porch area with rattan seating and a fiddle leaf fig. Porch ceiling is painted in Urbane Bronze, a dark, earthy shade of gray-green.
Photo Courtesty of @katepearcevintage 
Featured Colors: Urbane Bronze SW 7048 & Tricorn Black SW 6258 

Accent the Ceiling

Adding a pop of color to your porch’s ceiling is an easy way to add a little bit of personality. Pull color inspiration from your shutters to create a seamless look or stick with light and airy hues to create a space that feels open and inviting.

Deck space with a cozy couch and a dog lounging in the comfort.
Photo Courtesy of @madelineharperphoto & @theidentitecollective 
Featured Color: White Flour SW 7102 

Accessorize

Ready to add the final touches? It’s all in the details. Creating a lived-in look is the secret to DIYing a picture-perfect front porch. Whether it’s rattan seating or a potted fiddle leaf tree, accessorizing allows you to create a space you’ll enjoy using day after day. 

Feeling inspired to freshen up your front porch? Let’s make your inspiration a reality. Book a FREE Virtual Color Consultation with one of our color experts to bring your color to life. And be sure to share your front porches and porchtraits with us by tagging your social media posts with #SWColorLove for a chance to be featured in our gallery.

38 Comments

  1. I’m anticipating painting the exterior of my home. I have some wood siding and garage doors and wood front doors that I am thinking of doing in the peppercorn Sw7674 that you featured awhile ago. I have bright white eaves but am looking for a little lighter shade of gray for the stucco. Any suggestions?

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Debbie, Some grays that would look great with Peppercorn are:
      Earl Grey SW 7660
      African Gray SW 9162
      Gray Shingle SW 7670

      Sherwin-Williams
  2. I wish we could post pictures of our house with the great color of SW Salty Dog on my shutters and entrance door.

    So glad we went with this color.

    Fantastic color!

  3. Would like to paint our front door but screen door a chocolate, and would love paint it peppercorn would it look OK thanks for your help. Ken

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Ken! We agree, chocolate would look great. Peppercorn is more of a black. For more of a chocolate, look at:
      Rookwood Dark Brown SW 2808
      Plantation Shutters SW 7520
      Sable SW 6083

      Sherwin-Williams
  4. Would like some help with picking colors to update my front porch. The vinyl exterior of the house is sort of a robin blue color maybe a lottle deeper; shutters are white with black accents; front door is white; kind of boring; also hand rails along stairs are black wrought iron; what do you think

    Linda Tetreault
    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Linda! Your home sounds lovely- a classic combo. What exactly are you painting? The porch floor, ceiling, what other items are included on the porch?

      Sherwin-Williams
  5. I’m looking for a standout out blue of some sort for my front door. My house is a Cape Cod style, color gray, about a medium gray, definitely not dark. Trim white. Any ideas?

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Charleen! As you know, grays have been popular for quite some time no with no sign of disappearing anytime soon. One reason for this is how many color families look great with gray. For instance, on your home, we could see your door being a yellow, green or navy blue. Any of those three color families would work. Which color family appeals to you the most? Let us know and we can give you some specific colors.

      Sherwin-Williams
  6. Great blοg you hɑve here but I was wondering if you knew of any dіscuѕsion boards that cover
    the same toρics discussed in this article? I’ԁ really lօve to be a part of online cߋmmunity where
    I cɑn get commеnts from other experienced people that ѕһare tһe same interest.

    If you have any recommendations, pleaѕe let me know. Thank you!

  7. looking for inspiration for my front door. exterior walls are escape grey 6185 and trim color around windows is classical white 2829, those are approved HOA colors for our community. I like Poolhouse 7603, Jazz Age coral 0058, and peppercorn 7674. afraid coral is too bold and the others too dark, any other suggestions for a pop of color that would go well with grey and white?

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Karen, gray and white make for a timeless palette and a pop of color on the door will make your house look “young and fun”. Neither Poolhouse nor Peppercorn have enough “pop” to make them work. If Jazz Age Coral is too bold for you, consider using a pretty yellow like Butter Up SW 6681 or Cupola Yellow SW 7692 for a zippy pop to your home.

      Sherwin-Williams
  8. we are painting our small house alpaca with pure white trim. i want a bold door but not too crazy. leaning toward teal, any suggestions? i like lazy dog but i also like splashy or loch blue…?

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Lisa, a teal door would look great. Stick with a teal on the blue side – the Splashy is too green. Take a look at Loch Blue SW 6502 or Teal Stencil SW 0018 or Peacock Plume SW 0020.

      Sherwin-Williams
  9. Just bought a house with a ton of yellow pine cabinets what’s the best color blue to tone down the yellow

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello there, any of these blues would look fantastic with the honey tones of yellow pine. Take a look at Niebla Azul SW 9137, Lakeside SW 9683 or Upward SW 6239.

      Sherwin-Williams
  10. We are looking to repaint our trim. Our exterior home is dovetail and the trim is an off white but we want to go darker. What colors would recommend to go with dovetail and something for the front door.

    Candy Dodson
    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Candy! Two trim colors that would complement Dovetail beautifully are Shoji White SW 7042 and Natural Choice SW 7011, either of those would look great. Now, on to your front door. Did you want a color or did you want to stay in the Dovetail family and go darker on your door? If you are open to a color, yellow and green would work, do you prefer one over the other?

      Sherwin-Williams
  11. My house has Cedar Green siding and darker shade of Cedar green on shutters. My front door is deep red but storm door is white. I want to paint the storm doors. Should I go with the Red or the Green to match shutters? or possibly Black to match lanterns and mailbox on the house? Help?

  12. Sherwin-Williams logo

    Hi Leah! The door color is Salty Dog SW 9177.

    Sherwin-Williams
  13. Hi. I need some help with exterior paint colors for my home. My outside siding color is SW3004 Summerhouse Beige and my windows are trimmed in white. I need color ideas for my shutters and front door. Thanks!

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hi Karmy! Consider painting your front door and shutters the same color to create an intentional, cohesive palette. Look at using either a charcoal gray or navy blue. Check out these options:
      Navy Blue Charcoal Gray
      SW 2740 Mineral Gray SW 7068 Grizzle Gray
      SW 9177 Salty Dog SW 2849 Westchester Gray

      Sherwin-Williams
  14. I am looking for a color for my three outdoor Berkeley Forge Benches. I am repainting my home in Pavilion Beige (SW 7512) with a Stucco (SW 7569) trim. The front door will be Fired Brick (SW 6335) and I am wondering what color I should use for the bench slats. The metal supports for the bench will be in black. One of the benches will be next to the front door and the other two will be in the rear of my home in the yard. Is red too bold for these type of benches?

    Eleanor Nelson
    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Eleanor, the red in Fired Brick SW 6335 would be a fantastic choice for all three of your benches. Repetition of color creates a cohesive, intentional palette, painting the benches in the back yard Fired Brick will create a curated look for your home.

      Sherwin-Williams
  15. Our house is brick which has a hint of pink in the brick, with white trim. What would be a nice color for our front door? It is currently white.

    Melanie Fowler
    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Melanie, I think a French blue color would look stunning on your home. Check out:
      SW 9146 Faded Flaxflower
      SW 6241 Aleutian
      SW 9147 Favorite Jeans
      It is always best to look at color in your lighting. Order some free sample chips from our website to determine which color will work best for you.

      Sherwin-Williams
  16. We live in a brick house and the brick has a pink hue to it. There are no shutters but all the trim is white and the roof is black. The front of the house in lined with pink Crepe Myrtle tree’s. What is a good color for our front door? It is currently white.

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Melanie, I think a French blue color would look stunning on your home. Check out:
      SW 9146 Faded Flaxflower
      SW 6241 Aleutian
      SW 9147 Favorite Jeans
      It is always best to look at color in your lighting. Order some free sample chips from our website to determine which color will work best for you.

      Sherwin-Williams
  17. I want to paint my front door an attention-getting color that will harmonize with pink flowers in the landscape. My steel roof is a medium green; siding is beige, shutters are black (but could also be painted).

  18. I am looking for a color to paint my white front door. My home is a deep variegated red brick with black shutters, white trim and a black roof. The door is set back on the porch and I want it to “pop” more. Any suggestions? Should I also paint my white 2 car garage door and shutters to match the front door?

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Marie, Consider using one of these pretty blues with subtle purple undertone for your door and shutters – leave garage white:
      SW 6537 Luxe Blue
      SW 6543 Soulful Blue
      SW 9072 Dried Lavender
      It is always best to look at color in your lighting. Order some free sample chips from our website to determine which color will work best for you.

      Sherwin-Williams
  19. Trying to decide on front door color. House is Thunder Gray with Origami White trim. Thanks

    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Consider using a striking teal color to pop against the saturated color of your home – look at SW 9059 Silken Peacock or SW 0018 Teal Stencil. It is always best to look at color in your lighting. Order some free sample chips from our website to determine which color will work best for you.

      Sherwin-Williams
  20. The body of my house is Cardboard with Pure White trim, shutters are black. I’d like to paint the porch ceiling but not sure what would look good for a subtle pop of color. Can you give me any ideas?

    Deborah Moon
    • Sherwin-Williams logo

      Hello Deborah, are you interested in a “haint” blue for your porch ceiling? It is a light blue used to ward off spider and wasp nests (and ghosts). Let us know if you want that or what color family you are interested in. Thanks again.

      Sherwin-Williams

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

More Stories Like This