Your new home is moved into and furnished, following some wonderful tips on how to decorate on a budget, but you may have neglected one very essential, often forgotten part of the home: the porch/veranda/patio. This is the frontal exterior part of your home (the back in the case of some homes), but quite important too. You don’t want to leave it drab and dry, there’s more you can do there than just pass through on your way into and out of your home. Here are a few tips on what to get and do to make your home’s porch more cozy and inviting according to your personality:

Wind chimes:

Keep your surroundings lively with beautiful sounds. And the beautiful part is, no effort on your part is required to produce music from these rods of metal or wood: whenever there’s so much as a gentle breeze, your porch will be awash with gentle, soothing, often harmonic melody. It can also serve as a make-shift doorbell, as visitors can chime them rapidly to alert you to their presence. Animals might also stay off your porch because of the sounds coming from there at odd times. Many wind chimes now come in gorgeous designs as well to add some flair to your outside décor.

Bamboo/cane chairs:

These are great to have if you intend to use your porch as the venue for a light spot of reading or sipping on a beverage while you relax and appreciate nature or admire your front yard if there isn’t much nature to see. You could also receive visitors who do not need to enter the main house right here and it’ll still be comfortable and cozy enough for everyone. Such chairs are mostly weather resistant, though you may need to clean the cushions and their covers periodically. You could install a screen to prevent rainwater from getting directly on your porch furniture if your cushions are not covered in weather-proof material. Re-upholstering the cushions gives you the chance to add some colour and personality. African print material cushions for cane chairs are quite popular.

Swing seats and hammocks:

For the lazy weekend away from work, these are ideal for multiple purposes, be it for taking a nap on a Sunday afternoon, spending some quiet time to reflect in comfort while enjoying some music or just goofing off with your significant other. The swinging motion helps you relax and unwind from the stress of life, letting you feel the comfort home was originally supposed to symbolise.

Plants:

Bring serenity and life to the porch, whether you use potted flowers, larger shrubs or herbs in a planter box. You will achieve a fuller, friendlier feeling for your porch with them, making your porch look fresh and inviting. Ornamental plants  increase the visual appeal of the house from the outside. Not only your visitors, but you, yourself will always feel that welcoming atmosphere when approaching your home. And in addition to that, plants on the porch create the right conditions for cleaner more breathable air since they emit oxygen, making your veranda the ideal place to be when you want to get some fresh air.

Cleared up space:

A space free of all furnishings and plants is great if your porch is one of the more spacious ones and you or your family are the more active type. This space could be reserved for putting up your children’s (toddlers) play-boxes especially, when they have friends over for a play-date. Or it could also be the space where you set up your exercise equipment for a little keeping fit. You could roll out your treadmill here, or place your yoga mat there for some stretches whenever the exercise bug bites.

Your porch is an important part of your home and as an extension, should be used to its maximum potential. Have some other ideas as to how best to make use of the home patio? Share with us in the comments below.