Front Door Decor for Summer

The sunniest of seasons is upon us! When I think of Summer, I think bold colors, green grass and the golden sun shining down on us. Long, warm days and fresh tomato sandwiches means Summer in the South….and I’m ready for it!

I assisted my clients, Kayla & Josh, in the purchase of their first home last year. They bought the house, got married and adopted a dog named Kimber within months. Kayla has decorated the inside of their new home in a farmhouse style that is very cute and comfortable. Now, they’re concentrating on the outside. Below is a photo of their front door after they bought the home. The beautiful metal initial on the door was a gift from Kayla’s sister.

After the holidays, Kayla decorated the front door in more muted colors with a farmhouse theme. I helped by adding some white and black flowers and a bow to the metal sign.

With Summer coming, Kayla asked me to refresh the decor and add color. I was so excited to help! She didn’t seem afraid of using color but I didn’t want to go completely crazy. I promise you, I can!

My goals for the refresh were:

Add height by replacing the Welcome sign with a taller sign. Thankfully, Kayla had several signs and I was able to pick from her collection.
Provide seating with a bench. The walkway to the front door is long and placing a bench in the space would help to add interest. The bench would be the most costly piece but will be able to transition from season to season and should go well with any decor.
Use bright pops of color with pillows on the bench.
Add color to the metal sign. The sign is screwed onto the door and is such a lovely piece that I wanted to keep it intact but add more color and interest with additional silk flowers.
Bring live plants into the decor. I wanted to use only plants that could handle full sun and the heat of the Summer but add a natural element to the porch.
Add a new welcome mat and layer it with a colorful area rug underneath.
Keep the cost as close to $200 as possible. (This was my goal because I am very frugal and wanted to challenge myself.)

I began by selecting the mat and area rug. The rug came from Belk.com and I just fell in love with the print as well as the beautiful golden yellow color. A simple “home” mat was 50% at Hobby Lobby.

I placed a Queen Kimberly fern on the ground beside the mat along with a white wooden lantern Kayla already had. The pots for all of the plants came from Dollar General. The cost for three pots was $14.50. I love to buy garden accessories at Dollar General.

I purchased three different silk flowers to add to the metal sign in yellow, hot pink and seafoam green.

Pillows on the bench in shades of blue and golden yellow pull the look together. The dark blue of the back pillow matches the home’s shutters.

The black bench adds a homey feel as you are welcomed to the front door. Hot pink geraniums sit happily beside it.

Here’s the finished product!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The addition of color tells visitors that it is Summer in the South and you are welcome here. I was very happy with how everything came together. And the costs? $225 with an extra pillow to spare that we sat on another bench in the yard. Most of the expense was the black bench from Walmart.com. (See below for shopping information!)

Are you ready for Summer? As you can see, just a few simple updates can make your porch and entry bright and inviting!

I would like to thank Josh & Kayla for allowing me to not only be a part of their home purchase but to also assist with special projects around their home afterwards. Special thanks to my DIL, Kaytlen (who is a professional interior designer) for helping me stage the front porch and giving her input!

Thank you so much for visiting Mulch and Paint! I hope you’ll stop in again soon!