I Showed 3 Designers Photos of My Porch — Here’s How They Redecorated with The Home Depot Finds

Moving into a new place always means decorating opportunities — you can overhaul your look, add something unexpected, and best of all, find brand-new spaces to work with. Starting next month, I’ll have a little porch as part of my living space for the first time, and of course, I have lots of options to turn it into a cute and cozy space.

This porch has clearly been unused for a while, so it needs a good cleanup, and it’s small, so I can’t add too much furniture. Luckily, it’s covered, so it can be used in the Midwest winter as well if I add a little space heater. Ideally, I’d like it to be a cozy reading nook with space for at least one other guest to sit and chat. 

I have plans for my new outdoor space, but I also have a budget and I’m pretty indecisive, so I decided to reach out to the professionals to get their opinion. I asked three designers how they’d decorate the space on a budget of $300 at The Home Depot. Here’s what they said. 

Designer Katelyn De Spain of Makehouse Design Studio went for soothing and serene, starting with Behr’s New House White to brighten up the space and make it feel bigger. Next, she added a cozy chair, a colorful rug, and a stylish side table. 

“The combination of wood and soft rope in the chair adds warmth and texture while offering both comfort and durability,” she explains. “To complete the look, consider adding a plant or a candle to the side table for a touch of greenery or a bit of cozy ambiance.” 

Valerie Helgeson of Design Directions decided to go with a more beachy boho aesthetic, starting with Benjamin Moore’s Venezuelan Sea. She added on a lovely macrame hanging chair with two adorable throw pillows in green and purple featuring dragonflies, which served as the focal point of the room. The furniture was capped off with a cute little side table and added a terra-cotta pot and a ravenea plant to lean into the natural theme. She went a smidge over budget, but explains, “It came down to either the hanging chair or the paint, and given that they were core components to the transformation, I decided to keep both.”

For lighting, she picked some airy paper lanterns. “I wish the budget would have allowed for a working pendant light, but the paper lanterns are a great substitution. They bring height, visual interest, and texture, and when the budget allows, you can swap them for a similar working one,” she says.

Allison Garrison of Allito Spaces says, “I would do a campy vibe to play into the indoor/outdoor feeling.” She also leaned into blue for paint, but preferred Behr’s Shipyard for the shade. She started with an indoor/outdoor rug in a blue plaid to ground the space, which sets the base for the camp vibe. She added black folding chairs for contrast, that still look comfortable enough for a morning coffee.

Of course, it needs a touch of greenery, so she added a couple of ferns that would do well in the shade. “Just make sure you keep them watered!” she warns. Lastly, she finishes with a couple of rechargeable lanterns that can be hung or kept on tables, to really lean into that outdoorsy vibe. This just about finishes off my budget, but Garrison adds, “If you can find a few extra funds, a little side table will give you a nice spot to perch your drink or book.”

All in all, I’m delighted with the designers’ suggestions. While I was originally leaning toward De Spain’s suggestion of a bright neutral to make the space seem bigger, I love the idea of  picking one of the blues to add some color when the weather gets more dreary. Helgeson’s boho vibes are the most appealing to me, though I’m definitely inclined to add De Spain’s pick for a table and Garrison’s pick for lighting to it. Stay tuned for a possible upcoming full porch makeover piece from me!