Welcome
This past summer and early fall, we remodeled our front porch.  It included new railings to replace the wooden ones, sanding down the mahogany porch boards and re-staining and sealing them, painting the steps and a re-arrange of furniture to accommodate sunrises, visitors and Molly 5.
As I drove around the area doing some deliveries, I looked at other porches for ideas on how I should redo mine.  I was consciously trying to determine what vibe each porch gave off as I approached.  I broke them down into a few categories.
No one uses this door … ever!
Yes, the door is technically in the front of the house and therefore is the official entrance.  But no one ever does that.  Anyone who comes to this house knows to use the kitchen door, which is always open.  This house dropped formalities a long time ago … I just warn folks that there may be a mess… We live here!”
We love holidays!
Or at least holiday decorations.  We are just a few days into fall but they got pumpkins, corn stalks and maybe even some early Halloween witches.  And it rotates to the next holiday overnight so that there is never a day that it is not festive.  This house is fun!  You just know every birthday is celebrated with cake, ice cream and sprinkles.
Kids rule!
The little tikes car is a dead giveaway, but it is not always the little ones claiming the front porch.  Football pads, soccer balls and a bazillion sneakers tell me the teen years have arrived to this house.   Whatever the age group, this house is alive and living life large.  They are out and about and are a bunch of do’ers.
We farm!
Muck boots, some odd assortment of barn coveralls and a smattering of parts from various machinery let you know you are at a farm.  These porches are functional … this is where stuff goes that you need handy and out of the rain, but will get you killed if you bring it in the house.  Normally it ends up here once the passenger seat of the pickup is filled.  But there is always a story to be told, a pie to be eaten and a hand to be lent to you if you need one.
So, what did I pick out for my porch renovation?  I’d love for a way to kind of mash all these together, but they don’t all really apply anymore.  So our porch says “Welcome!  Come sit a spell.” What does your porch say?