7 Charming Back Porch Essentials for a Cozy Outdoor Space

A rustic back porch living area is an important part of the home! There are endless reasons to need a back porch for your home! Whether hosting parties, upgrading the value of your house, or even just relaxing, there are so many benefits. But it’s super important to keep the area cozy and welcoming to take full advantage of an outdoor living space. So today at Katie T’s Home, I will walk you through the 7 charming back porch essentials to achieve a cozy outdoor living space! So, without further ado, let’s jump in! 

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Updated: July 9th, 2024

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Katie T’s Cottage Home Fun Fact #30

Fun fact time! This is a new section I’m including on my blog posts so my readers can get to know me on a personal level!

So, for my 30th fun fact, I want to share that one of my favorite birds is hummingbirds! 

I have a feeder just outside the porch, and I love to watch them come to get a drink. 

So now, let’s jump into the 7 charming back porch essentials for a cozy outdoor living space!

Back Porch Plants

Okay, so obviously, this may not be best in the wintertime (depending on location), but during summertime, having live plants on your porch is such a must! Whether you choose house plants, flowers, or produce, having plants is a top priority out of the 7 charming back porch essentials.

There are so many benefits to having plants in general. I mean, there’s a reason why documentaries like “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” discuss how gardening is a factor in longevity.   

Tending to plants allows us to do something besides being on our phones. It also gives us purpose. It’s exciting for a new leaf or growth to happen on a plant you’ve had for quite some time.

Plus, having plants on your porch allows you to decorate with them. And I’m sure your plants like it if your porch has better lighting than in the home.

It’s also a great use of space for those plants you want nearby or veggie scraps you are trying to regrow. 

Take, for example, my scallions on top of my decorative ladder. I hate the smell of scallions in the house, so keeping them outside on my screened-in porch is the perfect way to grow scraps from the scallion base while keeping the smell out of the house. 

Also, on a side note, if you want the full tutorial on how I painted my painter’s ladder, click the link here.

I also have an article on how to decorate your painter’s ladder.

At the time of the post, the ladder was in my office area, so the post lends itself to being indoors.

Lighting for a Cozy Ambiance

Next up on the list of 7 charming back porch essentials for a cozy outdoor living space is to have proper lighting! 

Note that string lights will get dirty with pollen and dust over time. Accompanying garland will also be a major dust collector.

This rustic garland is no exception to that. I cleaned it with a small Makita blower, which seemed to get the bulk of the dust. So keep this in mind when stringing up any lights on your porch. Anticipate that they will get dusty over time.

But whether you have string lights or candles, adding adequate lighting will set the mood of the porch 10-fold! 

Even during the day, string lights add that ambiance and rustic cozy setting. 

Charming and Clean

The 3rd, out of the 7 charming back porch essentials for a cozy outdoor living space, is having a clean area!

It’s not essential in terms of a physical product, but rather to make your porch cozy.

I have a list of cleaning essentials for the home in the article below, but as you can imagine, pollen and dust collect on the porch. 

It’s important to keep the area clean in the event you have guests over. They will feel more comfortable on a clean porch vs. one in need of some elbow grease.

Because this porch is older and in need of repair, it is difficult to keep it at its maximum cleanliness.

Like many of you, I’m a renter, so I’m slightly limited on the projects I want to tackle for various reasons. 

But, in the meantime, I will wholeheartedly enjoy this screened-in porch regardless.

It just means that adding fresh and clean items, like my white tablecloths, will add that touch of rustic cottage to counteract the chipped red paint. It will make the porch setting look rustic more than anything. 

Texture for a Charming Porch

Next up on the list of the 7 charming back porch essentials is adding texture to achieve a cozy outdoor living space!

What I mean is to add essentials like cushions, pillows, or even a rug to your porch or patio! 

Adding soft textures illuminates the cozy feeling because it is just that! 

I mean, who wants to sit on a metal seat when there could be a cushion on it?!?

Plus, adding such textures allows you to add something else, a.k.a. change color. This is huge because for situations like mine where the red porch is super bright, adding a rug will help break up the porch color and allow for a more cozy feeling. 

So, if you are picking out cushions, pillows, or a rug for your outdoor living space, be mindful of not only the texture but also the color of the items and that they can help achieve the aesthetic of a cozy cottage porch. 

Inviting and Charming Back Porch Entryway

Next up on the list of the 7 charming back porch essentials is having an inviting back door entryway!

This is easily achieved by adding a plaid rug, welcome mats, planters, faux trees, etc. The article below is a full tutorial on everything you need to know when creating an inviting entryway.

Be mindful, if you have a rug and entryway mat like mine, that there are provisions in place so it’s not slippery to walk on. You definitely don’t want to trip and fall, never mind your guests, so I recommend getting a slip mat to layer underneath so nobody is face-planting on your watch. 

Having an inviting back porch entryway adds to the overall comfort because of just that. Think about. On some level, every cozy area is inviting. That’s why we are drawn to having and creating a cozy area. 

So, if the back door is inviting, it only compliments the coziness of the porch as a whole. 

Music for the Company

If you plan on hosting a gathering, I recommend having music readily available on your porch!

My pepere built this house and was ahead of his time because he added built-in speakers to the screened-in porch. 

While we don’t use the built-in speakers because it would be more work to set it up vs. utilizing my small portable speaker, playing music will add to the overall experience.

Take, for example, my paint-and-sip night with the girls. We had music playing, and it was just enough to set the tone for the night.

I’d argue the same for a romantic dinner on the porch.

Nothing beats a candlelight dinner with classical music playing in the background. It’s almost instantly relaxing and comforting. 

Outdoor Seating

Last but not least for the 7 charming back porch essentials is proper seating! This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s so important. 

Take, for example, this lounge chair. I do exactly what it was made for. I lounge lol.

The lounge chair is where I’ll sit most of the time on the porch, and it’s so cozy. If I had a more upright seat, it would not be as relaxing.

Now, all things equal, outdoor sofas, in general, are super cozy. There’s nothing not cozy about them. But, if you are looking for new patio seating, keep in mind how you want to sit. 

Take, for example, an Adirondack chair vs a regular upright chair. The slanted back in the Adirondack chair allows for greater relaxation. It’s why beach chairs can recline compared to camping chairs. One is made for relaxing, while the other is more utilitarian. 

Either way, having a place to sit is a must-have to complete the cozy appeal of your back porch! 

7 Charming Back Porch Essentials for a Cozy Outdoor Living Space

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading about the 7 charming back porch essentials for a cozy outdoor living space. Drop a comment, and don’t forget to sign up for the freebie below to stay updated on all my latest blog posts!! See you next time!

Love,

Katie