31 Back Porch Design Ideas for Spring 2025

To ease the visual transition with this natural pool’s landscaping, designer Melissa Anderson kept the back porch simple, creating a mosaic of stone pavers that mimic the rock retaining walls surrounding the garden.

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In this elevated back porch in our 2024 Whole Home, designers Erin Coren and Lina Galvão incorporated drapery so it would feel like a true extension of the interiors.

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Much of this home’s entertaining space is along this long back porch. “The goal was to create some shade and a comfortable area to eat and relax,” says Nelson, who worked on space planning with the client and architect. “So there’s an outdoor kitchen area, a lounge area, a dining area, and then a movie-watching area,” she says. A large dining table is in the center, prioritizing space to gather and spend time with loved ones.

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This outdoor space by Leigh Anne Muse and Lili O’Brien has an inviting vibe thanks to the many different texture they layered in, from the wicker furniture and tapestry-inspired pillows to a lush sheepskin throw that’s perfect for snuggling up with a good read. Even the flooring—a combination of pavers and pebbles set in concrete—adds depth to the overall design.

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The back porch of this Maui getaway by Breeze Giannasio blends into the surrounding landscape, allowing the natural beauty of the tropical setting to shine through. The cozy bistro table provides a casual place for morning coffee or afternoon cocktails, while the patterned tile adds extra design punch.

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If your back porch’s best asset is the scenery, orient your furniture to face it. On this floating home in Sausalito, California, by Colleen Dowd Saglimbeni, a pair of chairs is angled toward the sunset, and a low-backed sofa ensures a clear, unobstructed view.

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The extra-wide daybeds at Marrakech’s El Fenn Hotel inspired the outdoor sofa on Katie Hodges’s back patio in the Hollywood Hills, which is upholstered in dark, practical Jim Thompson fabric.

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These French doors lead into the guest room of a Los Angeles County home designed by Jeremiah Brent. That means anybody who stays the night gets this quiet back porch all to themselves. Simple furnishings are all it really needs, and the greenery provides a natural privacy screen.

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The ornamental grasses around the terrace of Susannah Charbin’s Long Island home may look like they’ve always been there, but they’re actually landscaped—she just planned for them to look that way. Take a cue from your own environment, and surround your back porch with plants native to your area.

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You’ll spend more time in your outdoor space if you don’t have to fight off mosquitos. This screened porch in a lovely Lake Michigan home with interiors by Frank Ponterio has large fieldstone fireplace to extend its use for as long as possible.

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Your back porch is the perfect place to play up your favorite color. Amanda Lindroth built this elegant outdoor space around bright orange, from the outdoor rugs to the outdoor sconces that really pop against the house. It’s proof that you can make any vibrant color you love work.

A tiny Palm Beach balcony feels like a sweeping porch in the tropics thanks to the use of faux turf and large planters—the work of landscape architect Keith Williams and interior design firm Kemble Interiors.

Alison Newman designed this English-inspired country house for a family in Millbrook, New York. Indoors, it’s filled with rich colors and patterns, but the outdoor areas are quiet by contrast. Wooden furniture with clean, simple lines lets the view shine.

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If your back porch has a fireplace, it’s the natural focal point for the seating arrangement. The limited color palette of this outdoor space by Kerrie Kelly Studio keeps the vibe warm, welcoming, and calm.

Don’t have a back porch? This willow-and-steel pergola designed by Sheldon Harte becomes a beautiful outdoor lounge overlooking the vineyards near this Healdsburg, California, home.

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The interior of this pool house by Carrier & Company looks especially open and inviting thanks to the mirror on the back wall. The reflection visually expands the space, making it look larger. You can use same trick on your back porch.

Hadas Dembo used drapes to add privacy to the back porch of her family’s Columbia County, New York, home. They also block the glaring afternoon sun and look beautiful in the breeze.

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Ty Larkins added a ceiling fan on the back porch of this traditional home to stir a breeze on hot days and keep it comfortable to use.