Walk down the average street and you might well detect the first stirrings of a quiet, but distinctive, design revolution this springtime. The spring front porch, that most practical but often overlooked element of our homes, is undergoing a transformation each season. Unsurprisingly, bold paint hues and imaginative lighting are ensuring that the entrance to our home is no longer a decorative afterthought, left to the last phase of a building project, but an integral part of both the look and feel of the whole property.
10 spring door décor ideas
When it comes to spring decor ideas, think in color, comfort and style. From a fresh coat of paint to a pretty spring wreath, it’s important to approach spring decorating with thought – and seek the right decorating advice. Pay attention to the finer details, because they can really make a home sing. The look of good quality door details, whether that be furniture, ornamentation or color, makes a far bigger impact than you would first imagine. This is the perfect opportunity to give your front door a new lease of life. Whatever the options, these spring door ideas need careful planning and consideration.
1. Paint your front door in a welcoming color
The best front door color ideas can refresh the exterior of a home, catching the eye from the street for all the right reasons, and might even increase a home’s value. Bear in mind that your spring front door design will affect which front door paint ideas suit, as well as the period of your home and the color of paintwork visible from the street and your front porch ideas. Take a fresh look at your front door and give it a little lift with a seasonal makeover. Try a new lick of color for a more dramatic look, or perhaps a planter or pots of flowers on your steps to add natural color. Here interior designer firm Tyler Karu Design (opens in new tab) gave the front door of this New England home an exuberant update for spring. ‘Much research has been done into how colors affect our mood,’ says Tyler Karu. ‘Yellow inspires optimism, creating a summery feel; team it with charcoal or navy blue for truly modern look.’ Sue Kim, senior color designer at Valspar agrees: ‘Current paint trends show a real shift towards using bolder and brighter colors outside, especially if you wish to sell.’
2. Color drench your exterior
First impressions are everything, so in terms of setting the tone and character of a home the front door is the place to start. The door décor can be one of the easiest ways to revive the look of a tired exterior, while on a street of identical houses, use color to give it a stamp of personality. Bold and daring, this impressive home in the Noe Valley, designed by Heaton + Williams (opens in new tab) is a riot of striking color. Not only has the entire façade been beautifully painted to stand out, but imaginative and decorative door detailing only serves to add to the charm.
3. Introduce animal-friendly door decoration
Incorporating wreath ideas into your front porch ideas is a great way to bring some seasonal cheer to your door – and dust away the cobwebs of winter. A natural, sustainable vibe – with minimal plastic and packaging – is hot on the agenda for many of us. Although most seasonal foliage is off limits for pets or farmyard animals – narcissus, foxglove, lily of the valley, tulips, crocuses and hyacinth, for starters. Instead, keep it simple with edible apples, or pears. You can also add a spring touch with the freesia, gerberas, wax flowers and pittosporum, which are not toxic to animals.
4. Install lanterns beside the front door
It’s an odd thing but one of the most important areas of our property is the one that’s often overlooked. Considering we use our front door almost every day, it should be the one place we notice all the time – just as we admire what other people wear and their outward appearance, houses, too, can grab our attention with a smart or pretty exterior. Take a fresh look at your front door this spring, and give it a little lift with a seasonal makeover that will work all year round. Try a new coat of color for a more dramatic look, or perhaps a lanterns on either side of the door. After all, it is the small details that make the difference.
5. Decorate with symmetrical wreaths on the front door
Turn up the style by opting for dual wreath for a symmetrical appearance. Symmetry is a technique used by interior designers to create a space that looks incredibly tidy and smart – and therefore calming and relaxing. Using architectural elements such as front doors is a good place to start, so give a front door a burst of color and intrigue with an Easter wreath that is blooming with fresh foliage. ‘We are always drawn to handmade and natural spring decor ideas. There is nothing more satisfying than bringing in foraged moss, spring flowers and bare branches from the backyard,’ says Katie Smyth of Worm.
6. Plant a living wall
While not necessarily door decor, an abundant living wall will make a beautiful addition to the exterior of your home come spring. Living wall ideas are springing up over vertical surfaces everywhere, to keep buildings cool, improve air quality, reduce noise and attract wildlife. Colorful, verdant and providing aesthetic and ecological benefits, they make use of vertical surfaces for planting. They are a particularly useful front porch idea where space may be limited, but are worthy as an impactful design feature in their own right. To create these vertical garden ideas, plants are rooted into a structure which is then attached to an exterior or freestanding wall. Systems can range from something as simple as plant pots hung on a vertical wall, to highly sophisticated modular, hydroponic panels, where all the water and nutrient requirements of the plants are precision delivered and monitored electronically.
7. Festoon with a feather wreath
The humble wreath is one of the most versatile fall decorating tools at your disposal come this spring season. For a truely eye-catching front door wreath, group fallen feathers together. A design like this creation has a wonderfully wild look, making it the ideal focal point for the entrance of your home. If you are looking for other options to add a foraged look to a wreath, consider integrating found twigs or feathers as both will stand out within traditional or modern settings.
8. Update any original features
Spring is the optimum time for a refreshing your door furniture. If you live in a period property and your current door is the original, it’s always worth trying to preserve it for as long as possible. Repair, re-glaze and re-paint before considering replacing it. But if your door is more recent and not to your taste, there are several options – to choose from, from modern designs and bespoke joinery to reproductions and reclaimed originals.
9. Introduce symmetrical elements
Spring is the perfect time to introduce a symmetrical pair of evergreen planters to your spring décor ideas, as demonstrated in this space by Margaret Ash Design (opens in new tab). Clipped evergreens are perfect for creating a punctuation point in your planting scheme, for introducing low shapes to edge paths and to add definition to containers. Choose lollipop bay trees, smart box balls and pompom conifers to add strong shapes that help to define spaces. Topiary is also low-maintenance and looks good all year round. ‘I use topiary and evergreen plants and hedges as the backbone to my designs,’ says garden designer Richard Miers, whose work is known for using symmetry to create a sense of balance and proportion. ‘Using sculpted evergreens is a timelessly elegant way to provide focal points, frame key views and provide interest in spring.
10. Hang a wreath for Easter
Banish those winter blues by bringing the color and fragrance of spring to your front door with the prettiest Easter wreath ideas made from flowers, sprigs and blossom. Even the simplest of wreath arrangements will instantly lighten the mood and add a welcome vibrancy to your home in time for Easter. Have fun playing about with scale and color but keep the overall effect simple and allow the natural beauty of the flowers to shine through.
How do you decorate a spring front door?
The easiest way to decorate your door for spring is with a wreath. Banish those winter blues once and for all by bringing the seasonal color and fragrance of spring to your front with the prettiest Easter wreaths made from flowers, sprigs and blossom. Even the simplest of spring wreath arrangements will add a welcome vibrancy to your home in time for this abundant season.
What can I put on a front door instead of a wreath?
There are many options, other than a wreath, for decorating a front door. Clever lighting will accent even the simplest planting schemes; drawing the eye to the prettier aspects of your façade. In place of glaring floodlights, designers now layer conventional sources like lanterns with discrete downlights or tiny concealed step lights for a soft glow. Another option is to rethink your ironmongery and front door color scheme. A cohesive color idea and flourish of bold ironmongery and you have all the ingredients of a front door that is not simply practical but personal for each season. As interior designer Harriet Anstruther concludes: ‘Your door can be so revealing; it’s the threshold to your castle symbolizing whether you want your home to a retreat, or a talking point.’
