Charming home!

I am not sure what to suggest, outside your request. How about some bird feeders? You don't have to put bird seed in them (to avoid a messy porch). You can find some interesting varieties both at the stores and online.

Colorful non-working lanterns?

Michaels has some nice faux greenery that you could put in hanging baskets. Get something really dark green. I have had some plants (spider grass) for a couple of years, and they still look new.

How about hanging outdoor metal lanterns?

Or -- how about a bamboo curtain or curtains for a bit of privacy -- if needed or required LOL! ((just teasing!!))

I do love the look of those faux ferns too! ((and NO upkeep!))

Here is a link that might be useful: Target -- hanging lanterns

Stained glass window? Or faux-stained glass? Mobile? Pull-down shades? Real or faux wrought iron panel. Or get some carpenter gothic fan-shaped trim pieces, tack them together to form a circle or other shape and hang.

I took a fairly straight branch and suspended it on chains from existing hooks on my porch. I live in Minnesota and didn't want to do live plants because this view is something I see all year long. I used a few craft sale birdhouses and a couple precious ones that my grandpa made also. I am posting a picture so you can see it.

Another idea: In Bandera, Texas I saw multiple worn cowboy boots suspended (by hooks?) at a cowboy bar a block off the main street. Simply adorable! Wish I had a picture of that one, I believe they were staggered for height.

I have nothing to add to what has already been suggested, but wanted to say that I LOVE your house!

I love your house, too!

How about a copper wind spinner?

And btw, thanks for offering to look at my floor plans. I think if I suggest one more door change or wall bump to the builder, I'll get fired! ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: copper!

We have one of these wood spinners out on the back patio .......

Here is a link that might be useful: wood wind spinners

You could get an adorable bird house on one end and a bird feeder on the other end.
How about just one hanging plant on the far left side?
I wouldn't hang too much stuff only because it's a front porch.

Joann

We have 2 different "candoliers" from Illuminations. They hold tea lights and are gorgeous at night...like fireflies. In the day the shpaes of iron are attractive and the glass glistens. Here is a link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Illuminations

My first thought was a tall bird feeder from Christmas Tree Shop... Your home is charming and I love the color!

Gingerbread!

Could you maintain a box hanging over the front of the porch wall? I could see some gorgeous flowers in that, minimal care, and you wouldn't have to reach up to water them...

Fly, don't go there! ;-) Ya know how Mari is about plants!

Johnmari, since you are on a tight budget I've got an idea that will brighten up your front porch. Though I must add it's such a pretty home it really doesn't need anything.

Supplies you'll need.
1. Glass jars, if you don't have any ask friends to save them for you. anything from baby food to mayonaise jars work. Not sure what comes in glass anymore.
2. Some sturdy wire. Old hangers work great for this.
3. Wire cutters.
4. Sand (dirt will do in a pinch).
5. Votive or candles that will work best with the size of jars you are using.

Twist enough wire go around the jar below it's ridge, twisting it together at the end leaving enough to loop to other side and attach to the collar you just made around jar. You can get as fancy here as you like. Cut off and bend over ends.
Fill the jar about a third of the way up with sand or dirt. Make a hole with your fingers or stick in taller jars and then press a candle snuggly into sand or dirt. Hang on hook.
Make sure you make them long enough to be easily removed for lighting and then hanging back up. If you use citrenella candles you'll not only have a soft romantic light at night, but you'll keep the bugs away.

If you don't want to make your own, check out the "dollar stores" or Family Dollar or Dollar General for inexpensive hanging candle holders. They often have them in many colors.

Good Luck finding what you like.

Your house would look incredible with some fan buntings between the porch posts. You'd probably need to hang different hooks to fit them, but they'd be so cute on your house!

We got a bunch of them for our house - I was using some cheapies I got at Michael's but they faded and got really ratty, so last year I ordered some from someplace online. I'll look around to see if I can find the place, but here's a link to a different place to show you what I mean. I'd do them all the way around your porch - front and sides. I leave mine up pretty much all spring and summer and into the fall (take them down when I'm putting up the cornstalks and pumpkins).

Here is a link that might be useful: Pleated fan buntings

I found the website where I got mine - they were pretty sizable and very cheap (and better quality than the Michael's ones!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Flag store

neesie - Your birdhouses are adorable! :)

Oh, no, I didn't--sorry, amy...

mari, what is it with you and plants, if I may ask? Is it an "unsettled" relationship?

Off to plant some new veg. babies for as long as my back will let me bend over...then I direct DD to do the rest :)

side note re a hanging stained glass panel: with my recent experience with freak wind damage, I worry about wind coming and blowing it off its hooks. Make sure anything you hang won't cause damage if it gets blown off.

ferns?

oops I just read it couldn't be plants! Around this town, people put beautiful chandeliers with tea lights sometimes and the porch is treated like a room of its own with table, chairs, lamp...

Mari, I saw this pic last night while wandering around and thought of your wanting a purple house someday but not being able to paint your new one. I can so picture it -- more subtle than this one -- maybe an eggplant or just some purple in the gray, or something like Wet Concrete! Looks like you've already painted the porch floor, but fun to think about : )

{{gwi:1699268}}

A plaque with your house numbers on it?

Honestly... I would not put anything on the porch. Birdfeeders will make an awful mess that won't be appealing to buyers. Other than real ferns, I think that anything else you hang is going to look busy.

kswl--johnmari is not selling--I think the first pic is from when she bought last year.

I'll be a voice of dissent and say that I like it the way it is if you can't do plants--but I am a minimalist who likes the architecture to speak for itself.

Do you have porch furniture?? A couple of big ol' comfy chairs would look wonderful

How about some patriotism....I think an American flag on the corner column would make you want to grab a slice of apple pie and sit on that porch!

I like those metal lanterns and/or round glass candlehholders that are always available at the tjmaxxs and homegoods.
Several glass onion globes hung at different levels would be pretty.

But I have to admit, plants would look best. A window box off the railing would be easy to water.

how about a big fanback wicker chair and large house numbers or a decorative wreath next to the door.

I'd put one good size lantern hanging off the left wall. Not hanging from the top. And as suggested, a couple of chairs or a bench with colorful cushions. Love the house....and would love to have that porch.

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP's question. The following is what she specifically asked for.

QUOTE: "ALL I want to (can) do at this time is hang something on the preexisting hooks between the front porch columns; especially the front three (left and right of front door and next to stairs) but just the front would be an acceptable minimum. "

Our suggestion of bird houses was for decorative purposes, only. No seed, and she could also close up to openings to prevent unwanted inhabitants. :)

I also like the idea of the lanterns. I would not hang ANYTHING glass.

Sounds pretty on track to me. Lots of good simple suggestions.

As for my purple-floor post, I didn't have any suggestions for the hooks. The porch floor was only an aside and fun thought for the future maybe, if it was appealing to her. When she was buying, we were talking about how much some of us would love to have a 'purple' house someday.

There are many great suggestions here; but I most like the suggestion of the faux ferns. It would be fairly inexpensive, esp. if you use some 40% off coupons at Michaels. I also like the suggestion of hanging planter boxes off of the porch, though guess you prefer something low maintenance.

I just love your covered porch, Mari, and think some old thrift store type chairs and distresed table would look great.

Mari,

Just wanted to say I love your new house! There are some great suggestions above for you.

I don't know what to put on the porch that others haven't already mentioned but I just wanted to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the purple stairs that squirrelheaven posted. It adds something that plants or decorating widgets never could, oozes personality with very little maintenance and is a clean, uncluttered look...which I'm REALLY getting into -- less to dust. Even better, nobody can steal it :-)

Joanna

What a nice house! I think some faux ferns would look really nice and I also like the idea of metal lanterns. I don't think you need a lot, because it's such a nice looking home!

WOW, what a response! Thank you all for the input and for the compliments on the house. She is a cute little thing even with the remuddles and the *cringe* vinyl siding and windows, I just think the plain cream and white is a little bland and could use a wee bit of perking-up. That porch is one of the things that drew us to the house though.

Fern(s) it shall be! I wasn't sure if conventional faux plants would hold up to the sun and rain but it sounds like they will do OK. Home Depot had some inexpensive ones (like $19.99) last year so I will check there and I'll start with one in front.

Everyone's very happy with the wind chimes now that they've been moved to the side. It's amazing what ten feet and some shrubbery (very overgrown OLD lilacs which are being butchered for "rejuvenation" this fall, but the arborist says that's the only way to salvage them) does to mellow the volume! They're also deep-toned ones rather than the high-pitched plinky-plink kind. They were only $10 at Walmart last year.

A carved plaque reading "merry meet" has been ordered to go over the mailbox, but it won't be very visible from further away than the porch itself as it's only about half the width of the mailbox. I had a wreath over it but it blew off. :-p

teacats, that's what the BACK porch is for! *wink wink nudge nudge* *snicker*

amysrq, your response to flyleft was the best laugh I've had all day. :-)

bungalow_house, gingerbread is most definitely on the "someday" list! I love these simple square brackets, with a similar gable trim. We know the house was very plain to begin with so we want to keep the tarting-up relatively low-key as well.

SH, love those purple stairs! The porch floor (ye olde battleship gray, the norm for this style house here) actually hasn't been painted lately, it needs to be torn up and replaced as it's pretty rotten in many areas. Ditto for both sets of steps. We may be completely un-period and use a composite product because it accumulates snow and ice something fierce in the winter. Next year, we hope. I do dream about a house in shades of purple though. There's a real charmer of a Queen Anne in my town all done up in shades of lavender:

flyleft, I can't carry the water to keep plants alive right now. I'm not walking much without a cane and my hands aren't working too well (but I am the fastest two-finger typist I know!) so even drought-tolerant plants are pretty much out... I think if I ask DH to do one more thing he may do me an injury. :-) In general though I loathe grubbing around in the dirt, I know some people find it enjoyable but I consider it miserable drudgery. Blame my parents, who dragged me out for endless roasting, sunburnt hours weeding their enormous vegetable gardens. Blech. :-) We will do some landscaping stuff on the front but not this year as I will need to have a hosebib installed so we can do a drip-irrigation thingy like we did in the previous house.

namabafo is correct, I am not selling the house - the first picture is from when we bought it to show how it looks with some actual greenstuffs around it. I should have captioned that. :-) The porch is smaller than it looks so it can only really support one chair (I LOVE this classic Bar Harbor style one but OMG the price, I would just die if someone swiped it so I'd have to chain it down!) in the front corner, which is on the shopping list for when I have some spare cash. Might be next summer instead of this one. If it were deeper we'd hang a porch swing!

I'm in love with these copper house numbers but at well over $50 for two... woof.

OH, and just to crow and brag - we finally cleared the last room of boxes this weekend! It only took us 7 1/2 months! LOL We now have a guest room. Thankfully we already have pretty much everything for it, recycled from the old house. so that's one room that won't cost me much money.

Nothing helpful to add except to join the chorus in saying, "I LOVE your house!"

johnmari: Another fan here who loves your house! So charming. I vote for a door wreath -a good size- and some nice new house numbers. I hear you when you speak of things blowing off, blowing around in the wind --- lanterns, hanging plants...yikes.

D.

Johnmari
I am really out of the loop. I didn't know you moved.
You do have a very cute house. I know you don't want plants, but there is a way if you did, and not much maintenance. You could still hang your baskets on the hooks. You bury a piece of string or candle wicking and let it hang down into a pail of water that sits on the floor.(Out of sight).You could add an eyedropper or two of liquid fertilizer and as long as the pale had water you would be good to go. This would be a self watering planter and you could still enjoy colours. Purple lavendar maybe? That is if you like the scent. Anyway just a thought.
Sorry to hear your health isn't up to snuff. I hope you feel better. Take care.
Linda

I bought some really nice faux ferns in hanging wicker baskets at Walmart for around $19.00. They are pretty good size also. I too love your house. .it has a wonderful curbside charm and appeal to it. Debbie

Thanks everyone!

douglasont, the copper house numbers I posted above are on the shopping list. Pricey little stinkers though. I have a great original front door with a fabulous ornate twist doorbell, although it needs to be stripped of about 19 layers of gummy paint... we put a Yule wreath on it and promptly took it down! :-) I plan to repaint it an intense plum color, something like BM Autumn Purple. This photo was taken last summer. Ignore the horrid plastic light fixtures, the PO did that - I really like Rejuvenation's Marshall fixture to replace it since that stylized flower is repeated in the antique doorknobs. Maybe next year!

Debbie, thanks for the tip! I go to Wallyworld a lot more often than I get to HD so that's super convenient.