Enclose most of the porch and make it your entry with your new front door "indented" into the new entry -- creating a stoop at least 4' deep and at least 6' wide -- and do face your front door toward the road.

Save the rails for your new patio.

I think you could paint the walls a pretty colour. It doesn't have tp be repeated anywhere else on the house, but if you could use some planters in the same colour and maybe paint a back door with the same paint it would look cute, maybe add the colour to the borders with annuals. Terra cotta, mustard, olive, teal, turquoise, and plum would all be pretty with your brick.

Shop second hand stores for patio furniture. A scrub brush and some spray paint work wonders. Or any porch is enhanced with wooden rocking chairs! You could add two pretty chairs and a coffee table to create a nice place to sit and watch the world go by :)

A doormat the incorporates the wall colour you chose would be nice. It doesn't need to be huge or attempt to cover the entire room, just as wide as the door frame and about twice as long as that.

Paint the door a fun color if you can, and get some plants to flank the door. You should utilize the off-centered nature of the door and have a whole seating area to the left with it's own rug and furniture - add a coffee table, some comfy outdoor chairs and some plants. String up some lights if you want to make it look inviting at night, too, either overhead or from the handrail up to the ceiling to create a wall of light at night. You could hang some curtains from the ceiling if you want to add privacy with your neighbors nearby - we purchased plastic rods from Ikea and drilled them into the ceiling, so it's a budget option. You could even go for a more statement-y overhead light or a fan (depending on your climate of course). In the south a lot of porch ceilings are painted blue, too, it really makes them look polished and bright. If you want to save money you could also buy a stencil and paint on a 'rug'. And if you can (no small children, for instance) I would ditch the storm door and let your seasonal wreaths (and colorful front door!) really stand out.

@suzebell--I have thought many times about closing in the front porch to create a proper entryway and have a coat closet/drop zone/etc inside. We don't "need" the outdoor space in front since we have a lovely screened porch in the back of the house. It just seems way out of reach $$-wise to close it in right now. I have no idea how much something like that costs, but thinking of adding flooring, drywall, and heat/AC seems like a lot.

@lindsey--thanks for the ideas! I think the color suggestions are particularly brilliant. Do you happen to know where to find such a large entry mat?

@ Darcy--Hi! Thanks for your ideas. I hadn't thought of using the off-centeredness to our advantage. Great idea, thanks

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with the actual walls so they're not so blank? We certainly need to wash and paint that space, but other than throwing color up on the wall, what else could I add?

Any outdoor rug will do, depending on the colour you choose and what kind of vibe you want. Here are a couple ideas :)

Kaleen Handmade Brisa Collection Rug, 3'x5' · More Info

Safavieh Four Seasons Frs427D Black, Multi Area Rug, 4'x6' · More Info

Veranda Indoor/Outdoor, Hand-Hooked, UV Protected Rug, Lime, 3'9"x5'9" · More Info

For the blank wall, what about two candle lanterns hung on brackets like sconces? You can use battery powered candles. The remote control ones are very convenient. Split the length of the wall in 1/4s and hang one lantern at the 1/4 line and one at the 3/4 line. You could hang one on each side of the door, too! On the long wall between them you could hang a welcome sign or an old window. Or a wreath. They don't need to be only for Christmas! I can see this one from late summer through to the winter holidays. Then change to an evergreen one until spring...

Holiday Wreaths · More Info

and then for spring and summer, something brighter:

Spring Summer Wreaths for Front Door Decorating · More Info

You could use a patio sofa against the wall instead of two chairs and put a sofa table behind it. On the sofa table you could place a tall vase and fill it with seasonally appropriate flowers or branches instead of using a wreath.

I know what might work on the large wall, what about using some tall patio plants in pretty planters or galvanized tubs to fill in the space- for the wall a succulent hanging piece to add some greenery. You could also add a large wrought iron decorative piece or a set of three to fill in the large space. Also, definitely add a pop of color to the front door, and thrift some interesting pieces for a sitting area out there. Oh and a super cheap way to update is to paint the concrete, I used granite grip on our front porch and it looks so nice now, best of all it is so easy to do! Good luck, I think you have an awesome space with a ton of potential!

Can we see the whole house from the front? Enclosing it is a nice idea, but it needs to be in keeping with the style of house, and often ruins the exterior. Resist the urge to do too much "decorating" as this can get kitschy and busy fast. I wouldn't hang anything on the walls. Big plants would be nice, and you have room for one of those awesome sofa swings. A bigger light or ceiling fan a must. After seeing the rest of the facade I may have ideas for new railings. I like the idea of large planters

Yay, I knew my Houzz folks would come to the rescue! Such awesome ideas, everyone, thank you so much! Painting the concrete is a great idea and so is a larger light fixture/ceiling fan, and I do like the idea of the sconces hung evenly--will add more light as well as interest and some charm. Great ideas! @Greenfish1234, here's a photo of the front and you will totally see what I mean about the house "facing" the wrong way. (It actually faced a lovely large open field for its entire life until someone sold the lot next door a few years ago and built on it--of course, this is what happens!) The front door faces the former-lot-newish-neighbors and the side with the bay window faces the street.

What a cute house. Eventually you could certainly plan a mudroom and front entry. Jut try to keep it sleek like your house. Nothing worse than when a little house like this gets tricked out with Grecian pillars and a Victorian door!! For now the door looks fine facing that way. I missy want to make it look more like a porch with some different railings but NOT farmhouse looking. I'll do some research and see if I can find a good look

Also, if you paint the concrete, you need to paint the whole foundation. Seems a bit much. Plus you will want it a neutral concrete color, I don't think you will get a big improvement for the work, toxicity, and upkeep. A big outdoor rug will do the trick.

I can see very plain medium thickness posts, like this? I wonder if you need railings? Also I like your house without shutters :)

Since you made a point of saying your front door is facing your neighbor's home rather than the road, it clearly bothers you.

Your porch appears to be about 12'x12' and there appears to be about 2' to the right of the door. As long as there are no outlets or heat/ac equipment within about 2' of the wall that is currently left of your front door that might require a pro -- or someone willing to learn from a you tube video -- to move or remove them, this modest remodel project could be a DIY that would give you maximum effect for the money spent.

You wouldn't need to build any roof.

You'd reuse the same front door and frame.

You could use as is or paint the concrete floor of the new entry part of your living room until you could add other flooring at a later date.

You'd build a stud wall parallel to the wall with the door -- at least 4' wide but, preferably about 6' -- from the current wall with your front door and about 8' long, stopping the wall at least 4' from the right edge of your porch -- the objective being to leave that 4' part of the porch that is in front of and to the right of your front door's current location outside your addition to become your new front stoop.

You'd take out the current door and as much of the wall to the left of it as possible (stopping at electrical outlet or heat/ac equipment) to create a wide cased opening. You'd be adding an entry niche -- adding space to your current living room -- an amount of space small enough that would not need new heat/ac added.

You'd need to remove that small part the railing from the right side of the house to that first closest post -- but you could save that to reuse it as a garden trellis.

The rest of your porch on the side facing your neighbor would become a side porch accessible from the front stoop and you could leave the rest of the rails in place.

The 1' or so of the wall that might be left open beside your front stoop (opening created by the removal of the door) could be enclosed with siding or, better yet, it would be a perfect place to add a fixed "sidelight" window with the same wood finish as your door.

You'd probably want to put a coat closet in back of your new entry). You could probably find a good used window or two at a Habitat for Humanity Restore Store for the new wall (facing your neighbor) between that entry closet and the new location of your front door. Perhaps you could even center the new window under the porch light for symmetry and to help light the new entry niche.

The actual bare bones rough in cost of adding the entry niche to your current living room would be the cost of

... some 16' nails and some finishing nails,

... some industrial glue/water proofing for on the concrete beneath the floor plate of the wall;

... a couple dozen 2'x4' boards for both floor plate and top plate of your wall and the studs for the 8' wall and the wall (at least 4') in which you'll be placing your front door with double posts at the corner and on each end of the wall and at each 4' point for nailing the outside edges of the 4'x8' plywood paneling sheets;

... the exterior 4'x8 siding panels;

... the interior 4'x8' plywood wall panels;

There would be finishing costs, of course -- how much would depend upon on your choices -- but the basic bones of the remodel could be done as DIY and on a fairly tight budget -- at least as remodels usually go.

One caution about painting the concrete: anything painted will, inevitably, need repainting -- something outside with a lot of foot traffic that people actually walk on will need repainting even more quickly -- and it can begin to look awful as it gets that way. Really wish I'd used that redwood stain for my deck rather than porch paint ... lessons learned. :-(

@Suzebell, you possess a remarkable ability for conceptualization. We have both heating/AC elements and outlets on both sides of the front door, respectively, and I love my living inside the way it is so there's no way I'd want to take out that wall-- I would want to make the entry feel a bit more more separated from the living room if we enclosed the porch so that I wouldn't have a full view of the foyer from the living room (just partial). You are spot on with the idea for a coat closet and window--I had thought those same things. @Greenfish1234--we have children who love to look over the side railings to see how their tulip and daffodil bulbs are coming along at the moment and who step up on the rails to wave hello/goodbye to our guests, so the rails are the best thing about the porch at the moment! :) @BeverlyFLADeziner--lovely! And fun choices for things, thanks!

The not-centered door doesn't bother me at all. Here's what does bother me:

1. The wrought-iron railings. They look unsubstantial and outdated.

2. The cheap-looking screen/outer door. If you have to have an outer door, at least get a full-view glass one.

3. The tiny ceiling light.

4. The large expanse of concrete driveway. Would it be possible to remove some of it on the right side - where it looks like a car can drive up nearly to the porch?

I like your house. It's really cute. And you can make it look lots better for not too much money.

Where do you live? I'd suggest you stain or paint the floor and steps a dark green/black and the ceiling a sky blue I'd consider shutters on either side of the door and add a wall lantern to the left of the door. I would move the steps from the side to the front and have the rails completely across the side and leave an opening in the front at the steps to give the visual impression that the entry faces the street. On the back wall I suggest a low maintenance succulent wall. If the will not survive in your area I suggest purchasing 1 or 2 windows with divided light and replacing the glass with mirror. Hang them with or without shutters and put window boxes below them. You can change out the plants in the boxes seasonally. If it is in the budget you can form an arch on the front and the side for more architectural interest and visual weight. Oh, please paint the gutter black. Enjoy the process and make your children a part of it. It will create a great memory for them. I hope you'll post pictures of the finished porch!

@littlebug zone 5 missouri: I'm with you on all of it! Can't do anything about that patch of driveway since it is the technical end of the driveway that goes straight out towards the road. There is also a gate behind that patch of driveway that leads into the backyard. Do you have any ideas on what kind of railings would look good to replace the ones we have? (Because we DO need them and the ones we have are pretty flimsy and dated looking, I agree).

@Mint Design and Development LLC: we are in Central Virginia. I was thinking about shutters for the door yesterday since this thread is on my mind! :) Do we just place them right up against where the doorbell is or ?? (I have never actually installed shutters, not sure how it works logistically with doorbells.) I believe @Lindsey suggested earlier a window on the large wall, and I like that idea so much! Love it! The window box would be super cute as well. I also think the idea of moving steps to the actual front is a great one, but that would require ripping out the azaleas and pouring concrete or whatever to install new steps--and then what do I do with the current steps? I am good at hanging with ideas but I have no idea how difficult the implementation of some of these things are.

Oh! And I should mention these are the listing pictures that I included. We currently have two rocking chairs where the little chairs are, but they're white and provide no contrast, so I'm already planning to scrub those suckers down and paint them black.

Best way to deal with this situation, like someone suggested above, just add a few nice columns and so the door is centered and let the railing die-into-them

Great ideas here. I just wanted to show some more plant ideas, not exactly all of these or exact spots (my app has limited choices), but just a general idea. The vines are easy Clematis ones to grow up trellises.

I’d definitely do a rug as others have shown, and if you’re able, different chairs (and add a table). This is not the exact light I’d do (it was my only choice with app), but you could find one for a good price. I added a door for fun, I know it might be too expensive of a change. And as seen already, there’s lots of wall ideas: iron art, pictures, mirror, etc.

Not sure if anyone suggested this. My first thought was to move the stairs so that they face the street making the porch orient to the street instead of the driveway.

Use a more friendly railing - like white wood, and add a seating area. Add a path from the street and the driveway to the new stairs.

Different railings, and greenfish1234 with that large swing facing the road? Brilliant!! I think those two things with some taller planters or succulents in a frame on the wall, etc. like you've seen in your above pictures will do wonders for the porch. Good luck!

Greenfish and Denita posted pictures of some cool porch columns. I like them white - or if you could come up with brick that matches your house, a combination of white and brick would look great. Your railings should also be white-painted wood.

A bright rug, bright chairs and/or cushions, a pretty new hanging light, a few flowers in pots, and you’d have a lovely welcoming porch.

Littlebug I LOVE the idea of brick!!

What is the consensus on painting the walls of the porch (something like a forest green or a grey with green undertones?) Our house has a side lot with a creek and backs up to woods.

I like that idea of painting the porch a green color. Not so dark as forest, but a green that works well with a green area rug like one of the samples posted by Lindsey further upthread.

I wouldn't paint the porch walls or floor.

If you cant move the stairs, I would put a long planter or three pots with tall plants to the left of the stair to block the view of the neighbors house. a settee or the two chairs you have with bright pillows.

I love the two inspirations Denita posted above. Very sophisticate.

@tqtqbw, I like the idea of re-orienting the porch, but I have no idea how you go about moving the stairs. And then what would I do with the current steps, which are concrete? I don't know what that entails and how much $$ that costs.

The current steps can be removed, I think with a concrete saw, jackhammer or sledge hammer. New steps can be poured in place or less expensive precast concrete steps. I see precast costs around $200, but have a concrete person come out and give you a bid. It may cost less than you think for a nice look.

Do you get snow/ice in your area?

Here is an insp pic using green on the porch, but I see they used the floor to pull the right green. The view doesn't hurt either :)

Maple Cottage by the Sea · More Info

@Tqtqt---yes, we get snow and ice. We are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.

The name Blue Ridge Mountains has always held such allure for me.

Re: painting, just remember this is not a room it is your exterior. Whatever color you paint it should go on your other exterior (non brick not trim) surfaces unless you close it in and screen/wall it. Just for fun, I really love this where steps go all the way around instead of railings. My deck is like this, I love it. It would look great in brick like this, with the brick pillar as well.

Also like these, although any work like this seems like a great opportunity to face the stairs to the street as has been mentioned :

^^Forget the style of the beams but the brick pillars at base of stair with white/cream railing returning to simple white posts would be nice

What not to do: bulky pillars are all wrong for the house^^