10 Friendly Front-Yard Seating Ideas
These gathering spots bring the party to the front of the house. Chat with neighbors and watch the world go by
By default, the backyard is usually where people hang out. After all, it’s where we generally put in decks and patios and place furniture, barbecues, fire pits and the rest. What if we were to move at least one of these gathering places into the front yard? Whether you have room to extend your porch to accommodate a seating area or turn over part of your front lawn to a patio, moving outdoor living to the front yard can become a great way to connect with neighbors and foster community.
For inspiration, take a look at these welcoming homes from coast to coast that offer ideas for bringing outdoor living front and center.
For inspiration, take a look at these welcoming homes from coast to coast that offer ideas for bringing outdoor living front and center.
1. Atlanta. Adirondack chairs pulled around a communal outdoor hearth create a welcoming entrance to this cottage and make good use of space in a small lot. If you look closely, you’ll see that the architect cleverly added additional concrete pads — just enough for the chairs and fireplace — on either side of the main walkway, rather than pouring a separate concrete patio that would have used up valuable garden real estate.

2. Hinsdale, Illinois. Porches are ideal perches for having a chat with neighbors and watching the world go by. Ones that are 6 to 8 feet deep (1.8 to 2.4 meters) are ideal for having more options for seating, while shallower porches, those that are 4 feet deep (1.2 meters), can comfortably accommodate smaller-scale furniture.
This modern farmhouse-style home west of Chicago makes use of a relatively shallow porch to support a pair of small white chairs, chosen to match the home’s trim.
How to get the right porch size
This modern farmhouse-style home west of Chicago makes use of a relatively shallow porch to support a pair of small white chairs, chosen to match the home’s trim.
How to get the right porch size
3. San Clemente, California. Landscape designer Sacha McCrae of Living Gardens Landscape Design set up the front yard of her Southern California beachside home to be an inviting spot to relax with guests and admire the view of the ocean. “The front is where friends and neighbors gather. The back of the house is a more intimate family space,” she says. The front yard includes two seating areas: one centered around a fire pit and one on a slightly elevated deck, both surrounded by lush, low-water plantings.
4. Austin, Texas. A large circle of chairs pulled up around an outdoor fire pit hints that the residents of this Austin house are always ready to host friends or neighbors for a good time. Twinkling string lights overhead add even more evening ambiance to the gathering space.
5. New Rochelle, New York. Adding a satellite patio and seating area in the front yard is a great way to convert a lawn into a more social spot. The designer of this Northeastern garden used a circular gravel patio edged with granite to provide bonus seating adjacent to the small entry porch.
The flagstone path cutting across the gravel patio mimics the one cutting across the lawn and helps the seating area tie in with the front yard as a whole.
In areas where landscape water use is limited, trading a portion of the lawn for a gravel patio can help cut back on overall water use.
How to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden
In areas where landscape water use is limited, trading a portion of the lawn for a gravel patio can help cut back on overall water use.
How to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden
6. Ashland, Oregon. Urban homes and those with tight front yards may not have room for a satellite patio, porch or roomy seating area, but most have room to tuck in a bench. For this home in Ashland’s Railroad District, there are only a few feet between the sidewalk and the entry, yet the addition of a snug bench and a wooden arbor to define the space makes it feel cozy and inviting.
Browse wood garden benches
Browse wood garden benches
7. Newport Beach, California. Every inch counts in the small front yard outside this contemporary beach home. The design maximizes outdoor living with a pair of fireside chairs turned to face out toward the sidewalk.
Dropping the exterior wall height keeps the seating area feeling open and friendly while still maintaining a bit of privacy. When flames are set on low, the fire feature’s wide rim can double as a spot to rest drinks or a bowl of chips, eliminating the need for an extra side table.
Work with a landscape designer in your area
Work with a landscape designer in your area
8. Denver. When homeowners Lucy and Todd Stribley purchased a bungalow in the Washington Park neighborhood in Denver, the porch was a huge selling point. Later, the porch became a great way for the couple and their children to meet neighbors. “I love the sense of community it creates,” Lucy says. To make the porch feel more like their own, the Stribleys worked with a designer to update paint colors and add bright, inviting furnishings and an outdoor rug.
9. Minneapolis. In real estate and in landscape design, location is everything. If your front yard has the best view, place your main outdoor living area in front of the house. This home sits just across a green space from the banks of Lake Harriet, a lake and recreation area in southwest Minneapolis. A patio roomy enough for an outdoor dining table and pair of rocking chairs allows the owners to sit out and enjoy the view, while evergreen plantings help provide a bit of privacy from nearby bike paths.
See similar outdoor dining furniture
See similar outdoor dining furniture
10. Vaughan, Ontario. If your front yard doesn’t have walls, fences or mature plantings for privacy, it’s natural to feel a little on display for the neighborhood if you’re sitting outside. Adding a pergola to cover a front yard seating area and surrounding it with a mix of shrubs and small-scale trees can help an area feel private but still friendly. This xeriscape front yard in a suburb in Ontario features a flagstone patio enclosed by a handsome wooden pergola and dynamic, low-water plantings.
Houzz readers: Do you have a front yard seating area? Show us in the Comments below.
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