Spring is close at hand, and won’t it be great to spend more time outdoors! Trees will be leafing, grass greening and shrubs blossoming. If you have a front porch, it’s time to think about how it can be the season’s showcase. Start your planning now! Here are seven ideas to make that porch a delightful gathering place where friends and family will want to spend time.

1. A Choice of Seats

It’s great when you can offer more than one option for taking a load off. Make sure at least some of your chairs are easy to shuffle about. There’ll be times when everyone wants to look out toward the street and others when they want to face one another for food, conversation and games. In additional to your standard upright outdoor chairs, consider some of these options:

• With the gentle motion of patio swivel rockers or gliders, you can relax for hours.
• Adirondack chairs bring another flavor of comfort. They invoke the pleasant evenings of a more gracious era. Lots of lively color options too!
• If you have porch swings, everybody will want a turn.
• Benches accommodate more sitting with less floor space.
• Loveseats make room for two whether they want to get close or not.
• Don’t forget children’s chairs. Kids will want time on the swing or the bench, but include some pint-sized chairs for them to make their very own.

It’s just fine to coordinate color and style, but remember, mix and match can be fun too. And a few weatherproof footrests are a nice addition.

2. Tables That Fit Your Space

Not every front porch has room for a table everyone can gather around, but there are plenty of other choices. As with chairs it’s good to have a few small tables that can be readily moved into different arrangement for snacking or visiting.

3. Creative Color

There are so many options the hardest part might be narrowing them down. Maybe you can start with a theme. Where is your home, or where would you like to imagine it is? On the beach, in the forest, along a lake, in the mountains? At some favorite exotic vacation destination? Choose colors (and decor) that remind you of a place you love.

A natural look is great, and you can also go for bold and bright. Some suggestions:

• Start with white and contrast it with bright or patterned cushions and other accents.
• Paint your front door as an element of your color scheme.
• For an extra bold statement, if you have columns, paint them to contrast with the house.
• Material and textures work in harmony with colors. Think of wicker, rattan and metallics as part of your palette.

4. Go Big with Plants and Decor

Plan for a porch that is not only nice to hang out in but also looks good from the curb. Consider large floor pots or urns with shrubs, assorted plantings, large bouquets or even small trees. Try cushions and pillows that are large and bold in pattern and color. Use or select outdoor wall art, and mix pieces for your porch guests to enjoy and that are big enough to appreciate from the sidewalk.

5. What’s Underfoot?

If this is the year you’re ready for a bold new change, nothing distinguishes your porch quite like outdoor tiling. Here you can be bolder with patterns than might be comfortable in your kitchen or bathroom. Choose tile that includes a color matching your cushions, or pull out all the stops with a stunning black and white.

Whether you lay tile or stick with your wooden surface, a few outdoor rugs jazz things up. Use conservative rugs on your patterned tiles or daring ones on your more standard floor.

6. Multiple Light Sources

Don’t give up and go inside when it gets dark. Keep the party going with a few lights. A lot of porches have a single fixture, either overhead or on the wall, but that can lead to an uncomfortable spotlight effect. Soften things up. One way is multiple fixtures with less powerful bulbs, but there are alternatives.

Try some lanterns, either hanging or on your tables. Solar lights add a touch of interest. They come in enough variations to be decor in and of themselves. If your porch is covered, think about a ceiling fan with dimmable lights. Layer the lighting similar to what is done with indoors spaces.

7. Enhance the Surroundings

If your porch is a picture, your front yard is the frame that surrounds it. Make that porch the centerpiece of a restyled front lawn. Install railings on the steps or stain or repaint the ones you already have. Replace your straight cement sidewalk with an attractively curved path of pavers or cobblestones. Line it with flowerbeds or shrubs. Add a trellis at one end of your porch. Surround the porch with a variety of flowers and bushes for bloom and color throughout the season.

People gravitate to spaces that marry indoor comfort and outdoor invigoration. When you transform your porch into a front yard gathering room, it becomes the place everyone is drawn to.