I live in an older area of Seattle, Capitol Hill, and love my walks in the neighborhoods. Melding my Midwestern roots and interior design background, I notice all the homes with a front porch. In Seattle you see lots of bungalows and Craftsman style homes often painted distinctively. I think a front porch invites ‘neighborliness’. Growing up I fondly recall lots of relaxing evenings and story telling on a porch. Given our disconnected and stressful lives, I am not surprised that porches are making a comeback.

The front porch trend coincides with a shift to a more casual lifestyle. The porch beckons to our need to connect and share community. And the front porch is an icon for that reason. Today new developments are taking advantage of our desire to interact and designing ‘new urbanism’ developments. These developments encourage walking and discourage cars and foster a sense of belonging.

Curiously, the front porch ebbed in popularity as ranch homes became the rage after GI’s returned from WW II. These homes were very simple and a porch was inappropriate. The NEW thing was the car not walking.

Saving the porch is the portrayal of the porch in movies and TV as a symbol of home. Viewers of this media yearn for that image of home. Starting in the mid-90′s the porch revived its place in home design. Today, porches are a detail desired to add that connection to our lives.

Do you have a porch? What’s your favorite memory?