These modish architectural adornments will blow your balusters away.
Italians love their piazzas, the French meet up for tête-à-têtes at sidewalk cafes, and Americans have their porches. First gaining headway in the U.S. in the mid-19th century, the front porch today epitomizes the American way of life—and offers a front-row seat to the rhythm of your neighborhood. Crucial to these sanctuaries—arguably as much as hanging chairs and sweet tea—are porch railings, which not only hem in your space but also reflect the vibe of your outdoor decor. From classically inclined baluster railings that resemble a country-style house to minimalist glass barriers that suit a more modern exterior, a railing can be that finishing touch that sets the tone for your house’s entire exterior. Home Innovative New Door
Don’t know what to choose? Go minimal. “With thousands of railing design possibilities, homeowners and designers are leaning toward clean lines when choosing a railing for their porch these days,” says Ontario-based Art Metal Workshop’s Iryna Mediana, who says their customers are favoring modern, sleek, clean, thin, and geometric railing styles. “The less metal or wood, the better,” she adds, noting that a glass railing can make any traditional or modern house facade stand out.
Whatever your style, we’ve turned to the projects of our favorite designers for 15 porch railing ideas that are the picture of architectural flair.
A wrought-iron railing brings a minimalist look to this jewel of 20th-century Mexican modernism, Mark Grattan’s home in Mexico City. The railing, which is original to the Luis Barragán–designed building, provides a clean, no-frills aesthetic that juxtaposes the red brick flooring. It’s the ultimate escape from adulting.
The second-floor sitting room in this festive Cartagena, Colombia, vacation home is a lesson in indoor-outdoor living. “The house is very fluid,” says Chiqui de Echavarría. “I didn’t want walls. I wanted it to be mostly open air.” Mission accomplished. This baluster railing allows the spotlight to remain on the lush garden just beyond. While the railing design lies on the subtler end of the spectrum, its slight ornamentation gives it the feel of something extra.
To bring your porch to new heights—literally—take a cue from Bill Brockschmidt and Richard Dragisic’s terrace that overlooks Modica’s Cartellone district in Sicily. While the simple wrought-iron scheme might fall into the category of ubiquity, the surrounding foliage and floor tiles create a tranquil and stylish vibe that is anything but mundane.
While a regular square railing can feel very industrial, the flat bar railing design on this Craftsman-style house in Ontario offers a light, slim look. “Vertical bars appear to be different sizes as you look at them at different angles (wide one side and thin other side),” says Art Metal Workshop’s Iryna Mediana. “Thus this style adds some interest to your railing and porch. The design suits both modern and traditional porches, so we can confidently say it’s universal.”
The porch is the only place where it’s perfectly acceptable to wave at strangers, and this bright white, low wood railing is a classic example of one that exudes warmth and charm. Set against a ceiling painted in Benjamin Moore’s Glacier Blue and a floor painted in California Paints’ Bauhaus, this Connecticut country home is the ultimate summer escape.
The wrought-iron railing steals the show on this London townhouse, with Art Deco–esque details that bring sharp definition to the exterior and tie the old-meets-new design together. And for every concerned mother out there—here’s proof that a tall railing needn’t sacrifice looks or the view. Praise be.
The front porch of this historic New York house is classic American style in all its glory, with a pair of parallel railings that add flair to the exterior of the house without taking away too much space or attention from the front entrance.
This unabashedly classical Federal-style farmhouse in upstate New York features a charming white picket fence that is echoed in the design of the porch railings, accentuating the front-facing railings that guard the door beside two towering locust trees.
Wood railings offer a rustic, warm aesthetic that, in the case of this back porch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Crockett Cove, blends into its surrounding forest backdrop seamlessly. Paired with a custom fir table by Brad Rice, this Maine vacation home has everything one would need to get some serious rest and relaxation.
This cast-iron balcony leading up the steps of Michelle R. Smith’s 1865 Big Easy home in New Orleans’s Garden District, has Southern charm in spades. The pattern, tangled with flower and leaf motifs, frames the space with fluid elegance.
These slender cacao-colored railings just outside of Elad Yifrach’s apartment in Lisbon’s Principe Real neighborhood transport you to a bygone era of opulence and grandeur, especially when paired with a massive arched entry of volcanic stone, inset with an iron-studded wood door that was used by an aristocratic family for 140 years. Hot tip: If your porch moment is precious about square footage, a railing can be installed against the wall for added interest and satisfying symmetry.
Studio Shamshiri’s revamped beach house in Pacific Palisades, California, is a lesson in the versatility of wrought-iron railing. On the pool deck, a minimalist railing acts as a congruous border to this backyard retreat. Topped off with wood for a warm touch that echoes the deck material, this is midcentury style at its finest.
When your sunlit pied-à-terre overlooks the beach, less is more with regard to railing considerations. This angled glass option is a serene, modern flourish that befits the interior’s pop sensibilities. “My process is somewhat musical,” Shelton Mindel’s Lee F. Mindel told ELLE DECOR. “I start with what is around me, take in all the influences, and listen to what drew the client to the place. It winds up all making sense.”
The previous occupants of this Manhattan penthouse, with the blessing of the landmarks commission, painted some of the shiny metal surfaces white and installed unobtrusive glass panels to make the mezzanines seem less treacherous. The result is a chic, modern balcony railing that exudes minimalist and relaxed whimsy.
With a view of one of the official seven world wonders, architect duo Alvisi Kirimoto had to think big when overhauling a top-floor apartment porch in Rome, reworking the layout with a white wrought-iron belly baluster that frames the wanderlust-inducing view without competing with it.
Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. She has previously written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Citywire.
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