30 Porch Railing Design Ideas

You picked out fancy new door hardware, painted your covered porch ceiling a happy haint blue, and now you can finally see the light at the end of your never-ending project tunnel. But not so fast! Your front porch design isn't complete without first selecting the perfect railing.

Not only are hand railings a crucial element for safety purposes, but porch railing also offers a prime opportunity to celebrate your home’s architecture, add some extra privacy and showcase your design chops. Wrought iron, turned-wood and white vinyl porch railing are failproof picks to pretty up a traditional front porch; minimalist metal balusters (aka pickets) or stainless steel cable rails make a seamless addition to modern or contemporary abodes. Ready to crank up your curb appeal? Keep reading to check out 30 dreamy designer porch railing ideas to recreate at home.

First up, is this gorgeous 1930s home in Beaufort, South Carolina. This home is porch-living at its finest with a lower porch to keep you shaded in the summer and an open-air upper balcony to enjoy the sun on cool days. The railing on the lower porch has a simple picket while the balcony level’s railing is a bit more fanciful. The original builders likely put the fancy railing on top because it is more visible from the street and kept the standard railing on the bottom to save money. Either way, both levels look like the perfect place to sip a cold glass of tea and stare up at the live oak trees.

This stately Southern home boasts an expansive wraparound porch complete with a distinctive, short-and-sweet handrailing. Low-profile porch railings are a winning option for wraparound and covered porches because they yield a finished look without obscuring veranda views. Pro tip: Research your local building codes to ensure your porch rail height meets all safety requirements.

Whether metal or wood, Colonial-style homes like these in Savannah, Georgia, look best with simple, straight-lined rails and pickets. Historic Colonial and Georgian-style homes were grand but not ostentatious. If you have this style of home, keep your porch railings simple yet sophisticated. The home in the center (with the flag) has been beautifully restored and maintained over the years, and has had a long, rich life as a private residence, bed and breakfast and has even had a role in a movie or two.

This striking contemporary home in the Pacific Northwest is all about clean lines from its multi-directional and multi-width siding to the low-pitched roof. The simple black railing on all three porches keeps the style going yet doesn’t overpower or block the view of the beautifully wooded landscape.