Spanish Porch Styles

Spanish Colonial "Portal"

• A Spanish colonial porch, also called a portal, faces the street or a courtyard patio. It typically has a long narrow shape. The porch, like the rest of the home, usually has adobe walls, a flat roof and long vigas, or rafters, cover the porch; the vigas stick out of the exterior walls. Wooden beams and posts support the porch, sometimes elaborately carved. A number of exterior doors line the porch or around the patio, and iron grill work covers the windows.

Spanish Revival and Mixed Styles

• Most Spanish revival homes had porches only on an interior or rear courtyard, not a front porch. Bungalows sometimes had a small front porch next to the front door, usually enclosed. Spanish porches in the Southwest also meld with other porch styles. A porch may have a wide front porch spanning the house width, typically in Craftsman home design, but iron grill work, carved wooden corbels or adobe rails replace the typical wooden railing.

Balcony Porches

• Spanish style balconies sometimes take the place of a porch. Balconies may be open or roofed, one or two stories. Iron or wooden railings typically adorn them, and arch-shaped doors and windows often accompany them. The iconic Spanish grill work covers the windows. Like the porches, balconies usually have carved wooden beams and posts.

Contemporary Styles

• Spanish porch styles may change depending on the decor and furniture the owner places on them. Stained glass and dark carved wood furniture evoke a colorful and traditional Spanish style while Native American pottery, rugs and wall hangings, cactus and desert succulents bring out a Southwest style. House owners may also paint the porch to reflect a classic or contemporary feel. Smooth adobe in whites, creams or bold jewel tones give a classical Spanish and eclectic Mexican touch while coarse adobe painted a mauve, terracotta or sienna color looks more contemporary and Santa Fe style.