I have realized it is more about the depth of the porch than the size.  At some point architects and designers decided to make the front porch more of a decoration to the facade than for any real purpose. They made porches shallow in depth which make it difficult to sit reclined, and new codes required railings that block the view. Of course it was the introduction of air conditioning that really killed the front porch. No longer did people gather and cool off in the evening.

 

To celebrate our front porch we gave it a good spic and span cleaning and hung some decorations. The porch had already been redone at some point in recent history so there was not any real work to be done on it. In fact, it is now that cozy outside room that you can sit in during all sorts of weather and just relax, leaving behind the to-do list for a moment to recharge your batteries. We enjoyed the thunderstorms from Friday by candlelight, sitting on the front porch not getting the least bit wet.

 

Check out this interesting article about the origins of the front porch.