Spruce Up Your Front Porch Decorations for Fall

The crisp air of autumn brings endless opportunities for festive door décor. Welcome guests with the colors of the season, and show off your eye for design with these unique decorating ideas for your front porch.

Spruce up your front door with a seasonal wreath. Start with a simple grapevine wreath — you can use spray paint to make it match your décor or leave it natural. Use leaves, dried flowers and miniature gourds to layer on color and personality. Finish it off with a large burlap bow.

Flower Power

Mums are a seasonal favorite. Put red, yellow or vibrant orange mums in festive containers — such as tin planters or glazed terracotta pots — leading up your porch steps. Or, get long-necked gourds to hang from your porch railing, and carve out a small hole in the base of the gourd to fill with mums or other seasonal flowers.

Now is also the time to replace your doormat. Look for a mat with bright red poppies or yellow sunflowers to add a pop of color just outside your front door — and remind guests to wipe their feet before heading inside.

Pumpkins on Your Porch

Nothing screams fall like pumpkins on your porch, but they can be more than grinning jack-o-lanterns. Stencil pumpkins with your family monogram or your house number. Fill wooden apple baskets with small gourds — just put balled up newspaper on the bottom of the basket to cut down on the amount of gourds you’ll need.

And don’t forget to explore your local garden store. Hybrid varieties of pumpkins are aplenty, and try looking for white or green pumpkins in addition to the standard orange.

Amp up Your Accessories

Autumn is also a good time to reevaluate your porch furniture. Swap out your outdoor rug for something that incorporates the colors of the season. Or replace chair cushions and the pillows on your porch swing with ones in shades of orange, red and yellow for an instant autumn update.

Seasonal touches of mini hay bales and corn stalks will make your space the perfect place to enjoy a hot mug of cider and hand out candy to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

Photo: Christopher Lane Photography