Simple Ideas for Decorating Your Front Porch for Fall

With these six tips, you'll be decorating your own fall porch like a pro this season.

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FALL   |   Published September 2, 2020

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With the fall season upon us, I've decided to start the decorating tours right at the front door of MacTavish House.  While there is still much more to do out here on the porch in terms of the home's renovations, adding fresh flowers, a pop of color, and quite frankly just giving this space a little love has dramatically increased the looks of things back here.

There are a few things I did specifically to make it feel like fall without going overboard.  I am all about simplicity this year, while at the same time working to fill each space with things I love.


The good news for you is the things I did out here on the front porch are just simple tips that you can apply to your own home! I don't know about you, but I love when someone can spell things out for me and let me pick and choose little nuggets of wisdom to try out for myself.

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TIPS FOR DECORATING YOUR FRONT PORCH FOR FALL

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PICK A "LOOK"

While true throughout your home, having a particular color palette or theme for your outdoor space will make things come together easily and look more cohesive when done.  

My goal for the year was to focus on shades of green, purple, and white out here with accents of black from my garden pots, metal lantern, and outdoor rug.

And remember, the color and finish of your siding, door, and furnishings also have an impact on the look you're attempting to create. It's great to have a vision, but you also have to work with what you've got.

START WITH THE DOOR

A simple grapevine wreath adorned with dried oak leaves was where I started first when decorating the porch.  There are many wreath options available on the market for everyone's tastes and style.

And if a wreath isn't your thing, a garland hung around the door is equally as beautiful.

GO BIG

The plan when making a quick trip to Lowes to pick up mums was that I wanted a few smaller pots of light purple and the darker magenta color to accent some other things that I had already bought to fill a very large clay pot on the porch.


Unfortunately when I got to the store I found lots of mums for sale, none of which had any open flowers.


So my original idea wasn't going to work, but Lowes did have large planters filled with multiple mums and a pretty purple grass.  A lot more expensive that the original plan, but I really do love the statement that the combination makes (even if it did mean that all the plans I had made wouldn't work now).


You can try this idea on your own or buy a premade version as I did to make that powerful statement in a planter.

ADD AN ACCENT FLOWER

The original plan I mentioned involved mixing faux and real plants for an extended pop of color through the season.  I had purchased purple cabbage and faux sedum from Hobby Lobby to accent the mums I had planned on buying.


Even though I tabled that idea for now, I did pick up a real sedum plant in the same purple shades. Adding an accent flower really adds interest to your porch and many perennials can then be planted in the ground before the cold season arrives to add to your landscaping next year.


In addition to sedum and cabbage, you could look into ornamental grasses, flowering kale, coral bells, dusty miller, and succulents.  Take a look around your local stores just to see what they have that may work with the look you're trying to achieve.

FYI: In many climates, if dusty miller is left outside in the ground or in pots throughout the winter, it will grow again the following year even though it is considered an annual!

YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST FLOWERS

While you don't want things to look cluttered, it is important to include more than just flowers outside if you're going for a "decorated" porch.


To accompany the two pots of flowers, I also included a cast iron lantern I picked up at Goodwill and a couple stone pumpkins painted white.(The larger one can be found at Michels)


And just as I do inside, I tucked in some dried leaves to add some more pops of green through the outdoor "vignettes."

LAYER YOUR DOORMATS

Such a simple idea, I know, and it may even seem like overkill. I mean, do you really need two doormats? Of course, not.....But there isn't much opportunity to add texture or patterns on a front porch unless you have outdoor furniture cushions or drape a throw over a bench.


Doormats generally don't have a lot of wow to them. Adding that outdoor rug underneath a basic doormat really makes it all pop. It makes the whole entryway seem more grand.


Since it is an indoor/outdoor rug, I moved the rug I had originally used in my entryway out here underneath my HELLO PUMPKIN fall doormat.  I really love the pattern peeking out from under it! I bought my doormat from JoAnn Fabrics last year, but there are similar versions on Etsy.)

I hope at least one of these tips inspired you to do something new with your outdoor space this fall. Regardless of what your style is or the type of place you live, it is always nice to have a pleasant entry that welcomes you home.

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WANT MORE INSPIRATION + TIPS FOR DECORATING YOUR PORCH THIS SEASON?

Here are two more of my favorite ways that I've decorated in the past.

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