Decorating the Front Porch for Autumn

Adding a few Fall touches to the front of the house adds such a welcoming touch to a home. 

What Kind of Style is Your Porch?

Whatever style of entrance or porch you have, adding a few festive elements creates an inviting setting and says “welcome to my home”. This year I decided to style only our side entrance, the front entrance is much bigger and we have several outdoor projects going on right now. I have to pick and choose my projects, and the main entrance is getting the short end of the stick this year 🙂

You can read more about our outdoor projects here.

Is it Worth the Money to Hire a Landscaping Company?

Restoring an Old Crumbling Flagstone Walkway

When is comes to styling our front entrances, life would be much easier if we had multiple steps leading up to the door, so I could have a beautiful cascading effect and decorate each step with loads of mums and pumpkins. But I don’t, we have one step leading to the front and side door, creating a styling dilemma.

Decorating a Porch without Steps

I feel that my entire house is a plethora of styling dilemmas so why would my front porches be any different? 😉 The extra challenge makes it a bit more fun, right?

I started styling the porch at the highest point of the space, the door. I added a colorful wreath from Home Goods with rich velvet pumpkins, pinecones, acorns, and leaves. I attached the wreath to the door using these hooks HERE. They work so well, I use them all year long especially around Christmas to attach anything and everything to anything and everything.

Moving downward onto the next layer, the planters. When you have a flat porch or one with just a single step, it’s important to frame the door as much as you can. I have 2 planters in front of the door that are used to add height to the frame. I am using mums in the planters, but you could also use corn stalks or pumpkins stacked on top of each other.

I feel that no Autumn porch is complete without Mums, whatever the color, yellow, orange, or red, every porch should have at least one of these Fall favorites. I found my Mums at our local nursery. These 10 inch potted flowers are the perfect size for my cement planters.

A couple weeks back, I was a bit over anxious to get Mums on the porch so I purchased two huge Mums from a large retail warehouse. What an EPIC fail that turned out to be! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy enormous mums for $10. They were so gargantuan that they fell over as soon as the wrapping was removed. The stems were just too long and heavy! And yes, I was “that person” returning my dead flowers to the store the next day 😐

Now that I have created height with the mums in the planters, I added a couple different layers of cabbages, pumpkins, and peppers. The idea is to create different levels and multiple layers, starting with the tallest layer first. You can add plants to various pots or pails creating differing heights.

Adding Unique Elements to Your Autumn Porch

Heirloom pumpkins are my favorite type of pumpkin. Their unique varieties make them perfect elements to create an eye catching display.

Jarrahdale pumpkins are beautifully ribbed, and have a blue to gray-green skin with thick orange flesh. They have a long shelf life, making them perfect for centerpieces and decorating.

White pumpkins are always beautiful pieces to add to an outdoor styling. The neutral tone makes them suitable in any setting.

My other favorite pumpkin is the “Musquee de Provence” also known as the “cheese pumpkin”. It has a beautiful light orange flesh and is great for cooking.

Another idea to add to your porch for ambiance, height, and interest are lanterns HERE.

A mat is another lovely addition to a porch or entrance. Our outdoor coco mat from Frontgate is holding up well and the colors look great in the space.

You can read more about our french urns and mat HERE.

What ever style of entrance you have, one with steps or one without, layering elements with different colors and textures will work everytime.

Here are a few other Fall posts you may enjoy.

Fall Cabbage Centerpiece – Step by Step Tutorial

Dining Room Fall Tablescape Ideas

Easy Money Saving Tips to Add Fall Touches to Your Home

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