Add Fun Fall Decor to Your Porch
Just because summer’s over does not mean you can’t still enjoy sitting in the fresh air. With autumn weather quickly blowing in, now’s the time to give your porch a makeover. From festive seasonal decorations to thoughtful touches, we’ve pulled together a handful of our favorite ways to add fall decor to your porch.
Stay warm
First, make sure your porch can be used during autumn. If you live in an area where fall brings cooler temperatures, gorgeous crisp evenings can turn into cold nights. Invest in either a propane or electric patio heater. There are many models on the market. Some of them are set on the ground to warm your feet, while others are hung overhead. A few models look a lot like indoor lamps, adding a warm, room-like feel to your porch.
In addition to heaters, set out a couple of wool blankets for guests to put over their legs. Not only do blankets keep loved ones warm, they also give a cozy vibe that inspires conversations to run long into the night.
Buy new patio furniture
Most people buy new patio furniture during spring and summer. It’s in fall, however, that you should head to your local home and garden stores to check out items on clearance. Choose durable fabrics in neutral colors so the furniture will match any season. Design the rest of the porch around your new seating areas.
Fall foliage… right to your front door
Tis the season for collecting brightly colored autumn leaves. Why not take things one step further by making an arrangement of leaves to enjoy year after year? Pick up a handful of faux leaves from a local fabric store and coat them to handle the weather. Add a little sparkle by sprinkling glitter of various colors over the project as it dries. Try out similar projects with found objects such as pinecones. Finished arrangements can be hung on windows or your front door. Make a large fall wreath by using a pre-assembled twig wreath and decorating it either with silk flowers or fresh marigolds from a local florist.
Don’t forget the pumpkin patch
Nothing says traditional fall decor more than pumpkins. Visit a local farmer’s market or a nearby pumpkin patch to pick out a variety. Choose variegated pumpkins and gourds of many colors, including white, yellow and green. Adding a few small pots of mums to your porch should do the trick.
For those of you who are feeling really inspired, bring home a couple bales of compressed hay and set them on either side of your front door. These bales can then be used as tables on which to stack pumpkins, giving a rustic feel to your home.
Add unexpected bursts of cool colors
Most people associate warm colors, such as curry, saffron and paprika, with fall. By adding cooler colors like white and blue, the fall decor on your porch can carry into winter. Rather than mums, consider frost-resistant plants, such as flowering kale. It comes in shades of white, lavender and rose, making it the perfect plant to carry over into winter.
Pair your patio furniture with throw pillows in rich shades of plum. This color pairs nicely with fall decor and it transitions nicely with design elements of late autumn.
By upgrading your porch furniture, adding ways to keep warm and creating easy DIY projects, it’s easy to prepare the outside areas of your home for fall. Just don’t be surprised if more of your friends start inviting themselves over for a cup of tea so they can enjoy sitting on your porch!