Fall Front Porch Decor: Everything You Need to Know!

Fall front porch decor, where do you even start ?

The next time you’re debating decorating your front porch for fall, think about this: it’s the very first thing someone notices when they come to your house! The warm and inviting ambiance of a nicely decorated front porch can set the tone for your home and leave a lasting impression on visitors.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing creative tips and ideas for transforming your front porch into a cozy autumn haven. Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or a first-time DIY enthusiast, I’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about decorating your front porch for fall this season.

Front Porches

Front porches, oh how I have such a long history of loving them. A few years ago, I was working on my photography 365 project (if you’re non-photography, it’s one photo a day for a year) and I wrote a little ode’ to my front door. Maybe one day I’ll share it with you all on here.

I think some days we take our front door for granted but have you ever stopped and thought about how your front door can set the tone for your house?

First Impressions

Think about… The first thing you see when you are visiting someone’s home is their front door/porch.

When you see their front porch decor, do you have an initial reaction to what that person may be like just based on their front door?

I know I do! It’s not in a judgemental way at all but it’s more of a gut reaction. If I walk up to a house that I’ve never been to before, I’ll unintentionally think about what my experience inside may be like just based on their front door.

Is it decorated? If so, is it elaborate or simple? Is it warm and welcoming? Is it decorated seasonally or maybe for a special cause?

I feel like a front porches can be reflective your personality in such a variety of ways which makes it the perfect spot to have some creative freedom and fun!

Now, let’s get to the good stuff… Ideas for decorating your front porch….

Regardless of the size of your front porch, small or large, or where you live, city or country, these tips and ideas are sure to help you come up with something charming this season.

Remember, the best way to decorate your porch is by just starting!

Throwback to my first fall front porch circa 2020, we all start somehwere!

My Front Porch Decor for Fall

A couple months ago on instagram I mentioned that I really missed decorating my front porch, it was always a spot that brought me so much joy and allowed my creativity to flow. However, I did not decorate last year because I didn’t want to waste money on new decor when we’d be moving again….

I’m happy to report, my fall decor has now been up about a month and I don’t regret decorating it one bit (or investing a little money into it). Everytime I walk in or out the door, it puts a smile on my face.

With all that being said, let’s hop into this weeks blog. I’ll be breaking down all the ways to decorate your door for fall (or really, any time of year)!

Front Porch Basics

When you start to decorate here’s a few things you’ll want to consider:

Budget
Theme
Color Palette
Size/Layout
Plants
Season Items
Door Mat
Door Decor
Lighting

Budget

How much are you wanting to and are comfortable with spending? This will guide you during your whole process. When deciding how much I’m going to spend on my front porch I try to take a few things into consideration.

Are these pieces that are a “one and done” or are these pieces that will last for years? For example, my mums, they’re one and done. Without fail, my mums never last despite my best efforts. However, my door wreaths, I use for years to come (unless I change up my style). This means I’m usually willing to spend a little more on quality pieces that I’ll be using for years to come compared to a one and done piece.

Also, no one is going to sit there and calculate how much you’ve spent on your front porch. If you are on a smaller budget DO NOT be afraid of buying items second hand, searching FB marketplace, yard sales, antique shops, you may find some really amazing pieces at great prices.

You will find that you can find decor at various price points which means you’ll find the perfect fall decor that fits your budget you just may have to do a little research and be less impulsive with buying.

THEME

Themes for your front proch are the second piece you’re going to want to consider. Your theme will determine what pieces you’ll be buying and your colors. Your themes can be seasonal: spring, summer, fall, & winter. Your themes can be monthly, or maybe even based around holidays.

The main themes for fall from porches are usually: Fall or Halloween. You can start with a Fall theme in September, migrate to Halloween in October and then back to a fall theme in Novemeber. You can also pick a simple fall decor to get you from Aug/Sept right into Christmas season.

This year I opted to stick with a fall theme. I wanted something that I wouldn’t be investing a ton of money (like changing themes several times in the span of a few months) but something that was still eye catching.

Color Pallete

Once you’ve decided on a theme, you can start considering a color pallete. Keeping a color pallete in mind while working on individual pieces will help you keep a cohesive look to your decor.

Since autumn is such a virbant time of year, I wanted to incorporate those colors into my front door decor. I already had a green wreath but I wanted something that would pop and thats when I began searching for a wreath with orange or yellow tones. I ultimately decided at this time that my color pallete would be the colors of fall red, orange, and yellow.

**If you haven’t heard of the color wheel, it’ll come in handy when working with a color pallete because you’ll be able to tell what colors compliment each other or are analogous (beside each other on the color wheel). I’ll eventually get to this and write a blog post for you because as a photography as well, I love color theory! If you have questions in the meantime, email me or reach out to me on instagram and I’ll be more than happy to give you a quick tutorial and answer all your questions.

Size/Layout

Before you head off to buy new items, or thrift old ones, make sure you have an idea in your head of what pieces would actaully fit on your front porch.

What is the size of your front porch? What about the layout? How does your door(s) swing open? Do you have stairs?

For example, although our front door has two doors, only one of them opens. I really wanted to put a 6 ft. fall tree with lights on the right hand side (where the door doesn’t open) but our mailbox is there and it would cover the mailbox. I don’t think our mailman would be very happy about that.

**Try to be mindful of keeping your front porch functional even with your decor.

Plants

Since we’re in fall, the go-to or should I say “trendy” plants to have are mums. You can usually find these at your local grocery stores, big box stores, and nurserys whereever you live. The beauty of mums is that they come in a variety of colors: white, yellow, pink, orange, red, burgundy, cream, salmon, and bi-color. This year I ended up with orange, yellow, and burgundy for my front porch.

If you are an expert at killing mums like me and would prefer fake ones, I found these stems on amazon. You could place a green foam block in a basket and use faux florals that would stay beautiful all season long.

If you’d prefer something other than mums, here are some of the best front porch container plants:

Pansies and Violas
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Asters
Impatiens
Celosia
Coleus
Ornamental Grasses
Marigolds
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Creeping Jenny
Ornamental Peppers

Seasonal Items

Fall has some of the *BEST* seasonal items, yes, I’m talking about you PUMPKINS!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love pumpkins of all varieties. I love that they’re all unique and beautiful in their own way. Gords are another great way to add seasonal items.

Other seasonal items include:

Corn Stalks
Hay Bales
Leaves
Scarecrows
Candles
Lanterns
Decorative Fall Signs
Wagon
Plaid Fabric
Autumn Fruit
Blankets/Pillows
Wooden Crates
Woven Baskets

Door Mat

Our doormats serve both a functional and aesthetic role on our porch. They help keep the dirt from being tracked into the house and they add a little welcoming touch to those porches.

Doormats come in a varitey of colors and sizes.

This year I opted to layer our doormat because one just felt a little bare.

Door Decor

Now that we’ve covered plants and door mats, let’s talk about your actual door. There are a variety ways you can decorate your actual door.

Do you want a wreath to hang on the door?

Maybe you want a garland to boarder your door.

Maybe you want both!

Remember, there are NO WRONG ANSWERS.

Decorating is all personal taste and I always say as long as it makes you happy, that’s all that matters.

Lighting

Another aspect to consider is your lighting on your porch. If you want to highlight certain items on you porch, such as a pumpkin stack or mums, or add a little drama consider adding extra light.

You can add something as simple as a spotlight or even those little twinkle lights to make it extra magical.