It’s that time of the year again when everything will be orange, wherever you look. Everyone’s porch is going to get a sudden makeover overnight; everyone will try their best to be creative and do something new and fun! Whether you want something traditional or completely out-of-the-world, there are hundreds of ideas you can try, as well.
Fall is more than just about Halloween or placing a few pumpkins on your front yard or porch; it’s also more than adding some colors to your home for Thanksgiving. Over the years, fall decoration has become a tradition all over the United States, something for all families to come together to do.
If you are looking for some classic or some unique fall porch decoration ideas, the ones below can be the inspiration you need.
- Decide on a Color Scheme. Of course, the central color for the entire decoration is almost always orange, there’s no changing that if you want a traditional porch look for fall. However, you can’t make everything orange without looking like you live inside a pumpkin! There should ideally be some other colors in the decorations – something either close to orange in the look, or something completely in contrast to it.
Here are some good color combinations that can look great with your central orange pieces: brown, orange and dark green combination; orange and moss green combination; black and orange combination; cream, beige and orange combination; red and orange combination, etc. When you have decided on a specific color combination, it will be easier to decide everything else.
- Make it a Seating Arrangement. Instead of randomly placing a few decorative objects on your porch, place them around any kind of seating arrangement. That is, place a few vintage seats or chairs on your porch, and decorate the surroundings. Ideally, there should be enough space for at least two people to sit comfortably, perfect for lazy afternoons or late-night chats.
Wide wicker chairs, rustic farm benches, low stools – any of these would be perfect for your porches. You can use a set or do a mix-and-match between seats of different styles and materials. Anything will look good in your porch if you can create the comfortable and cozy look with your decorations.
- Start with Some Pumpkins. You don’t have to rely solely on pumpkins for your porch decoration in the fall, but their contribution cannot be ignored under any circumstances. Start by placing half a dozen pumpkins of all sizes, shapes and color around the seating arrangement: on the floor, on top of a small accent table in a side, in a corner, or on the stairs.
Instead of randomly placing the pumpkins around your porch, stack them up in a tower, or in a pile. Add pumpkins of different shapes and colors in a pile instead of going for similar looking ones; this way, you’ll end up with diversity with just some starter pumpkins.
- Add Some Greenery. Pumpkins aren’t enough to bring out the best in your fall porch decorations; you’re going to need to add some more colors to your decoration, and nothing does it better than some potted plants. To make your pumpkin display more eye-catching, incorporate some large and small houseplants to the mix.
Choose earthen flower pots with basic colors, or every day household objects like a steel bucket, tin drums, wooden caskets or faded ceramic pots for the plants. If you don’t have plants in the color combination of your choice, put some store bought cut flowers in them. The simplest of plants will add more colors and diversity to your decoration than anything else.
- Add Another Main Attraction. Beside the central seating, if space permits, place another large decorative item on your porch. It can be a large bale of hay if you are looking to create a farm look, a wheelbarrow, a large crate filled with small pumpkins and cut flowers, a massive houseplant, a wooden sign or announcement board, or anything else that draws the attention of onlookers. The wilder your idea for a large decorative item, the more breathtaking and unique your overall decoration would be.
- Add the Right Lighting. The lighting for your porch for fall should be just as rustic and vintage as the rest of the decoration. You can hardly place a few modern lamps or lights among the vintage collection of wooden crates, wicker couches and hay bales. No, the lighting has to be just as unique and pastoral as the rest of the décor.
The kinds of lamps or lighting that goes perfectly with most fall porch decorations are wooden lanterns with glass shades, tall candles (although LED candles would be safer and cheaper than regular ones), wrought iron candle holders or lamps, etc. You can also use hidden fairy lights to create the right ambience after dark.
- Think of Something Fun. Among your decorative pieces, it might be a fun idea to place something completely out of the ordinary and out of context, such as a scarecrow, an easel with a fall painting on it, a standing ladder used for placing flower pots or pumpkins, etc. These exceptional items can be quite the conversation-starter if you have guests coming or neighbors dropping in.
- Add Some Color. By just placing one or two colorful cushions, a handful of colored stones inside a lantern, a few vibrantly colored shawls or even a few painted buckets for your pumpkins and flowers, you can easily introduce some bright colors to the entire decoration. You can follow the color combination you’ve chosen for the decoration, or place some objects that are completely in contrast with the basic colors! Either ways, your décor will gain some new layers with just a few colorful objects.
- Use Your Walls and Roof. Not every piece of decoration should be placed on the ground or on top of furniture; the walls and roofs shouldn’t be left bare. Yes, if chosen correctly, there are lots of tidbits and décor pieces that can be hung from your walls and roof to decorate your porch for the fall.
Special wreaths made with the fall in mind, with dry leaves, sticks and hay could be something you can hang; alternatively, wooden or bamboo wind chimes keeping with the color combination of the décor can also be hung. If you have paintings, landscapes or tapestries that can match with the décor, they’ll look lovely on the walls.
- Lay Out a Few Personal Items. Finally, a few personal items will also look perfect with your porch decoration for the fall. You don’t have to put out anything expensive or exclusive to make it look cozy and homely, nothing more than a few books (unless you get frequent rains), a scarf tied to the bench, a few colorful cushions from your bed, a blanket or a wrap that you use at home, a tumbler or a pitcher of water, etc. The idea is to make the seating arrangement look homely and welcoming, as if this is a space people spend time in instead of just being a decorative space.
While some families are extremely enthusiastic about decorating their porches every fall, other families keep it simple. Some people try to be unique and different in their decorations, and others prefer the traditional and conventional route. While it is colors all the way for some home, in certain houses, all you will see are the basic orange, beige and wood.
Whatever your style, decorating your porch for the fall is as American as anything else you can think of. It’s the time of the year to be creative and experimental with your decorations, as well as to go back to the good well rustic days. With the ten decorative ideas above, you too can make your porch, entrance, backyard or front yard look beautiful, colorful, creative and unique.
