Five Tips for the Perfect Fall Porch

Fall is finally on it’s way. Today learn how to prepare your home for fall with five tips for the perfect fall porch.
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Despite the fact that I don’t get to celebrate fall quite as long as my friends in New England living here in Utah, it remains my favorite season. The weather has finally dropped below 90 degrees, the acorns are dropping and the leaves on my itty bitty baby oaks are starting to get a bit of a crunch to them.

I’ve transitioned my porch from summer to fall and while I am still adding stacks of pumpkins here and there, I thought I would share my favorite tips for creating the perfect fall porch with you today.

Five Tips for the Perfect Fall Porch

Bring home the pumpkin patch. Around the beginning of September I start stalking the stores for fun, cheery pumpkins to add to my porch. Don’t box yourself in by using only plain orange pumpkins. While traditional Halloween pumpkins are always a part of my porch decor, I really love white pumpkins and I am something of a sucker for the fairy tale styles as well. The variety of color and texture adds a lot of dimension and interest.While I like simple, traditional decor, I feel like you just can’t have too many pumpkins on display this time of year. What I wouldn’t give to be able to set up a pumpkin pile just like the one they have at the Country Living Fair every fall! A little crazy, I know!?!
Tip: Typically Trader Joes is the first store in Utah to put a wide assortment pumpkins on sale. It’s a bit of a drive to the closest store, but I snagged all of my fairy tale pumpkins there this year. Plus going to grab the pumpkins gives me an excuse to stock up on their Everything But the Bagel seasoning and their store brand cauliflower rice – it’s so good!
Incorporate fall foliage. Pretty plants don’t end with summer. Take advantage of fall’s gorgeous blooms. Replace your summer boxes and buckets with flowers suitable for the cooler weather. I’ve decorated with mums, but ornamental kale, asters and fountain grass are all great options.And, while hay isn’t my favorite (that stuff gets everywhere – it’s worse than glitter!!!), it’s a great option for adding a natural fall feel.
Enhance store bought decor. While I’d love to adorn my door with live florals and foliage, it’s just not an option in the hot, dry Utah weather. Instead I purchase store bought decor and bring it up a notch or two.I am a HUGE fan of creating seasonal grapevine wreaths. I have one for every ~~season~~ month on the blog. While I start from a plain wreath form like I did with this month’s foxy autumn grapevine wreath, it’s easy to add an already complete grapevine wreath as well. Usually the smallest addition will take a store bought wreath from plain to perfectly fabulous!

The base of my fall garland came from Michaels. While it was nice, adding just a few stems of fall foliage took it from nice to EXTRA.
Stack, lean and LAYER items on your porch. In summer I opt for more of a clean and simple design, but by the time fall rolls around I am ready to incorporate more texture. I don’t put out one pumpkin. I stack, lean and layer pumpkins. I don’t put out a simple garland, I create layers with additional stems.It’s also the perfect time to introduce additional textiles. Instead of a few pillows, layer seating areas with lots of pillows and cozy blankets. Rather than a simple door mat, consider layering things up with a natural rug AND a mat. I was able to grab a natural jute rug on Amazon for a reasonable price. I love that I will be able to use it over and over again. My door mat came from Kirklands. I snagged it for 25% off!
Choose fall decor that will transition well through the season. Consider items that will work well in early fall (September), but can easily be adjusted for Halloween and take you all the way through Thanksgiving.Be sure to come back in a week or two, when I share how to take this pretty porch decor from fall right into the spooky Halloween season!