Fall Porch Decor, Part II

By Melessa

Monday we showed off Laura’s new fall flowers, and today we’re revealing my porch décor!

I try to change up my seasonal looks from year to year.  Last year I had deep oranges and yellows, and this year I’m using sage green, magenta, and deep purples (well, I say “purple,” but that’s kind of a swear word in the art world—it’s really violet).

My biggest tip is simply not to plan out your porch design in advance, because you’ll rarely be able to find exactly what you’ve envisioned.  Instead, simply go to your favorite greenhouse (I bought my plants at Home Depot) and see what jumps out at you.  Choose your favorite item, and then build around that.

The Secret Garden is my favorite book, so I love heavy and lush floral designs.  If I can only fit one plant in my pot, I figure out how to fit five in there!  I want everything to be overfull and bountiful. I’m always looking for texture, so the kale I found for this fall is a great score for me.

Another thing to consider is your house and door colors, as well as any furniture or other decor you may have on your porch.  The colors and textures certainly don’t need to match, but they should look good together.

For instance, I don’t want to change out my pillows.  I hate storing things, so I went with black and white striped pillow shams that will work with all four seasons’ decor.  And they’re just shams that I make or that I find for $5 or less.  So I knew that any flowers I got also needed to coordinate with the black and white stripes, my blue door, and the brick wall.  All of that drives the direction of the design.

Before I actually pot everything, I put all the plants where I want them and then step back and move things around as needed. Then I get my spray paint if I’m spraying accent pieces or something.  I didn’t like the hue of some of my bigger mum baskets, so I lightly dashed spray paint on the leaves to make the colors flow better, since I couldn’t buy the perfect hue.  Warning: you might not want to try that if you’re a spray paint novice, but if you can control the spray, give it a shot!

It’s still very green around my house.  Fall weather hasn’t quite started yet.  Once that cooler air sets in, all my lush greens will soon turn to shiny gold/yellows! Totally excited!

Most important of all, make sure your decor makes YOU happy!  It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s definition of perfect, as long as it’s perfect for you.  Let your porch express your joy and excitement for the season, and friends and family will feel that as a gift from you each time they see your home.

So we’re curious–do you ever decorate outside for fall?  Are you a “Christmas only” outdoor decorator?  Or do you live in an apartment or dorm and bring the outdoors in for your decor? Comment below and share your ideas!