I love fall. It's such a colourful time of year with the leaves changing colour, the fall flower blooms and winter vegetable harvest. The weather through September and early October has been amazing - warm and dry - so, I wanted this year's fall porch decor to have more of a summer to fall transition feel. With summer florals lasting well into fall, this season's Fall Harvest Porch design was heavily influenced by the garden and early fall bounty.
This fall's outdoor (and indoor, coming soon) decor is filled with moody purple, aubergine and wine (no pun intended!) tones. Multi-toned greens and natural elements such as grasses have also inspired my decor choices. My fall outdoor planters (here) continue with that colour scheme, as well as my front door wreath (here), indoor mantel and Thanksgiving Tablescape.
As I decorate my porch focussing on the seasons, there are a few things I think about when I design a theme:
Plants and Foliage - every season plants are a part of the porch's design. It makes sense, as plants are meant to survive the changing seasons (make sure you are buying for your zone - Vancouver is zone 7/8 for planting) and add so much life to any space. This year (as I said above) I've been in love with a variety of grasses. I have Fountain Grasses is in every planter on my porch and outside planters. I love how the grass feathers and turns an aubergine colour in early fall. Sadly they are an annual plant, so after the first frost, they start to die off. I also threw in some hop vines at the base of the cone trellis'. They are an amazing foliage to bring into arrangements and planters, as they are both leafy and have to hop buds.
Use Staples - some porch decor pieces I've invested in over the years are year-round basics (planters, rugs, lanterns, outdoor furniture, tables, etc.), while others are seasonal (baskets, cone trellis, hay bales, etc.). The key here is use what you've got and build from there. You don't have to buy a whole bunch of decor. Use key staples and then every year add one thing to your seasonal selection.
Create Groupings
Look at your space, see where you can create small groupings (or vignettes) of plants, lanterns and seasonal decor (images above). I like to design with varied heights and odd numbers of items in each groupings (3, 5, 7 objects, etc.) in mind. This year, as my groupings are asymmetrical, I used two large corn stalks, book ending either side of the front door to create a sense of symmetry to tie my groupings together.
Add Some Colour With Seasonal Accents and Decor
This year, I decided to veer from a traditional fall colour palette of red, bright orange and yellows and use a purple, green and white (with a few additional pastel pumpkins for accent) colour scheme. I decided to keep the flowers and planter (mums and fountain grass) shades of purple and green and bring in paler greens and whites accents with the pumpkins.
Add Details
Decor items such as wreaths, twinkle lights (always - this year they're wrapped around the cone trellis') and layered door mats add so much to the overall porch design. Visual interest and texture are sure to create a pleasing outdoor space that people will want to relax in.
Bring The Inside Out
Create warmth and a sense of cozy by bringing indoor decor accents such as cushions, small rugs and throws to the outside. With "physically distanced, socially together" visits this fall (thanks Cheryl for this term!), these items are not only beautiful, but very functional as the temperature begins to drop. As my front porch is covered, I used a combination of outdoor (plaid cushions) and indoor cushions with a cozy outdoor rug. Outdoor rugs tend to absorb moisture (we get a lot or precipitation here in Vancouver!) and clean easy - win win!
Have Fun
No matter how you decide to decorate, whether you go big or minimalist, choose the colours and items that bring you joy. Home is our happy place, so have some fun with your space and decorating.
I hope these tips for a fabulous fall porch are useful to you! Let me know what joys fall bring you and how you use decor to keep your outdoor spaces cozy and warm.
Happy Fall Decorating,
Krista xo
Comments