What a gorgeous fall we are having! I can’t believe it is already October, but I am absolutely loving the mild weather and blue skies lately. I hope you are, as well! I decided to take advantage of some of that beautiful weather this weekend to get the front porch and entry dressed up for autumn. I didn’t go quite as big as I have the past couple years, but I still wanted a little something to celebrate the season in style. So, I thought I’d share the transformation with you, in case you are in need of any easy ideas for decorating your own outdoor spaces.
The entry had gotten a little drab, to be honest. The begonias I planted this spring were fading, and the door mat had certainly seen better days. The variegated maiden grasses at the stairs are in full bloom, however, and made for a good start!
I began my seasonal makeover by tossing the door mat and swapping out the old begonias for new ornamental cabbages, along with pansies and violas in beautiful red-wine tones.
Next, I decided to use a pair of urns I found recently to anchor the doorway. I love how tall, narrow and simple they are. Filled with these vibrantly hued chrysanthemums, they stand out nicely against the dark color of the house.
The urns are nice in their own right, but they also serve as the base for an arbor of grapevine and bittersweet. To create the arbor, I simply pulled apart a grapevine wreath from the craft store, stuck the larger ends of the branches into the soil in the urns and trained the vines over the door. A small concrete screw and some wire anchor the very top, so it won’t fall down.
Once the grapevines were in place, I added branches of fresh bittersweet throughout the arbor. The rich colors of the bittersweet echo those in the mums and cause the arbor to “pop” against the dark brick.
Next, I hung a natural honeysuckle-vine wreath on the front door and embellished it with more bittersweet to match the arbor.
All that was needed then, was the final finishing touch (You guessed it!)…pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins! As I said I took it easy this year, compared to past years, but generous piles of fresh squashes, pumpkins and gourds are a must for me and help tie the whole front porch display together!
So, one more year’s autumn display is under wraps! I hope my neighbors like it as much as I do, and I hope it helps inspire some of you to Live Outside the Box by enjoying your outdoor spaces, as well as the bounty of the season!
Exterior designer Daniel Keeley is an Arkansas native and founder/principal of DK Design. His work has won numerous awards and accolades and is featured regularly in various publications. For more information visit dkdesignoutdoor.com.
Follow the Outside the Box house through the seasons, by reading Daniel Keeley’s other posts, HERE.
For more fall DIY door and porch decorating ideas follow the blog all this week, beginning with Cara Hazlewood’s post from yesterday, HERE.
