how to: fall porch refresh
Long time no chat! It’s quite comical how you envision a maternity leave verses reality. A couple of days before the twins were born, I started feeding a sourdough starter and had outlines of all the blogs I wanted to write while on my time off work. I thought my days ahead were going to be full of baking bread, homemade meals, blogs of my successful twin pregnancy and all the fun things that come along with planning a baby or in our case… BABIES. Then reality hit- one spoiled sourdough starter and nearly 8 months later, I am cranking out my first blog post. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world and so glad my focus has been on what’s most important, it’s just funny to see reality come to play and how things unfold! Being a mama is my greatest joy and blessing in life and I am so thankful to have had these last few months. With that being said, I have decided to try and get back in touch with my creative side. What better time than the BEST TIME of year going into the holidays?!
Is it just me or do the holidays feel like they officially start in September? School is back in, summer is over, and it’s time to start decorating and getting in our FEELS! My favorite place to start is always my front porch. I hear people say “well no one comes down my street so I don’t decorate”… well Karen no one can even see my house from the road but I am going to decorate every single time! HA! Nothing is more exciting to me than driving up my driveway and seeing a colorful fall display.
Every year, as I browse some of my favorite accounts, I often see monochromatic neutral toned displays that are aesthetically pleasing. So many times I have set out to the pumpkin stands and local markets to mimic these porches, yet instead, every single time I come back with festive COLOR! I just can’t get away from the traditional burnt oranges, crimsons, and warm tones that come along with fall. It comes and goes in such a short time, and I love to embrace it!
Today, I wanted to chat with you guys on how I achieve this look that I keep coming back to year after year. There is definitely no right or wrong way. You can mix and match whatever colors you like best and go as big or small as you would like to best fit your space. I just have a process that I keep coming back to and for me- it works and helps me to achieve the look I want!
STEP 1: CLEAN
Any time you are doing a porch “refresh” from season to season- this is ALWAYS step one. Rather I am in the kitchen or outside, I can’t work in a messy environment so this is a given!
STEP 2: PLACE PLANTERS
One of the biggest “upscales” with any porch refresh, but especially a fall porch, is using planters. So often, we just sit our mums out in the original containers they come in and put pumpkins around it. While that’s totally fine- you gain a whole new look by placing them in a pretty planter. Here, I chose textured terracotta and it blends so well with the warm fall tones!
STEP 3: CONSIDER SIZE
For me, I like to start with my bigger pieces and work my way down to the smallest and use those as fillers. The order I go in goes something like this….
LARGE: large chrysanthemum, planters, entire dried corn stalks, pompous grass, red coleus (my favorite to add height… the burgundy foliage adds so much to your display!)
MEDIUM: traditional and “fantasy” pumpkins and gourds (of all shapes, colors, and sizes), smaller mums, cabbage leaves (love the look these can add!)
SMALL: my favorite thing to fill the last little “holes” with are the tiny pumpkins and gourds. I have bought these hand-picked individually, but the bags you can get with a variety work great because a variety is exactly what you want! These aren’t your statement pieces but really helped make your scene look full!
***The KEY to this step is not over thinking it. Don’t worry if you have 3 green and 3 white perfectly round orange pumpkins… or 2 yellow mums that are exactly the same! What makes a porch the most noticeable is it’s uniqueness. My rule is the bumpier and knottier the pumpkin and the more shades of color I can get- the better! We discriminate against NO pumpkin! ***
STEP 4: WREATH
So simple (and not pictured), but an earthy door hanger really puts the cherry on top! I have one from TJ Maxx that is simple but is full of textures like wheat and golden tones that contrast perfectly against the dark wood toned doors of our home! Sometimes it’s the small things that make a big difference.
None of this feels extremely ground breaking, but simply my method year after year that brings me a ton of happiness each time. I hope you find this helpful and feel inspired to get your porch full and fall ready!
NEXT UP: mastering sourdough! P.S. I have a new starter from a lady at church that’s over 100 years old! I can’t wait to dumpster dive into this new journey!
xoxo- MiCHAELA
