Fall Porch Decor: Small Porch Ideas to Welcome Thanksgiving Guests

In this post: Want to add fall porch decor to your tiny entry? These small porch ideas will provide a warm welcome to your Thanksgiving guests. ⇒

I’ve always wanted a big wrap around porch.

You know the kind. You find them on old Victorian homes with rockers and separate conversation areas. There’s plenty of room for tables and planters and tons of seasonal decor.

But as it turns out, not only don’t I have a generous veranda, I barely have enough space for two people to stand at our front door at the same time.

So you can imagine the decorating challenge that poses for a welcoming entry.

Fall Porch Decor

Despite this obstacle, I was determined to have our front entrance serve multiple purposes and to do so in style.

So, regardless of its diminutive size, I broke it up into regions and always approach the design with this segmenting in mind.

This is exactly my tactic all year round, but today I’m sharing our little entry dressed up for fall, ready to welcome our Thanksgiving guests.

I’m joining with a group of my favorite bloggers for a holiday blog hop aimed at inspiring you for Thanksgiving entertaining. Be sure to visit all the other posts at the bottom of this one.

The Bench

Apart from providing a door that opens and closes, the most important item that graces on our entry landing is the whitewashed garden bench.

It functions, of course, as a convenient place to sit while waiting for people to arrive, but is also a great receiving ground for all sorts of things, from packages and mail, to food deliveries and more.

The bench takes up prime real estate on our tiny porch, preventing us from having pretty planters flanking the door, but its active role is well worth the sacrifice.

It’s also provides a golden opportunity to display seasonal decor. A plaid throw in autumnal colors, an outdoor lumbar pillow and a selection of heirloom pumpkins are welcoming our guests this fall.

The Door

Central to the entryway, naturally, is the door itself. It’s pretty enough with raised panels and symmetrical sidelights, and while I wouldn’t have selected the hunter green color if I had my druthers, it provides the perfect backdrop for a greenery based wreath.

(We live in a townhouse development and cannot change our front door.)

The wreath I chose this year is what set the color palette for my entryway and I’m quite smitten with it. The base is comprised of fresh eucalyptus leaves and salal branches, but the inclusion of dried orange slices is what really gives it its identity. A closer look reveals faux artichokes, pine cones, hydrangea and cinnamon sticks, as well.

The prominent placement of the wreath on the door via a simple command hook affords all who arrive a lovely welcome and a preview of what to expect inside.

The Planters

As I indicated above, our limited space and the placement of the bench preclude using large planters to bookend the doorway, but it doesn’t necessitate the complete abandonment of planters.

Instead I add mums to my low barnacled planters and nestle them as close to the stair railing as possible. When I feel I need more walk space to utilize the stairway, I place them to one side so they follow the steps down to the pathway. But other times I keep them up top near the portico to accommodate my preference for balance and symmetry.

The Milkbox

The other side of the doorway allows a bit of open space and it’s here where I often decorate with seasonal vignettes.

From a functional standpoint, I keep a vintage milk box here, however it’s not use for milk deliveries. Instead this is where people drop off things for us when we’re not home or they don’t want to bother us and I know they’ll be protected from the elements and weather.

It also offers a spot to perch a lovely autumn floral, surrounded by lanterns and urns brimming with seasonal branches.

The Stairs

Our front stairway is a bit narrow due to the unfortunate placement of the stair railing, which should have bent past the brick columns extending the full width of the stairs. But like the door, this is something we are not permitted to change.

Hence my display of pumpkins is limited to one side of the stairway.

I prefer the colors of heirloom varieties, particularly to coordinate with the orange and green palette I’ve chosen for this year’s entry. These are a mix of real and faux and I’m beginning to start a collection of good faux pumpkins to ensure they can make it through the season and beyond.

You’d be surprised how much you can do with a tiny little space and as long as you address the functionality you need first, the decor will follow easily once you isolate your color palette.

Choose one key piece to define your theme and add the rest with restraint.

Then everyone who comes to your door will feel welcomed by your effort and enveloped by the warmth it exudes.

Be sure to visit all the other posts below! Enjoy!!

Designthusiasm | Shabbyfufu | On Sutton Place

Southern Hospitality | StoneGable

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