Decorating & Design

November 18, 2011

Front Door Decorating For Fall & Winter

We all like to embrace the change of season, welcome holidays and decorate for almost any reason. Fall is a great time to take advantage of wonderful colours and textures and use them as props with which to decorate.

Wreaths

Autumn decorating can be celebrated with a simple wreath hung outside your front door in warm rusts, golds, browns and greens. A twig or grapevine wreath flecked with peppers, berries or embellished with ribbon can make a wonderful door accessory. Even an unadorned grapevine wreath offers a simple way to let your door say welcome to fall. Tightly wrap a bunch of wheat with twine or ribbon and secure it to the front door for a spin on the traditional wreath. Spray the wheat bouquet with gold paint. Add a red ribbon and it goes from fall to Christmas in a pinch.

Wreath hangers, which usually hang over the door, add a more formal look to a wreath and are available in nickel, brass or bronze finishes. Choose a hanger that can be monogrammed for a special touch.

Watch our Online TV segment for an easy DIY Holiday Boxwood Wreath. Plus, see more wreath photos.

Benches

Create vignettes outside your house that pay homage to the season. Cushions in fall-coloured outdoor fabric can comfy up an outdoor bench. Flank the bench with pots of branches or fall flowers for a pretty autumn setting.

Greenery

Make planters or containers out of creative objects like baskets or hollowed-out pumpkins, and fill them with a wonderful mix of mums, vines, leaves and berries.

Ubiquitous mums add instant autumn flair and can be placed in hanging pots, planted in the garden or set in decorative pots around the porch or front yard. Line your front steps with mums for a welcoming walkway.

For winter, arrange pine boughs in window boxes or planters for a festive welcome.

Creative potting

For a country look, use galvanized buckets or barrels as flower pots, either hung from a fence or propped on either side of the door. Branches of colourful leaves can be placed in outdoor vases for instant foliage decor. Replace summer flowers in planters or window boxes with dried rosehips, willow branches, trailing ivy or gourds — anything that brings fall or winter to mind.

Holiday transformation

Switching from autumn decor to holiday trimmings can be done in a snap. Wreaths can be traditional evergreen, left bare or trimmed with festive touches for the holidays. Replace window boxes with evergreen cuttings, adding holly berries for a complementary “pop”.

Top urns or planters with large pine cones for a simple yet classic look. Intertwine them with mini white Christmas lights for extra holiday sparkle.

Topiaries are a traditional, somewhat formal holiday accessory. Left bare or decorated with lights, framing the front door with a pair of these holiday stand-ins is a sure hit. Try making your own DIY Festive Topiary.

Drape a front porch or outline the front door with a garland of spruce, cedar or boxwood for a festive, welcoming touch.