A brown doormat with the black text "HOME SWEET HOME" placed on a black and white striped rug near a doorway. A black lantern is visible to the right.
| | | | | |

Fall Front Porch Makeover

ByLisa

About a month ago I shared some fall front porch design inspiration which got me thinking about our front porch some more. It has always been an area I wasn’t crazy about, in fact, I’m not crazy about the front of our house in general. And while an exterior makeover of the front of our house is definitely on my wish list, it is not currently in the budget. So I set out to make some small, inexpensive changes to hold me over until we can do a full scale makeover.
Comparison of two front porch setups. Top: Simple black door with brick walls. Bottom: Same door adorned with a fall wreath, pumpkins, and a mat saying "Sweet Home." A chair with a red-patterned cushion is on the side. Text reads "Fall Front Porch Makeover.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my policies.

In the six years we have lived in our house, I haven’t really given any attention to our front porch, mostly because I envisioned tackling the whole thing at once. Buying a new front door, replacing our cracked concrete steps, and painting our house to get rid of that dreadful orange brick. Well folks, that is probably not happening any time soon so I decided to do what I could. First, the front door. It has an ornate dragon lion carving on it which has always confused me. Was this in style at one time or is this someone’s family crest and we are just weirdos living with some other family’s name on our door? A brown wooden door with an intricate carving of a lion holding a staff and a crown above it. The carving is framed within a rectangular panel in the center of the door.

Aside from the strange carving, it desperately needed a fresh coat of paint. Here is a full view of the before.

A brown front door on a brick house with a black porch light and white trim. A colorful welcome mat is on the step, and a small metal stand with a "Welcome" sign is on the right. The words "Garrison Street Design Studio" are in the lower left corner.

Next, the outdoor light. To be frank, there is nothing I like about this light other than it turns on. It couldn’t be further from my style and the frosted glass doesn’t do a good job of illuminating the porch at night. It’s a miracle it survived my wrath for six years! RIP my friend.

For this makeover, I decided to paint the front door black with some leftover exterior paint we had in the garage. Then I went on the prowl for a new outdoor light and found this one! The last change I made was a new doorbell button and some fall accessories I already had. Front porch decorated for fall with a black door and brick walls. A "Home Sweet Home" doormat, lantern, pumpkins, and a chair with a polka dot cushion adorn the area. A festive wreath hangs on the door.

I borrowed the chair from our back patio as well as the Ikea side table I hacked. A black metal chair with a cushion featuring red and orange polka dots sits on a porch. Next to the chair is a smiling pumpkin decoration. The background is a brick wall and the floor has a black and white striped mat. A carved pumpkin with a happy face sits on a small table against a brick wall. Below, a gold pumpkin rests on the ground. A black lantern with a candle is placed nearby on a doormat.

I paired my black and white outdoor rug with a simple door mat I bought last year. A doormat with the words "Home Sweet Home" written in black on a brown background. The mat is placed on a striped black and white rug.

I hung my fall wreath on the freshly painted black front door, which also hides my dragon lion quite well 🙂

A rustic wreath made of dried twigs hangs on a black door. Attached to it is an orange, pumpkin-shaped sign with the words "Welcome Fall" printed in white and adorned with a golden ribbon.

A few years ago I bought these ceramic pumpkins at HomeGoods because my squirrels kept eating my real pumpkins. But these don’t have to be carved and I can reuse them every year! Take that you mean squirrels!

A ceramic pumpkin with a carved, smiling face sits on a porch. The pumpkin is a deep orange color and has a glossy surface. Behind it, a brick wall and a portion of black furniture are visible.

We hung up our new light and I am in LOVE! It is simple, modern, and much more substantial. Not to mention, it actually illuminates the porch so well we have to set our smart bulb to 40% dim.

A modern black metal and glass outdoor wall lantern mounted on a brick wall. The light fixture contains a visible light bulb. The bricks have a textured, multicolored pattern.

Even though it isn’t the full scale makeover I had always planned, the front porch looks so much better! It just goes to show a few simple changes can really go a long way!

Front porch decorated for fall with a black door, a doormat reading "Home Sweet Home" on a striped rug, a chair with a polka dot cushion, carved pumpkins, and a lantern. A cozy front porch decorated for fall with a black door and a wreath. There's a doormat with "Home Sweet Home," metal chair with a patterned cushion, lantern, and several pumpkins in orange and silver hues on the step. A doormat with the phrase "Home Sweet Home" is placed on a striped rug. Two feet wearing sandals are visible at the bottom edge of the image, and there's a black lantern on one side.

Shop the Look

Chair | Side Table | Doormat | Rug | Outdoor Light | Smart Light Bulb | Lantern

If you enjoyed my Fall Front Porch Makeover, please share it on Facebook or hover over an image and save to Pinterest! And if you don’t already follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, I would love for us to be friends!

Love new decor ideas and projects? Sign up for my newsletter so you never miss apost! Plus you will get exclusive access to my free printables!

A black front door decorated for fall with a wreath and pumpkins on a porch. There's a black chair with a red and white polka dot cushion and a doormat. The porch has a brick wall background.

This post, Fall Front Porch Makeover, appeared first on Garrison Street Design Studio.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *