The holidays are a great time to add some cheer to your front porch. While lights are the most popular way to spread seasonal cheer, there are several options to make your home a festive haven without breaking the bank.
Whether you want a classic, timeless holiday look or prefer a more modern seasonal vibe, these ideas will help you make your home’s entrance the talk of the neighborhood this season.
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1. Create Mood Lighting
Lighting is one of the best ways to decorate your home for the holidays. Traditional Christmas lights can be a fantastic choice, but getting carried away is easy. It can also be hard to create a cohesive theme with colored lights. Alternative lighting ideas still bring that festive mood without entering tacky territory.
Lanterns are a great way to set the stage. Surround them with small decor items like holly berries, pine cones or flowers to create depth and layers. Annemarie Schumacher, designer and founder of Make Every Day an Event blog in St. Louis, likes to repurpose lanterns she used on her fall front porch.
“We all have limited budgets and limited storage space, so items like lanterns that can transition from season to season are key,” she says. “I prefer more traditional candlestick lights over pillar candles. The candlesticks bring a timeless Dickens quality to front porch decor that I love in the holiday season.”
2. Decorate Your Door
The front door is often the main focus of a home. Even if you don’t have a proper porch, you can still make the exterior of your home merry with a wreath, garland or hanging basket.
Wreaths are a low-cost and classic way to set the tone for the rest of your decorating. You can DIY a wreath using leftover materials from tree trimming or plants you might have in your yard. If you choose a premade wreath, there are loads of options at stores or online.
Another alternative is to create a hanging basket. “You can fill the basket with fresh pine garland and fresh clippings either from red holly berries or rosemary plants, then finish off the look with a festive Christmas-themed doormat,” says Ivo Iv, founder and CEO of Decor Home Ideas in New York City.
Hanging baskets achieve a similar decor goal as a wreath by making your door the statement piece, but can often be built on a budget if premade wreaths are out of your price range.
Don’t forget to finish the look by adding details to poles or support beams. Wrap them with lights or garland or put a simple bow on the beams. “Large premade bows can be purchased for very little at most craft stores and give the front porch a modern look for less,” says Nicole Ketchum, interior decorator and designer of Hey Girl Decor in Kennebunk, Maine.
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3. Create a Festive Focal Point
Last year, using a shower rod to hold lights and garlands was the hottest holiday trend because it could create a beautiful festive focal point, inside or out. It remains a fun DIY decor idea if you have supportive beams on your porch. Check out social media for how-to ideas.
This year, the big trend is having an oversized bow anchor your front door or porch with Christmas ornaments of varying sizes hanging from pine garland.
“Wrap garland around and add lights, ribbons or jingle bells. You can use almost any decor you have left over from decorating, and it’s a great way to enhance entrances,” says Candice Ober, design manager at Bear, Delaware-based Reybold Group.
4. Captivate All the Senses
Most homeowners focus on the look of their home, forgetting to engage the other senses when decorating. Scent is a fantastic way to spread holiday cheer. The smells of pine, cinnamon and fir can captivate visitors before they even enter your home.
Michelle Woolley Sauter, principal designer and owner of One Coast Design in Charleston, South Carolina, likes to add diffusers near entrances. “Adding essential oils like Fraser fir near the doorway instantly elevates the ambiance for the holidays,” she says.
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5. Add Greenery and Nature to Your Porch
Adding a touch of natural greenery can really tie your decor together. Pine cones, holly berries and pine or fir branches are ideal options, as are chunks of interesting wood like birch. Schumacher recommends placing them in existing planters, around the front door or railing, or near lanterns. “I love gathering these items from around my yard or neighborhood for free,” she says.
When it comes to layering greenery with other decor items like lanterns, remember to include items with different heights and textures and keep them in groups of three or five. Arranging objects in odd numbers is more visually appealing.
6. Stick With a Theme and Keep It Simple
Pick a theme that reflects your decor style. This should be three to five colors you want to add to your front porch, like red, green and white or black, red and white. If you want to achieve a more winter wonderland look, you can incorporate blue, white and gold or silver into the mix.
Once you’ve selected your color palette and theme, apply it to various elements on your front porch. Consider incorporating these hues into your door wreath, potted plants, doormat and even the cushions in a seating area.
“The goal is to have a consistent plan that creates cohesiveness and color,” says Ketchum. Too much decor can quickly turn an aesthetically festive front porch into holiday chaos. Nevertheless, decorating for the holidays should bring you joy. Don’t be afraid to deviate from these decorating tips if it makes you happy. “If you love it, then do it,” Ketchum says.
What to Avoid in Your Holiday Porch Decor
Design experts caution homeowners to steer clear of potentially harmful decor items. For instance, flocked decor such as garlands, wreaths and Christmas trees covered in a fluffy snow-like coating have become popular in recent years, but Schumacher says they can be a hazard for dogs and cats if ingested, so it’s best to avoid them in your home or porch decor.
Poinsettia is another dangerous decor item that is popular around this time. “These can be harmful to babies and pets,” Ober says. “If I receive one as a gift, I place it somewhere out of reach of the little ones or fur friends.”
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6 Holiday Front Porch Decor Ideas originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 12/12/24: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
