12 Gourd-geous Fall Front Door Ideas to Greet the Season in Style
Start streaming Hocus Pocus and get out the pumpkin carving tools. As soon as that wind shifts and the temperatures turn, it’s all about fall — at least for some people. If your drink of choice is a PSL even when it’s still 80 degrees outside, and you’ve watched every Halloweentown movie multiple times, it only makes sense that you take your love for the season right out to your own porch and front door. After all, your front door is the place where you’ll soon be greeting throngs of trick-or-treaters, and it’s a great way to set the scene for autumnal gatherings with friends.
Whether you decide to go classic and stylish or modern and unexpected, there really is no wrong way to decorate your front door for fall. But if you need some extra inspiration, these 12 entries are sure to put a spell on you.
1. Spooky meets seasonal
Spooky ghost? Check. Fall wreath that can stay up after October 31? Check. Cheeky witch decoration? Check. Mums lining the stairsteps? Check. Photographer Belkis Hull’s home’s entrance is a case study in classic Halloween decor that’s not too much and not too little — a blend of spooky and simply seasonal. I love the whimsical bird-cage pendant light that helps to pull everything together. On Halloween night, you could even set a candle or a paper bat in there for trick-or-treaters to marvel at.
2. Muted minimalism
This more muted palette by home blogger Judy Dill definitely says fall — just in a whisper. Her DIY wreath “is an easy way to ease into fall decor without going all in,” she writes on her blog. You can shop the look from places like Pottery Barn or Amazon, but Dill made her wreath with neutral-colored dried botanicals, a grapevine wreath base, wire, and wire cutters. It looks great with her warm pinkish white front door painted in Benjamin Moore’s Olympic Mountains (971). Who says white isn’t a fall color?!
3. Variation on a classic
You can also vary things up by playing with placement of items like wreaths, garlands, pumpkins, and more. For instance, this front entrance at photographer and DIYer Katelyn Cash’s home features a wreath hung halfway down the door, which adds some unexpected visual interest. The jet-black color of the wreath pops against the mustard yellow paint (Magnolia Home’s Brushed Clay), too. The mums additionally set the scene for fall — as does the Hocus Pocus-themed door mat, of course.
4. Bold botanicals
A lot of times when people go BIG with their front door decor in September and October, that means 50-foot skeletons, glow-in-the-dark gravestones, pumpkin or jack-o’-lantern arches, and all things maximalist for Halloween. But how spectacular is this autumnal door arch by Melanie Lissack Interiors? It’s sure to make passersby stop in their tracks all throughout fall. If you don’t want to DIY yours, like Lissack did, consider sourcing a floral (or faux floral) arch from a wedding website or Etsy.
5. Plenty of pumpkins
For another arch idea, consider making one entirely out of faux pumpkins. There’s a reason why bins and bins of them are at Michael’s this time of year, and you can put them to work by following this DIY from Kaycie of @GreyBirchDesigns.
6. Loads of lanterns
Staggering some black lanterns on stairsteps looks spot-on for Halloween and aesthetically-pleasing, as interior designer and founder of Nest Studio Jessica Davis proves through her front porch. This is a nice simple option if you don’t want to mess with carving pumpkins or planting mums. You can find large lanterns from Pottery Barn, Terrain, or Walmart to get a similar look.
7. Pastels for spooky season
Maybe you like to get off-the-beaten path for your fall decor, and you want to shy away from traditional hues. For this, we’ll recommend a splash of pastels for your front door, witnessed through this DIY pumpkin wreath made by Chelsea of Lovely Indeed. The pastel pinks look lovely against the yellow backdrop.
8. Batty accents
Create an Instagram-ready front porch with all the on-trend Halloween essentials: a flock of flying bats, a DIY fall wreath, and a way-too-cute doormat. I like how blogger At Home with Natalie’s bats are arranged asymmetrically around her front door; they look like they’re in-flight.
9. A jewel-toned gem
Wouldn’t it be great if you could swap out your front door color for each season? Instead, opt for a color that will look its very best in your favorite season — like fall. A jewel-toned purple looks slightly moody and just plum perfect for autumn — no other decor necessary. Blogger Andreea Cristina lucked out with her purple front door color; it was chosen by the housing complex. If you’re looking for something similar, try Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal (No.222), Behr’s Majestic Orchid (PPU1-17), or Benjamin Moore’s Elderberry Wine (CSP-470).
10. Year-round orange and black
You could also go with a black and orange color scheme for your front door, á la Sophie and Luke Doyle. The neon coral-y orange around their iron front door, sourced from a salvage yard, looks great all year long. The incorporation of blues and greens makes this setup feel seasonless, but during October, you could double down on the orange and black if you want to amp it up.
11. Candy-colored skulls
Halloween’s a holiday that’s all about fun (and candy), so this candy-colored skull wreath, though it’s a bit more cheery than most Halloween decor, is actually unexpectedly perfect. Kelly of DIY, I’m Home had just painted her front door periwinkle (Farrow & Ball’s Lulworth Blue (No. 89) and decided sherbet-colored skulls would match better than anything black or orange. She spray painted tiny toy skulls from Target in pastel colors and then attached them to an MDF wreath ring. Juxtaposing something spooky with soft, pretty colors like Kelly did will add a bit of whimsy to your fall front door.
12. Gourd-geous doormat
Lastly, take the pumpkin out of the patch and display it on your front porch — in the form of an adorable doormat, that is. The gals at The Merrythought DIYed theirs, but you can shop for similar at Amazon, Target, or Kirkland’s — all for under $30.