• Home
  • Home Decor
    • Fall Decor
    • Painted Furniture
    • Home Tours
    • DIY Projects
  • Holidays & Events
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Patriotic Decor
    • Event Decor
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Reinvented Cottage

We're fixing the place up... apologies for the mess!

Join the Newsletter

Tips · Tricks · Updates Sent right to your inbox

You are here: Home / Home Decor / Fall Home Decor / Fall Porch Tour & How To Decorate A Fall Porch When It’s Freezing Outside?

Fall Porch Tour & How To Decorate A Fall Porch When It’s Freezing Outside?

12:06 pm by Olivia 13 Comments

I’m all about embracing the softer side of autumn,
like what you previously saw in the Fall Home Tour.

but….

Fall decor on my front porch is a little bit different….
for no other reason than because it has to be.

I live just a couple hundred miles from the Arctic Circle, where.
weather conditions include early freezes,
windstorms, rain, and now in October, a blanket of white is due any day now.
Inclement weather isn’t friendly to fresh pumpkins or flowers so
it is pointless to try and force it.

 Fifteen years ago this discouraged me until I realized
that I had to quit looking
at all the ways it was impossible and instead focus on ways it is possible to decorate a porch for fall.

This change of perception made a world of difference
and I’m going to share what I do differently than most bloggers do.

Hopefully, it will be a game changer for those who live in truly cold wintery places.
You know- places like Narnia, Alaska, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconson, Denmark, maybe the Yukon.
Not sure if they even have internet in the Yukon, Canada, yet.
They didn’t even have cell phone signals when I was there a few years ago.
Pretty ideas to decorate for fall outdoors in Alaska where fall can be negative temps.

Decorating Fall Porches In Cold States Ideas

 

Decorating a fall porch with a wrought iron bench when it is freezing outside

First things first- Let’s Talk About Outdoor Furniture

My front porch is covered but that doesn’t mean it stays dry or clean.
Far from it!
A solid bench, iron or wood, is much easier to keep clean than cushioned furniture.

If I didn’t already have a bench that I love,
I would most definitely choose one these for my front porch.

Take a look-
(affiliate link)
Outdoor Romance Bench
Patio Garden Bench

Fall Porch Tour -How To Decorate a Fall Porch In Cold States Like Alaska

 

The photo above is not fabulous,
but it gives you an idea what the size and shape of my front porch is like.
It has more of a farmhouse style, with steps leading up to
three tiered levels before reaching the front door.

Let’s hope Santa brings me the lens
I’ve been wishing for. It will help for these types of wider angle photos.
I don’t do any photoshopping to my photos.
It’s kind of what you see is what you get with me.

Non traditional Fall Color Ideas and inspiration, using rugs on porch why not
What Items Soften An Outdoor Space & Are Functional In Wet Autumn/Winter Weather

The gray plaid throw and faux fur rug add coziness and warmth to this outdoor space.

The pillows are for added comfort on the
chilly 28- degree mornings that we have had the past few weeks.

They certainly help keep the backside a bit warmer.
“Sitting on a cold bench waiting for the pups sounds like fun,” said no one, ever!

Definitely, include a warm blanket or two and a couple of pillows.
The pillows are just a few older ones that I had on hand.
I purchased this throw at Joannes.
It isn’t available online,  but I found one almost dentical to mine.

(affiliate link)
Lifestyle Plaid Throw

Fall Porch Decor Inspiration | Non-traditional Fall Color Ideas
Shoosh! The Outdoor Rug Has A Secret

This is my Sebastian. He’s like finding Waldo in so many of the photos I take.
You can be certain that every rug or blanket laid out is just for him!

My dirty little secret about the area rug is it isn’t really a rug at all.

It’s a large cut of fabric that I folded over
and used to help define the space.

I found one that looks identical to my knock-off version.

(affiliate)
Faux Fur Rug
Dog is unavailable but agrees with purchases of rugs.

 

Black Faux Fur Rug On Porch | Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas

White pumpkins are great for fall porch decor but in freezing states you may fake onesJust trying to be creative with my photography in this photo.
Decorating A Northern Climate Porch For Fall Is Simple With These Tips From Olivia | Reinvented Collection

How To Use Faux Flowers Outdoors

Instead of fresh flowers I use silk ones mixed in with interesting textural pieces
like the triple stacked pumpkin pick and the round balls that are Lord only knows what.

Your guess is as good as mine on that.
They were things I had on hand along with the greenery.

Everything else was purchased at Joannes Fabric.

Fall Flower Arrangement In An Urn For The Porch - unique modern fall decorating ideas

Mix in a variety of textures and add varying levels of height.

I used hydrangeas, some berry sprays, and amaranthus.
In the center, I poked in a few weathered branches for a bit of a rustic look.

The key to using faux flowers outdoors is to use them sparingly in 1-2 pots.
This keeps the eyes moving around and makes any obvious imperfections far less noticeable.

What not to do is plop a few silk bushes into an urn or a pot
and not accessorize by adding in some other elements.
That’s not a good look.
It’s always a dead giveaway that the flowers are fake.
The next best give away is when snow hits the ground.
Ya, that’s real obvious then, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Purple Fall Flowers for your porch in cold states and months

Why Faux Pumpkins Are A Must

Just like fresh flowers, those don’t last once those temps dip below freezing.
White ones will get brown spots. Other varieties turn black.
It’s not a good look.
Don’t even try to use them once temps get in the 30’s.

All the larger pumpkins are faux.
All were painted a creamy white except for the large
Funkin Pumpkin next to the bench. I mixed a custom color just for that gal.

Earlier in the season, prior to freezing temps,
I will mix in a few real pumpkins but it’s not something I splurge on.

In our good favor, the fakes are becoming more and more realistic looking.
The Funkin Pumpkin is my favorite so far!
(affiliate link)
Faux Pumpkin

How To Decorate A Fall Porch When It's Freezing Outside?
Here I used an old candle jar and wrapped it in a bit of jute for a little bit of texture.

How to use faux pumpkins outdoors plus add jute around a candle for rustic charm
On my front door, I hung this wreath that I also found at Joann’s.
The photo on their website is not an accurate depiction of what the wreath looks like.

Take a look at the Blooming Autumn Flower Wreath.

Am I imagining things here?

For someone, a blogger who doesn’t do photoshop or know the first thing about it,
I think my photo is much better at showing how this pretty wreath really looks.

The only thing I added is the green and white berry picks.
It definitely looked a little sparse in areas.
I also added a pretty green ribbon to string it up.

Now here I’m going to share another tip….
I duct taped it to the top of my door.
Not in a visible area!
It’s at the very tip-top of my door.

I’m so redneck sometimes.
Lol
Just for the sake of it….
I’m including an affiliate for Duct Tape.
Every woman needs that in their emergency design kits & for redneck wreath hanging.

(affiliate link)
Good Old Duct Tape

Unique fall wreath ideas with tones of ivory and pink purple for your front door
Close Up Details Of Fall Wreath Using Untraditional Colors - unique fall wreath ideas
Pin This Graphic

 There Are Fantastic Ideas for how to decorate a fall porch in cold climates! No fresh pumpkins or flowers. Worth the read

There are ways to give your porch a fall style that go beyond fresh blooming flowers
and heirloom pumpkins that are commonly seen all over Pinterest and amongst bloggers.

 I’ve covered all my tips and shared what I do to make it work for the state I live in.
My ideas and what I do aren’t going to be ideal for everyone.

If I lived back in Texas, a state that allowed me to keep fresh flowers
lingering outside a bit longer or anywhere that the price of fresh pumpkins
wasn’t 80¢ per pound, things would be decorated quite different.

But no one should feel as if they should forgo
adding a fall touch to outdoor areas simply because the weather doesn’t permit
or out of fear of the banter from truculent biddies.

Create that cozy fall porch and have fun experimenting.
Create a look that makes your heart full of joy and welcomes your loved ones into your home.

In case you missed it,
you keep the inspiration coming by clicking the photos below and visiting some of my other posts.
Fall Home Tour 2016 & Fall Porch Tour

Jewel Tone Fall Decor

 This week I will be joining these blogs:

French Country Cottage | Shabbylicious Friday

Filed Under: Fall Home Decor, Home Tours

the PAST
the FUTURE

Comments

  1. Rebeca says

    at 8:32 am

    Olivia! You are hilarious!!! Your porch looks amazing!!! I love that due temperature challenges, you have to think out of the box! The good news is Christmas should be a piece of cake!! Great job! I’m swooning over your photos! Glad Sebastian likes the rug! Too funny, my dogs end up in my shots just like where’s Waldo also!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      at 9:30 am

      Ha ha. These dogs of ours are so like finding Waldo. They crack me up! I just love them all so much. As for the porch…… To be perfectly honest, it drives me crazy that I can’t use anything fresh. I would love to be able to but fresh pumpkins turn to mush and get this weird translucent thing going on. Then there’s the price issue. If and when I do find real heirloom pumpkins up here they always cost upwards of $30 per one pumpkin. Even the Cinderella white ones run about $5 each. Baby Boos are $1-2.99 each.

      Christmas is a cinch but there’s negative temps to contend with too. Sometimes I decorate the porch and other times I don’t. It all depends on how I feel. ha ha.

      I can’t wait to see your home tour! I just love your pretty yellow cottage so much. It’s cute and elegant all rolled into one nice package.

      Reply
  2. Naomi S. says

    at 6:29 pm

    The bench with blanket and pillows is a nice idea and I love all the white faux pumpkins. The faux flowers add just the right touch of color and the wreath on the door is absolutely beautiful. And I am usually very critical of faux botanicals. All in all, an inviting fall porch.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      at 5:05 pm

      Thank you, Naomi. I’m not always a fan of faux flowers either but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Ha ha. They work in small quanitites here and there.

      Thank you for stopping by.

      Reply
  3. Doris says

    at 2:14 am

    Love this idea! Cozy porch and a cup of hot chocolate – what else do you need? 😉 Autumn is definitely the best season for interior decor lovers.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      at 2:27 pm

      I completely agree with you on all counts, Doris. It truly is the best time of year. Thank you for stopping by. 😀

      Reply
  4. Nikki Gwin says

    at 5:54 pm

    Olivia, your porch decor is divine! This was very interesting reading. I live in Alabama and have the total opposite weather. I can’t have pumpkins outside because they rot too quickly. And I can’t have fresh greenery for Christmas because its just too hot. And the thing I am most interested in are the pillows and blanket…. mine blow away! Do you tie or duct tape them down too?? I lost a brand new wreath the first week we were in our house. LOL
    I love your door and the wreath is perfect on it. And Sebastian is gorgeous!
    🙂 gwingal

    Reply
  5. FLORENCE L SALMER says

    at 3:17 pm

    Hey Olivia! I love your big roomy porch and your dog, and your faux rug! Can’t believe the pumpkin is faux too…it looks so real! Are you able to paint when the weather gets cold or do you have to wait for warmer temps? You’ve worked with what you have and you’ve made it look great!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      at 3:25 pm

      Hi Florence,
      Thank you so much. I can paint indoors or in the garage during the winter but any outdoor projects have to wait until late spring and summer. The porch is due for a much-needed coat of paint too. It’s too cold to paint those raw beams of wood now. I lagged and now I’m going to have to deal with it all winter long. Oh well, it’ll give me something to blog about later. Ha ha. Thanks for stopping by. oxo

      Reply
  6. alexis says

    at 9:59 pm

    Your porch is beautiful! All the little details and I’d never know any of those flowers or pumpkins weren’t real-and honestly I could care less if they’re real or not-they’re beautiful! Great tips!

    Reply
  7. Pat says

    at 3:17 pm

    Hi Olivia! Trying this again…I left you a terribly flattering comment on the Fall Home Tour post but it went into cyberspace and I never saw it printed but it was a good one believe me. I loved reading about Alaska and your unique decorating challenges. Alaska is number one on my Bucket List. Someday, I’ll surprise you and knock on your door. Love your great dog and your writing style. I’d love to invite you to visit me at Bringing French Country Home. Stay warm! Pat

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      at 10:01 am

      Oh no! That is so frustrating! I looked through the comments to see if I had missed approving one. It is empty. I wonder if maybe I was updating a typo at the exact time you hit send. I read everything numerous times before hitting publish and I still catch typos even weeks later.

      I’m so happy to hear you enjoy reading about Alaska. It really is a beautiful state but there are some definite challenges living here. I have done some traveling, Yukon, Canada is even more beautiful than it is here. One thing I highly recommend to everyone who doesn’t mind roughing it a bit is to take a drive up the western side of Canada, go through the Yukon, and cross into Alaska from there. I’ve made the drive twice. It isn’t an easy drive but it’s worth it to see all the beauty and wild animals.

      I am very familiar with your blog, Bringing French Country Home. In fact, I believe your fall living room decor was a feature a few weeks ago. I love your blend of rustic with French styles.

      Thank you for the lovely comment. Have a wonderful week.

      Reply
      • Pat says

        at 7:21 pm

        Hi Olivia, Good to hear from you and know that you received my comment. Don’t worry about the lost child; those things happen when you’re dealing with computers. Thanks for the trip suggestions…someday. It would be thrilling to see the Alaska wildlife. Dare I tell you it was 84 degrees here today but the leaves in Denver have finally caught up with the mountains and it is so beautiful against that cobalt blue sky. Have a great week.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello

Welcome

My name is Olivia

Look here

Search Cottage Categories

French cottage fall home decorFall

Home Tour

Read More

Autumn

Dining Table

See More!

DIY

Tasty Delight

 

reinventedcollection.com

 

The Links

  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Social Page

The Cottage

French Eclectic

Design

 Decor

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join the Newsletter

Just two more sleeps until Christmas is here. Is y Just two more sleeps until Christmas is here. Is your gift wrapping done or are you a procastinate until Christmas Eve type of person? .
.
.  #fancyfarmhousefriday
@mrs.simplyfancy  #farmhousefrenchfriday
@thefrenchmarketplace  #myfavpicfriday
@julie.thedesigntwins .
.
..
.
..
..
.
#timetodecorate #aholidayfarmhouse #christmasgarland #holidaystyle #keepcalmandlovechristmas #bhgcelebrate #decoratefortheseason #merryandbright #lovingmyholidaydecor #holidaycheer #christmasbedroom #refineddesigns #countryliving #cottagestyle 
#countrycottage  #mycottagefarmhouse #realhomesofig #myhousebeautiful
#howyouhome #homestylinginspo
Today kicks of It's A Wonderful House Christmas Ho Today kicks of It's A Wonderful House Christmas Home Tours. 🎄 19 super Fab bloggers are decking their halls with me this week on the blog. This one from @larissa_jenkins is featured on my blog. The link is in my profile. 
Today's stories have a peek at the tours from today. 
Tomorrow I'll be back  to share Tuesdays group with you. Now I'm off to get a few areas of my own home all twinkly and cozy too. ❤️ .
.
.
.
.
.  #christmas #christmashometours #holidaydecor #deckingthehalls  #WowUsHolidayDecor ##christmasstyle #christmasdecor #holidaydecor #deckingthehalls #christmastablescape #interiordesign#romantichomes #romanticliving #frenchcountry #victoriandecor #frenchchristmas #welchhouse
Today I'm working on photos for Halloween/Fall hom Today I'm working on photos for Halloween/Fall home tour that goes live tomorrow. There's a big group of fabulous bloggers joining in on the fun so stay tuned to stories for peeks at the home of those who are joining. There's going to be so much inspiration for you to enjoy. 😍 Hiho  hiho  back to work I go. 😊 .
.
.
.
.
#wowusfalldecor #Falldecorating #hauntinglybeautiful #hauntinglybeautifuldecor #fallingforfall #Autumndecor #romantichomesmagazine #mybhg #interiorinspo  #romanticliving  #Frenchfarmhouse #halloweendecor #cottagestyle #falldecor #falldecorations #myseasonalhome #bloggerstyle #desireofmyheartdecor #styledshelvessunday  #driedflowers #frenchcountrycottagestyle #booksindecor
I'm missing the fresh pears in my little shelves a I'm missing the fresh pears in my little shelves and am already itching for a change in the Halloween decor. Does anyone else constantly change their seasonal decor once fall hours? Granted we do have an extremely long fall season. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.  #wowusfalldecor #fallfordecor  #falldecorating #sensationalseasons  #fallintoautumn  #howyouholiday  #falldecorating 
#slowlyfallintofall 
#myharvesthome #harvesthometuesday #myharvesthome
#fallisintheair
#myfavpicfall #mybhg 
#howyouhome #inspire_me_home_decor #abmathome #mysouthernstyle #myhousebeautiful #instadecor #interiorforinspo #interior_and_living #interior4you
#countrycottage 
#housebeautiful
#howyouhome
As I was looking through older photos I found this As I was looking through older photos I found this one. Isn't it a bit cray-cray how we forget some little something-something that we did and loved but don't recall that little something? Are ya following me in all this fractured gibberish? 🤣 Well, the stacked baskets are that little something-something I loved and totally forgot about. I also forgot that I had every intention on giving these baskets a new finish. They're a bit too orangey don't you think? This is from last year's fall home tour. If you're still going fall decor strong in your home, you can still get inspiration for it by clicking the link in my profile. The season has changed here in The Last Frontier and it's too gray out for my liking so all things twinkle and wintery is starting this evening. 🎄❤️.
.
. .
These are the hosts of tags I'm joining today if ya'll are looking for a spot to join_  #fancyfarmhousefriday
@mrs.simplyfancy  #farmhousefrenchfriday
@thefrenchmarketplace  #myfavpicfriday
@julie.thedesigntwins
.
.
.
#homedecor #autumndecorating #decoratingforfall 
#wowusfalldecor #fallinlovedecor  #falldecorating #autumndecor #fallstyle #bhgcelebrate #fall2017 #autumn2017 #falldecorations #mycozyfallhome
#myfavpicfall #basketfridayfrenzy #frenchfarmhouse
This pretty porch is my friend Angelina's @petiteh This pretty porch is my friend Angelina's @petitehaus. Is that door not magnificent? Just a few wreaths and a pop of color are perfect Christmas attire. She has a beautiful French farmhouse and tons of Christmas trees to see this year. ❤️. #swoonworthysaturday
.
.
. .
.
#WowUsHolidayDecor #christmasdecorations  #christmaswreath #christmasporch  #holidayready #frenchfarmhousechristmas #christmasmood #christmashometour #holidaytime #festiveseason #bloggerstyle #deckingthehalls #keepcalmandlovechristmas #aholidayfarmhouse

Copyright © 2021 · Reinvented Cottage· Hello You Designs