Porch

Fall is the easiest season to decorate a porch. Pumpkins and mums are meant to be outside, so most of the work is arranging them with a bit of thought. And since Christmas lights go up only days after Thanksgiving, several of these ideas are about making the switch easy. Pumpkins Grouped at different heights. Three, five or seven pumpkins on the steps, beside the door, or on an upturned crate. Mix sizes from 6-inch minis to one big 16-inch pumpkin, and mix orange, white and green. Varying the heights is what makes it look arranged rather than dropped off. ...

Porch decorations deal with things the living room never sees: wind, freezing rain, snow, and the occasional ice storm. A wreath that would last all season indoors can be stripped bare by New Year’s outside. Most of the solution is buying the outdoor-rated version of things and fastening everything down properly. The door The right size wreath. Roughly two-thirds the width of the door: 24 inches for a standard 36-inch door, 28 to 30 for double doors. A wreath that’s too big also catches more wind. Outdoor or all-weather wreaths have UV-treated foliage and denser wiring, so gusts don’t strip them. ...