It's Not Too Late to Decorate: Minimalist Fall Decor

No need to go all-out with autumn decorations. Nod to the season with just a few well-placed pumpkins and flowers

Alison Hodgson October 21, 2013

Houzz Contributor. Author of The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home http://alisonhodgson.net

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Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love to take in all the beauty of this time of year, whether it's natural or cultivated. But it always goes so fast. Between the rush of back to school, a plethora of family birthdays in September and an annual conference for me and a trip overseas for my husband in October, we often look up surprised to find it's November.

Premier Service

Sometimes more really is more, like with this undulating border of mums and ornamental kale.

Mary Prince Photography

I would love to go all out with fall planting if I only had a staff as well as thousands of dollars in my fall gardening budget. Darn it all!

As much as I love fall plantings and decor, I often find myself at a nursery or a farmer's market feeling overwhelmed as I try to figure out what I need and how much it's going to cost.

At my old house I had things figured out: cornstalks tied to the front posts, a scattering of pumpkins at the base and a couple of mums flanking the front door. It looked great. Our first fall in the new house, we were in the middle of landscaping, and I didn't even try to do anything on the porches.

Alison Hodgson

Last year I decided that was it. Early in September I visited an orchard with the kids and bought two pumpkins that were almost a matched set. I brought them home and temporarily set them by my front door on a couple of overturned pails. The flash of orange against the austere white and black of my entry was beautiful, and I couldn't wait to add some flowers.

Alison Hodgson

At a local nursery, I showed the owner pictures of my front porch and the galvanized washtubs I wanted to use as planters. After a bit of playing around we settled on three mums, an ornamental kale and an ornamental grass for each tub. The pumpkins would be tucked in the front corner of the tubs, with the kale falling over them.

Alison Hodgson

They looked beautiful and lasted the rest of the season. And yet I was surprised to realize, as pretty as they were, I didn't get that same delight I had pulling into my driveway and seeing just the two pumpkins.

This year has been especially busy, and I decided to keep things simple. I kept my eyes open for another pair of pumpkins (curling stems were imperative!). As soon as I found two I liked, I set them on their quasipedastals and have been enjoying them for weeks.

Last week I took two of my children to the apple orchard, and they brought home enormous pumpkins. We set them on the back porch, where we can see them through the French doors and admire them all day long. Four pumpkins are the extent of my fall decorating, and I couldn't be happier.

Perhaps you've had a busy season too and have been tempted to write off decorating, thinking it's too late to do anything. I hope you'll be inspired by how the smallest touches can do so much regardless of your home's size or style.

Julie Ranee Photography

On this front porch you can see the hand of a maximalist clearly at work — this homeowner didn't skip anything.

Julie Ranee Photography

But if you pull in tight and focus on the front door, you'll see that the summer planters, the cornstalks, the pumpkins and the wreath are a lovely combination. Even if you skipped the sunflower swag and everything else on the porch, it would still look great.

You may be surprised to see how far just a little goes, regardless of the size and style of home.

Rikki Snyder

Two large mums, plus one medium mum, plus two small pumpkins and a scattering of leaves equals a perfect fall porch.

Banyon Tree Design Studio

Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio

This house and the one above it couldn't be more different, but with both just a few pumpkins on the steps are all that's needed to bring a bit of fall beauty.

David Sharff Architect, P.C.

My default would be to place this pair of mums on either side of the steps or flanking the front door, but on an angle at the end of this bench looks just right.

Rikki Snyder

The large hanging basket with the exuberant porch planter and the ornate architecture is beautiful. The simple addition of matching mums and pumpkins is surprisingly perfect.

The Yellow Cape Cod

The enormous mum and huge planter may not qualify as simple, but this is one of my favorite looks, and it can be easily replicated: one large mum — it doesn't have to be this big — another small mum, a tower of pumpkins and cornstalks on the pillars. If you have a wreath, good, but skip it if you don't.

Rikki Snyder

Here one small mum, one small pumpkin and a simple corn swag on the door are so pleasing.

As you can see, smaller mums look just fine; just make sure to match the container with the head of the flowers. The only way to go wrong is with a small mum and a too-large container.