Welcome, friends! Fall is the perfect season for cozying up at home, and I’m excited to join a talented group of bloggers for a seasonal tour to share inspiration. Today I’m showing a simple porch project we recently finished at our current home. It doesn’t include a single pumpkin yet, but the result feels so much fresher—I’m delighted with how it turned out.
If you’re new here, I’d love for you to join The Inspired Room blog and Instagram for the annual Fall Nesting series. I’m extra excited this year because we’re moving to a charming little island house soon—such a cozy place to curl up by the fire. I can’t wait to share it with you!
I find the transition weeks between the last warm days of summer and the cool of fall are ideal for squeezing in a few home projects. It’s a great time to clean, refresh, paint, and tackle outdoor jobs you’d rather avoid once colder weather arrives. While adding pumpkins and seasonal décor is fun, I usually wait until October for that.
This month is perfect for updates that make a big impact without much fuss. Even tasks like hanging holiday lights while summer flowers are still blooming can pay off later—your December self will thank you for preparing ahead.
Our exterior improvements have been a bit like the “give a mouse a cookie” story—one change led to another. Over the years we’ve painted the exterior, installed a new Dutch door, added an outdoor lantern for seasonal styling, and this summer we repainted the Dutch door a cheerful blue. We also added a bunny door knocker to give the entry more personality.
With fall approaching and our house on the market, I wanted to check one final exterior project off our list: painting the concrete on our porch and steps. The difference is dramatic—the porch looks fresh and inviting. We’d been hoping to do this for years, so it felt great to finally get it done at the right time.
If you’ve been considering painting a front porch, now is an excellent time. A fresh coat of porch paint instantly brightens the entry, feels welcoming through the holidays, and creates a clean backdrop for fall and winter décor.
For our porch we used Benjamin Moore Floor and Patio Paint in Ozark Shadows—the same shade used on the inside of our Dutch door. The exterior of the door is painted Blue Suede Shoes by Benjamin Moore, and our brick is Reserved White by Sherwin Williams. More paint colors used throughout our home are listed on the blog.
After the porch was painted, I enjoyed updating the lantern with fall flowers. The lantern is an easy, stylish way to change seasonal décor. I usually refresh it every week or two—using fresh flowers, greenery, or seasonal pieces. This time I used faux flowers so the display would stay fresh-looking for a few months while we list the house.
For a simple and budget-friendly tweak, we turned the black porch post into a trellis for a climbing vine. We placed a pot at the base, planted a vine, and began training it upward. It’s an inexpensive, clever way to add interest without a major project. Many small makeovers can be accomplished by reusing what you already have.
What fall projects or decor are you planning or excited to work on around your home?
Thanks for stopping by—let’s keep in touch!
Follow along on Instagram and check the blog for updates and more seasonal ideas.