Decorating a front porch for Halloween is one of the most exciting seasonal swaps you'll do. Whether you're a big fan of this spooky holiday or not, the best Halloween porch decorating ideas will entertain your whole family as well as neighbors and, of course, trick-or-treaters.
Sure we tend to go all out on Halloween decorations on the inside of our homes for October 31st, but it's definitely our outdoor Halloween decor that feels like the life and soul of the party. Contrary to what you might expect, your display doesn't need to be over the top to have lots of impact.
Halloween porch decorating ideas
Whether you like to keep your front porch ideas on point in all seasons or if Halloween really is the one time of year that you go to town with ghouls and all, there are lots of different ways to make your holiday look work for your home's style, your taste and budget too.
You can use the exterior walls or your home, your porch seating, even your deck railing to add in simple and spooky Halloween accessories to elevate the front of your house. Don't be afraid to take a DIY approach to your Halloween decoration ideas either as homemade and/or vintage finds are perfect to add character and a little mystery.
1. Round up some mini pumpkins for a pink wreath
If you're looking for Halloween door decoration ideas that aren't so run of the mill –don't go to the store in search of ready-made wreaths – make your own. Mini pumpkin decorating ideas needn't be boring. This pink porch maximizes on style using a few store-bought accessories as a foundation.
Here, Abbey Eilermann, designer and founder of @daily_disco explains how she went about creating a cute ombre-effect ornament.
She says: 'I pretty much just bought some tiny pumpkins from Jo-Ann's and Amazon and painted them. It took a long time to paint but then I hot glued them to the wreath and ta-da.'
'I got the paint from Target, it's just from the craft section - from the Kid Made Modern. They had all the perfect shades so I didn't have to mix them.'
And, just in case you're wondering, Eilermann painted her front door in Behr's Noble Blush, got her 'Boo' tile mat from Letter Folk , her unicorn head was from At Home store and her flamingos from Jo-Ann stores.
2. Minimal and spooky
Adding one key Halloween decoration to your front porch is enough to achieve a balanced and laid-pack look for the holidays. Becky of Daly Digs says 'I was having some guests and I wanted to greet them with a skeleton moment so I pulled out a vintage bench for warmth thought the skeleton would look cute sitting on the bench. My (dying) mums and a few pumpkins finish off the look, along with layered door mats.'
3. Webs of character
A Halloween porch can still be uplifting and Andrea Swenson's porch shows us how. Bright mums teamed with all different shades of pumpkin keep this space super seasonal. While the simple addition of spider webs, scattered bats, a little Halloween signage and a bright white pumpkin-filled wreath subtly nods to the haunted holiday for a light-hearted and stylish scene.
4. Go trad with orange gourds
Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash
Piles of pumpkins around your front door or porch will totally make the most of them. Enhance the scene by weaving in candles or solar-powered lanterns and you're sure to set off the perfect spooky orange glow.
5. Layered bats and ghouls
Joanna Keel of hostessjo.com put this polished looking yet spooky Halloween porch together in way that still complements the outside of her home. The black and white decor goes so well with the house and those mums add a great pop of color to help bring the look together.
If there's one thing that Keel has taught us when it comes to decorating a Halloween porch, it's to have fun with it! Think hanging ghosts, 3D bats on the exterior walls, sign posts and cute spooky cushions for a tiered and slightly haunted yet really quite decorative display. See the full spooky Halloween porch transformation for yourself.
6. Multi-colored pumpkin porch
Chelsea Foy of @lovelyindeed shows us how no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas work best. Display them inside and out for show-stopping and bright Halloween porch display. Foy says 'Rainbow Pumpkin Wreath. Hello, color! The unexpected pops of color in this wreath are perfect for the transition from summer to fall. Colorblock your pumpkins or mix them up for a different effect.' Ideal if you are not one for horror but still keen to make the most of your gourds.
7. The Witchcore porch
Witchcore is the latest Halloween look and it's got pretty spooky vibes to it. To recreate this Halloween porch look, you want to keep things dramatic. Pick up a vintage chandelier for your porch lighting, gather pillar candles and let dried leaves interrupt your display to create a dark and stormy scene as Anna-Lena Lindqvist has done so successfully here.
8. Spiders up the wall
This Halloween porch is sure to spook the kids but what is this holiday without a little fun? Katie Bowen of @theeverestplace says 'I always do a few fall looks every year, and this year we wanted to do a fun Halloween look by adding these fun spiders!' The size and texture of these little beasts makes a statement but combined with the display of neutral and terracotta pumpkins on the deck makes for a pretty stylish finish.
How can I decorate my porch for Halloween?
It's simply a case of swapping classic fall porch decor ideas for more spooky ones. You don't have to get rid of mums or even your door wreath, just consider covering them in a little cobweb for effect. Combining a few spooky decorative items like witches hats, dangling ghosts and stick on bats is sure to create a tiered look. While if you want a minimal but knock-out effect, consider investing in one core feature like a skeleton to prop up on your porch seating.
The experts at Wethrift.com say 'All you have to do is purchase inexpensive traditional black witch hats, tie some string onto them and using removable tape, attach them to the ceiling in your home, or outside on your porch, or you can even hang them from a tree for trick-or-treaters to enjoy.'