Make a Romantic and Inviting Oasis with DIY Outdoor Fall Decor

Cheap and Easy DIY Outdoor Fall Decor Ideas 

Who says the end of summer means you must move all your entertaining and relaxing back inside? We are here with some great tips for making your backyard cozy, comfy, and beautiful for fall with some cheap and easy DIY outdoor fall decor ideas.

Fall is a bittersweet time for us. The end of warm, lazy summer days is a bit sad, but we do love the change in colors and the increased cozy factor that cooler temperatures bring. We also love entertaining outside in the fall, meaning stylish outdoor fall decorations are a must-have in our spaces.

In this post, we have collected a few fun ways to put the fall season center stage in your outdoor living spaces that won’t cost you much at all.

We’ve also included affordable fall porch decor ideas, tips, and tricks for setting up a beautiful fall backyard too.

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Curb Appeal: DIY Outdoor Fall Decor

Let’s talk about some great front porch ideas first. Your front porch is great for letting your fall creativity run wild! Here are our best ideas for bringing autumnal elements to this part of your outdoor space.

First, your front door. If you have been following us for a while, you will know that we love a beautiful painted front door. This is a very simple thing to change out, so if you just aren’t feeling inspired this season, maybe it’s your plain white door holding you back.

Now, add some doorway accessories:

• You can switch out your summer doormat with all the bright colors for something neutral that won’t take away from the fall colors.
• Try a good door wreath for another amazing fall touch. This could be a grapevine wreath with fall florals or faux fall foliage, or you could really lean into fall as the harvest season like Jodie did and put up a wreath of gorgeous faux ripe apples. Or what about beautiful ripe corn cobs? A wreath is a great way to change your decor from one season to the other quickly, and it’s one of those easy DIY projects if you want to make your own. 
• Add easy drama with these 4′ real life artificial maple trees. They are so realistic, and you can use them inside or out. We love the fact that you can reuse them every year. Add them to your favorite pots and voila.

Shop this gorgeous 5′ Fall Maple Tree shown above.

Shop stunning fall foliage topiaries just like Jodie has on her front porch.

 

How to Keep Your Fall Mums Alive

We love flowers when it comes to outdoor decorating ideas, and the front porch is a perfect place for a good flower display. We both love displaying a few pots of mums in the fall, a beautiful and traditional fall flower.

If you are a mums fan like us and want to make your flowers last for the whole season, check out Jodie’s Instagram tutorial. It all comes down to making sure they stay hydrated, and we have found that soaking them is a much better way to achieve this than just watering from the top. 

Finally, your front steps are a great place to incorporate more DIY outdoor call decor and design elements for a truly warm welcome to your guests. Besides flowers, you can arrange:

• real pumpkins (or faux pumpkins, it doesn’t matter),
• small gourds,
• straw bales, and
• anything to do with ripe corn is also a lovely fall addition to a front step. You can also try incorporating corn stalks as part of a DIY floral arrangement.

How to Decorate the Front Porch for Fall for Cheap?

There is no reason to buy expensive materials to achieve the looks we have described here. The dollar store or craft store will sell most of what you need. Your local grocery store will be selling a variety of gourds and pumpkins at this time of year, and when you’re done displaying these vegetables, you can make them into pies or casseroles. It doesn’t get much more affordable than that.

The best way to save money when creating DIY outdoor fall decor? Turn to nature! Think about going for a walk and collecting supplies for a wreath, such as:

• fall leaves in a variety of shapes and colors, 
• pinecones,
• branches, 
• cut flowers.

And as always, look for ways to repurpose and reuse things around your house. Can you swap out the old faux florals on the wreath you purchased last year for a whole new look for less? Switch the front door mat to the back door and vice versa for a refresh that costs nothing. Be creative; you will find many low-cost ways to decorate your space.

How Can I Decorate the Outside of My House for Fall?

Now that we have covered the front porch ideas, let’s not stop there. Sometimes people forget that our backyards can be decorated and cozy too. If you have some space for seating on a back porch or backyard deck or patio area (or hammock), you have the perfect place to enjoy a little bit of outdoor fall entertaining.

Shop Jodie’s recommendation for a comfy and sturdy backyard hammock.

And don’t forget the all-important hammock tree straps she used to attach her hammock to her trees.

(Shown below and featured in the photos.)

This next section will cover the best DIY outdoor fall decor to get your backyard ready for comfortable entertaining when the days are shorter and cooler. 

Use Lighting to Level Up Your DIY Outdoor Fall Decor

Let’s talk about lighting. The days are shorter in fall, which means that more of your evening backyard entertaining is going to happen in the dark. To make things cozy, we suggest upping your lighting game.

• Fairy lights in mason jars are a great way to add some magic to your back porch or deck.
• Candles add a rustic feel to any decor style and are also a great way to increase the cozy factor.
• Place a tall pillar candle in a beautiful outdoor lantern, or make it part of a coffee table centerpiece. 

We also cannot stress enough how much we love string lights, and how much we think they add to a nice backyard setup.

If you don’t have a gazebo or set of convenient trees where a string light setup is obvious, never fear! We have an easy tutorial for setting up your string lights almost anywhere. String lights are a great way to define your backyard space and create a cozy and romantic atmosphere. 

Texture and warmth

Once your lighting is sorted out, it’s time to look at other ways to make your space inviting and comfortable. And let’s face it, WARM. 

Fall evenings can be chilly, and you don’t want yourself or your guests shivering out on the porch. A throw blanket here and there on every piece of furniture and lots of pillows that go with your fall color scheme are great ways to make your space welcoming.

Shop our Amazon Fall Decor Shop here for our favorite selections we know you’ll love.

Make sure you layer different fabrics and textures to create a cozy space. If you don’t want to purchase a whole bunch of throws, why not make one or two? You can follow our easy tutorial for an easy arm knitting throw with chunky yarn that would be a perfect addition to any backyard couch. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book or a glass of wine under a warm blanket you knit yourself.

You can save 10% when you use our code TWINS10 to shop a variety of yarn. Or shop the most lovely throws in the industry and save again with the same code. Larissa is your go-to source for tutorials, advice, all kinds of high-quality yarn, and the most luxurious throws you can imagine. Find it all in one spot. (She made the one I’m wrapped in below.)

Ready to save on the best outdoor candles (with moving-flame technology)? Use our code JULIETHEDESIGNTWINS10 to save now. Our coupon applies to everything on their website. So many gorgeous and unique candles for all seasons and that will last you for many years to come.

DIY Outdoor Fall Decor: How to Create Beautiful Spaces 

Another way to make your backyard cozy and inviting is to create smaller spaces that feel defined with clear boundaries. 

A set of string lights overhead sets the mood. Mums, pumpkins, a straw bale or two, and some straw underfoot create a finished look to draw you in. And, of course, a cozy throw blanket and pillow in the hammock itself completes the whole thing. Who wouldn’t want to cozy up in this hammock space right now? This technique also works for a front porch seating area or an outdoor dining or living room area.

If you don’t have a hammock but now wish you did, setting one up is really not that hard to do if you have the right instructions.

What are DIY Outdoor Fall Decor Must Haves?

I hope we’ve shown you that it really isn’t that difficult to decorate the outside of your home for fall. Whether you are sprucing up your front porch or backyard space, the list of items is essentially the same: 

• Fall-related decor items such as gourds, pumpkins (don’t forget about white pumpkins), corn stalk arrangements, and fall foliage.
• Lights: Twinkly fairy lights, string lights, candles, and lanterns will all give you the right effect.
• Textiles: Make sure your outdoor seating is full of cozy throw blankets and pillows in different colors and textures.
• Dedicated, obvious spaces for relaxing outdoors.

What is the Easiest Way to Decorate for Fall?

The easiest way to decorate for fall is to look around your house inside to see what you could use outside. Shop around your home because you may be able to put together a lovely assortment of decor and seasonally appropriate throws and pillows to use in your outdoor oasis.

When you’re hosting outdoors in the fall, you can also take all that lovely styled decor you have on the inside of your house and temporarily move it to your outdoor patio furniture.

We hope we’ve given you some easy inspiration to DIY your outdoor fall decor this season. You can’t go wrong with the right lighting, blankets, and decor items. Are you proud of your porch or patio decor this fall? Tag us on Instagram with a photo; we’d love to see it.