It's easy to create instant curb appeal in autumn, when half the work is done for you by nature. Your front door is already looking good, framed by fall foliage, colorful leaves on the stoop, and a low slant of sunlight. Add a judiciously placed pumpkin or two for a Halloween tableau that can stay on the job next month as Thanksgiving holiday decor.
We've rounded up 13 of our favorite Halloween-to-Thanksgiving looks. Here's how to add curb appeal with pumpkins above a door, on a stoop, in a window box, or edging a walkway:
Above a Door:
Above: Pumpkins in the same shades as the orange leaves on nearby trees sit above a door on Martha's Vineyard. Photograph via Susan Branch.
Above: Against a black facade, orange pumpkins pop. Photograph by Katy Elliott.
Above: In Marblehead, MA, a row of identical tiny pumpkins greets visitors. Photograph by Katy Elliott.
On a stoop:
Above: Orange and black complement an Edith Wharton-era brownstone in New York City. Photograph via The Pink Pagoda.
Above: Accompanied by a single pumpkin, a Halloween witch's cauldron spews fiery flowers (bright orange bittersweet, wispy grasses, and purple violas) on a Brooklyn stoop. Photograph by Erin Boyle.
Above: Yellow doors, orange pumpkin on a New York City stoop. Photograph via The Cherry Blossom Girl.
Above: A pumpkin complements the orange shades in a black window box in Brooklyn Heights. Photograph by Erin Boyle.
Above: A trio of tiny pumpkins echo autumn leaf colors in the yard. Photograph via I Heart New England.
Above: Less is more. One pumpkin plus one witch's broom on a Kentucky stoop. Photograph via A Fine Farmhouse.
In a Window Box:
Above: Sneak preview (can you spot the tiny pumpkins?). Photograph by Douglas Lyle Thompson for Gardenista.
Coming next week: Barbara heads to Brooklyn Heights (a neighborhood that takes the spooky season very seriously) and discovers more ideas for creating instant Halloween Curb Appeal.
Above: Pumpkins and gourds fill a window box outside a potting shed. Add a few branches with orange berries, and you're done. Photograph by Sandi Boothman via Flickr.
On a Walkway:
Above: Symmetry, symmetry, symmetry. Mirror image pumpkins and potted mums line a front path. Photograph via Nora Murphy.
Above: White pumpkins look translucent against the gray palette of a gravel walkway. Photograph via Pretty Pink Tulips.
It's never too early to start decorating for Halloween. For more of our favorite ideas, see:
- DIY: A Spooky Black Bouquet
- Design Sleuth: Spooky Planters for Halloween
- 10 Modern Houses Gone to the Dark Side
- It's the Black Watermelon, Charlie Brown
And browse our Halloween archives for a Poisonous Garden, Spicy And Sweet Pumpkin Seeds, and Olivia Rae James' favorite Pumpkin Soup Recipe.
More Stories from Gardenista