Ladder for Front Porch Decor

Now, I know what you are thinking. A ladder? On my front porch for decor? You are going a little loco lady! Let’s just put a big sign on the road that says, “Dear Creepy People,  Please note that I have now made it easier for you to look into my house with this “decor” item I have placed on my front porch. Sincerely, Deranged Homeowner.” 

While I don’t think this is actually going to happen, I definitely have a “don’t leave a ladder anywhere that can be seen from the street” mentality, so this goes against my usual “rule-following” tendencies. Ahem.

What can I say? Seasonal decor makes me throw caution to the wind and go wild and crazy! (Bwahaha- Let me clarify: the craziest I get is a bottle of orange/hot pink nail polish, in which the color is named “Wild One.”)

But truth peeps. I think this little ladder on the porch is a keeper for fall decor. Some might shirk away from the paint splatters, but we will just call that “patina.” It just adds to the rustic charm. 

{This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. Using these links might result in me receiving a small commission, but at absolutely NO cost to you! You can read more about my commitment to transparency, by visiting my Disclosure Statement.}

Vintage Little Step Ladder

I just recently acquired this little gem. (You may have noticed it in last week’s post here.) 

My parents were painting their utility room and getting rid of some things. Among them was this little wooden ladder that had belonged to Grandma and Granddaddy. 

My Dad thought I could do something “crafty” with it, so my parents asked if I wanted it before they got rid of it (bless their hearts). Using it on my porch was IMMEDIATELY what came to my mind when they offered it to me!

Using a Step Stool or Ladder as Fall Decor

If you are like me, you will first need to clean off the chalk on your front porch. While I want to be welcoming to our guests, maybe we can make others feel this way without having to actually write “Welcome” above the top step in chalk?)

Now that the cleaning is taken care of, it’s time for the fun!

Gathering Materials for Fall Porch Decor

Gather the materials you will need. I found the mums for $1 at Walmart. They also had the terra cotta pots there too for 0.77 each. (You can find similar ones here.) They didn’t have any pumpkins in stock yet, so we headed down the street to Trader Joe’s and found these little cuties for 0.69 each. 

Play Around with Placement & Potting Plants

Once you get everything home, play around with placement. Before I potted everything, I got a general sense of where I might want things and then snapped a quick picture on my phone. (My son was napping and I was outside with the baby monitor. So JUST in case I had to stop mid-project, a picture would help me be able to remember where everything had been. My brain, people, specifically my memory,… it’s just “not what it used to be.”)

After that, it was just a matter of potting the plants and moving everything to the front porch. 

I am so pleased with how it turned out! 15 minutes and my porch looks better that it ever has!

Don’t have a ladder? Use a chair, or stack some baskets or crates!

Helpful Tips for Using a Ladder for Fall Porch Decor

Whenever I am arranging things I typically want there to be: around 3-4 main colors, varied heights, and differing textures. I wrote about this same kind of thing in the post here, specifically about styling shelves. This is similar, but on a micro-scale. [wink] Each of those rungs of the ladder are, in a sense, a tiny shelf, so similar rules apply when styling them. You can read those helpful tips here.

I think it makes a great welcoming entry to our home (and hopefully distracts our guests from realizing our porch railings are in need of a coat of paint!

Sorry, but when it’s a matter of buying paint OR flowers and pumpkins, the latter wins, hands down (or, in this case, not just the latter, but the ladder). Ha!

Want a sneak peek of the other side of the porch? I’m in love. 

What decorations do you add to your porch in the fall? Pumpkins? Flowers? Hay bales? Scarecrows? Let me know in the comments! 

Want more fall decor ideas? Check out how to make a “Happy Fall Y’all sign here or adorable pumpkins on the cheap here.