5 outdoor Thanksgiving decor ideas – uplift your home's entrance with cozy seasonal charm

Thanksgiving decor can look just as good outside the home as it can inside. From beautiful wreaths and garlands, to pumpkins and cozy lights, these festive decorations are all about making your home look and feel more cozy, special, and seasonal. 

The beauty of outdoor Thanksgiving decor is that you can use a lot of the same items that you would use for outdoor fall decor and even outdoor Halloween decor, so many of these decoration ideas can be embraced from the beginning of fall all the way through to Thanksgiving – then it's time to start getting creative with outdoor Christmas decor.

Spruce up your outside space with outdoor Thanksgiving decor

We've asked a collection of designers for their top tips for styling an outside space for Thanksgiving. Whether you're in need of some fall flower and foliage inspiration for your front door, or are looking to decorate with pumpkins on your front porch, our ideas can elegantly elevate your exterior so it's beautifully in sync with the season.

1. Pumpkins

This seasonal squash is synonymous with fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decor, and is probably the most traditional and popular seasonal decoration of them all. 

Whether you style your outside space with pumpkins freshly picked from a day out at the pumpkin farm, or opt for a more contemporary look with stylish faux pumpkins that can be used year after year, it doesn't get easier than placing a pretty pumpkin by your front door.

Here, interior designer Shea McGee from Studio McGee has created a beautiful blend of traditional Thanksgiving decorations with more modern color palettes. The scattered pumpkins in a palette of pastel shades perfectly complement the planters and their home's white exterior. Shea says of the design, 'our wreath (currently sold out but our Oversized Fall Leaf Wreath can create a simple effect) is from our Target for Threshold line, we tied a pretty fall-hued ribbon around the top of it to add some more interest.'

For some further inspiration, take a look at Shea's similar Halloween porch look below.

Shea McGee

Interior designer, Shea McGee founded her iconic design firm, Studio McGee, with her husband Syd in 2014. They later launched their e-commerce brand, McGee & Co, and starred in their very own Netflix show, Dream Home Makeover.

2. Wreaths and garlands

A traditional festive decoration that beautifully celebrates the colors of fall and seasonal plants and flowers, a wreath or garland can add wonderful texture, color, and shape to your outside space. Wreaths are perfect for sitting pretty on a front door, and garlands can be used to decorate door frames and porch railings.

Whether you fancy embracing a Thanksgiving craft and having a go at making your own Thanksgiving wreath from flowers, branches, and foliage gathered from your yard and garden, or opt for an artificial design (we love Balsam Hill's Autumn Abundance collection) you can never go wrong with styling your outside space with stylish natural accents.

3. Flowers and foliage

'I love styling a front porch space with colorful fall planters filled with fall flowers and plants for fall color' says designer, Chantelle Malarkey. 'It's great to get bunches in reds, oranges, and purples.

'Or, for a more modern Thanksgiving decor idea, why not try styling your outside space with some pretty pampas grass? It's one of my all-time favorites to style with, both indoors and outdoors, and can add a unique, neutral texture to your Thanksgiving decor.' Pampas is perfect for using in a minimalist Thanksgiving scheme.

In this colorful outside space by @carlosriveracruet, the front porch area has been elegantly uplifted by pumpkins, a unique hanging foliage basket on the door (a great alternative to a wreath), and pretty pots filled with orange, yellow, and white flowers.
 

Chantelle Malarkey

Chantelle Malarkey is an interior designer and photographer, and uses her blog to inspire others to transform every space in the home into its most beautiful version. 

4. Lights and lanterns

Decorating your outside space with cozy lights and lanterns is a nice way to make your home's entrance feel more warm and inviting during dark and cold winter nights – and there are so many unique lighting options to choose from. 

At this front porch designed by Pottery Barn, the steps have been adorned with faux pumpkins and rattan woven pumpkins that feature twinkling lights (as seen on Shea McGee's front porch) and traditional lanterns – the Outdoor Fortune lanterns from Pottery Barn are great for using all year round too, creating a wonderful seasonal scene that can look just as good at night as it can during the day.

Designer and landscaping expert Ward Dilmore also suggests, 'as the sun sets, create a cozy and warm atmosphere with string lights. Hang them across your outdoor area or wrap them around porch railings. These lights not only provide illumination, but will add a magical touch to your Thanksgiving gathering.' These Connectable String Lights from Balsam Hill are perfect – and they can be used for your outdoor Christmas lighting ideas too.

Ward Dilmore

Ward Dilmore  is a landscaping expert dedicated to creating beautiful outdoor spaces, and is the Founder of Petrus, a renowned Luxury Estate Landscaping Company in California’s Bay Area.

5. Cushions and blankets

If you have chairs and benches on your front porch, then an easy way to style them for Thanksgiving is with some new seasonal cushions and throws – you can also extend this decorating idea to the seating in your entryway and living room too. 

Or maybe you're planning on doing some entertaining outside – ensure your guests feel cozy and warm by having plenty of blankets and cushions to hand. As, Ward Dilmore says, 'Late fall evenings can get chilly, so provide cozy blankets and cushions on your outdoor furniture. Plaid or warm-toned blankets and fall-themed throw pillows can add both comfort and style.'

We love the stylish outdoor Thanksgiving set-up Liz Marie Galvan has created at her farm, featuring cushions, throws, and decorations from the Target x John Derian Thanksgiving collection.

FAQs

Embracing festive window decor, similar to Halloween window decor ideas, can also help to elevate your outdoor Thanksgiving scheme. Hang wreaths and lights in the window or style a window ledge with a stack of pumpkins, perfect for creating a cozy seasonal display that can be appreciated both inside and outside of the home.