7 Fall Baskets for the Entry, Not the Whole House

On this page11 sections

1. Pick the right basket
2. A door basket instead of a wreath
3. A floor basket of small pumpkins by the door
4. A catchall for hats, gloves, and scarves
5. A basket of firewood
6. A small basket on a console table
7. A pair of baskets flanking the front steps
8. A basket of blankets for the porch or the hall
9. Keep the rest of the house simple
10. Light the entry
11. Common questions

Not everyone wants to decorate the whole house for fall. Some people like the season but not the work of packing and unpacking boxes, or have small homes where every surface already does a job. If that sounds like you, focus on one spot: the entry. It is the first thing you and your guests see, it sets the mood for the rest of the house, and it is small enough to finish in an afternoon.

A basket is the easiest way to do it. Baskets are natural, warm, and textured, which suits autumn better than nearly any other material. They hold things, so they can be practical as well as decorative, and they move easily from the door to the porch to the hall as you change your mind. These seven ideas each use one basket, or at most a pair, to give the entry a seasonal feel without spreading decor through every room.

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Pick the right basket

Look at the space first. A front door with a storm door or a narrow porch suits a flat-backed basket that hangs close to the surface. An entry hall with floor space suits a larger round or rectangular basket. A console table suits a low, wide basket that will not block a mirror or a lamp.

Material matters too. Willow, seagrass, rattan, and wicker all look right for fall. Darker, rougher weaves feel rustic; tighter, paler weaves feel more refined. Outdoors, choose a basket that can handle a little weather or put it under cover, since rain and sun will break down untreated natural fibers over a season.

Size is the most common mistake. A basket that is too small for its spot looks timid and gets lost, especially on a front door, which is larger than it seems when you are standing close. As a rough guide, a door basket should be about a third of the width of the door, and a floor basket by the entry should reach at least knee height or be wide enough to read from across the room. When in doubt, go a size larger.

Thrift stores and estate sales are excellent sources for baskets. Older baskets are often better made than new ones and have a warm, slightly worn color that looks right in autumn. Wash a thrifted basket with a soft brush and mild soapy water, rinse it, and let it dry completely in the sun before using it.

1. A door basket instead of a wreath

A flat-backed woven basket hung on the front door is a fresh alternative to a wreath. Fill it with dried wheat, eucalyptus, bunny tail grass, or branches of turning leaves. Let the stems rise above the rim and spill slightly to one side for a natural look. Hang it from a sturdy over-the-door hook or a nail, and line it with a plastic bag or a jar if you plan to use fresh stems in water.

You can refresh a door basket through the season without replacing it. In early fall, fill it with green and gold stems and a few sunflowers. In October, shift to dried wheat and rust-colored leaves. By November, swap in pinecones, evergreen sprigs, and a plaid ribbon, and it carries you straight into the holidays.

2. A floor basket of small pumpkins by the door

Set a large, low basket on the floor beside the front door, inside or out, and fill it with small pumpkins and gourds in muted colors. It welcomes people in without taking any wall space. Mix sizes and shapes: a couple of larger pumpkins at the back, smaller ones and gourds tumbling toward the front, and a few with long curly stems for character. A handful of dried leaves or a sprig of bittersweet tucked in between the pumpkins keeps the basket from looking like a produce display. Outside, the cold keeps pumpkins fresh for longer than indoors, but bring the basket in if a hard frost is forecast, since freezing turns pumpkins soft within a day or two of thawing. If it sits indoors, line it with a cloth to protect the floor and check the pumpkins weekly for soft spots.

3. A catchall for hats, gloves, and scarves

Fall is when the cold-weather gear comes out. A large basket on a bench, a shelf, or the floor gives hats, gloves, and scarves a home and stops them landing on the stairs or the kitchen table.

If several people live in the house, consider one smaller basket per person on a shelf, each labeled with a tag. Children are far more likely to put things away when they have their own basket at a height they can reach. Choose a lidded basket if you want a tidier look, or an open one with a warm wool throw folded on top. Keep a second, smaller basket nearby for things that come in damp, such as wet gloves, so they can dry out rather than soak the wool items. For more on organizing this spot, see our entryway drop zone guide.

4. A basket of firewood

If you have a fireplace or wood stove, a basket of split logs near the entry, or near the hearth if it is close by, signals fall like nothing else. It is also useful: you carry wood in once, and it is ready when you want a fire. Use a sturdy basket with handles and a liner to catch bark and dirt, and keep it well away from heat sources.

A few branches of dried bittersweet or a bundle of cinnamon sticks tucked among the logs adds color and a faint scent. Even if you rarely light a fire, a full basket of wood looks warm and inviting through the cold months.

5. A small basket on a console table

On a narrow entry table, a low basket holds a few seasonal pieces in one place: a small pumpkin, a pinecone or two, and a candle in a glass holder. It keeps the table from becoming cluttered with loose items and makes the arrangement easy to lift off when you need the surface. Pair it with a mirror above and a lamp to one side. The three together make a complete, balanced vignette.

A low basket also makes a good landing spot for keys and mail if you add a small dish inside for the keys. The basket hides the clutter, and the seasonal pieces on top keep it looking decorative rather than purely practical.

6. A pair of baskets flanking the front steps

Outside, two matching baskets on either side of the door or the top step look welcoming and balanced. Fill them with mums, ornamental kale, or a mix of pumpkins and dried corn stalks. Put a plastic pot or liner inside if you plant directly, so water does not rot the basket from below. A pair of the same basket looks deliberate; mismatched ones tend to look like they happened by accident. Scale them to the door: on a wide double door, larger baskets keep the arrangement from looking skimpy.

7. A basket of blankets for the porch or the hall

A deep basket of throws by the door is welcoming in the cooler months, especially if you have a porch swing or a bench outside where people sit in the evening. Inside the entry, it gives you somewhere to grab a blanket on the way to the sofa. Roll the throws instead of folding them so they stand upright and show their colors.

Outdoors, bring the throws in at night or when rain is forecast, and keep the basket under a covered porch. Choose washable throws, since anything used outside will need regular laundering.

Keep the rest of the house simple

Once the entry is done, resist the urge to add a little something to every room. The appeal of this approach is that the season is marked in one place and the rest of the house stays calm. If you want just one more touch, carry the same colors or materials into a single nearby spot, such as a bowl of pears on the kitchen table or a pillow on the sofa.

This approach also makes the end of the season painless. When it is time to change over, you empty a few baskets, compost the pumpkins, and store the dried stems in a box. The baskets themselves stay out all year, simply refilled with whatever suits the next season: evergreen branches and pinecones in winter, tulips or branches of forsythia in spring, and hydrangeas or herbs in summer.

Light the entry

Shorter days mean the entry is often dark when people arrive. A small lamp on the console, a string of warm fairy lights woven through a door basket, or a lantern with a flameless candle on the step makes the baskets visible after sunset and makes the house look welcoming from the street. Choose battery lights with a timer so they come on at dusk without any effort from you.

Common questions

How do you decorate an entry for fall? Choose one focal piece, such as a door basket or a floor basket of pumpkins, add warm textures, and keep it practical with a catchall for cold-weather gear.

Can you hang a basket instead of a wreath? Yes. A flat-backed basket filled with dried stems hangs on a door just like a wreath and holds up well through the season.

What size basket works on a front door? About a third of the door’s width is a good starting point, with stems that rise above the rim to add height.

For more ideas at the front of the house, see our guide to small front porch ideas.