Australia Day Ideas: Simple Farmhouse Porch

Late last year, I can’t remember when I was having a discussion with members of my private Facebook group regarding decorating for Australia Day celebrations. The discussion was related to how we decorate for the BBQ’s and get-togethers we have on Australia Day (whatever date that ends up being). Most people were of the opinion that the Australia Day decorations on offer are tacky. And to some extent, I agree. We’ve been overrun by plastic flags and oversized sombreros. Even the flags printed on paper plates and napkins look awful.

So how can we show our pride in our country and use the colours of our flag in our decorating? Let me show you the ideas I’ve come up with. Simple, country style and rustic. I hope you’ll love our porch.

Australia Day Themed Pots

The first of my Australia Day decor ideas for the porch was to plant out colour themed pots. The rustic buckets below were a freebie we got when we bought some plants from FB the other day and I knew they’d look cute on our porch. I love how the rope and galvanised metal contrast with our more formal black door, adding a country touch to the decorations. Most of our garden is planted in blue and white so bringing this element onto the porch was a continuation of the garden. I did this with Impatiens and Lobelia. The pop of dark red comes in the form of dwarf snapdragons. I picked up all the plants for around $9. As they are only annuals they won’t last past summer but I might be able to get them to seed for next year.

So add some patriotic colour to your porch in the form of plants.

An Australian Themed Rag Wreath

Another idea I had to prove to my group that Australia Day decorations do not need to be tacky was to make an Australian themed rag wreath using the colours of the flag. (Which, coincidentally happen to be the colours of scraps I had in my fabric stash.) I’m pretty sure this was a staple of the Art program when I was in primary school. It seemed like an easy way to use up bits of fabric I would not otherwise have used. And it cost nothing! I love how the rag wreath looks on the front door. Using patriotic colours to decorate does not have to mean sticking to the exact colour. This wreath has navy, denim, royal blue and gingham.

Australia Day Themed Cushions

One of the simplest ways to add Australia Day decorations to our porch area is cushions. What would a porch makeover be without a couple of pretty cushions for the bench seat? This seat is used regularly by both us and guests so I like to make it comfortable. I would have loved to have a vintage look flag cushion but the cost of buying one was insane. In the spirit of working with what I have, I’ve made a red gingham cushion and a navy polka dot one to tie in with the colours of the wreath and flowers. These cushions won’t stay out there all the time but they look very country sitting on the bench where guests first arrive.

I love how this porch turned out. The look was easy to create and cost only the expense of buying plants for $9 and the flags for $6. I think when our visitors arrive to celebrate our national day they will be put in the mood right from the start. Best of all, I love how all I have to do is take the flags away and I have a simple colourful porch area we can enjoy for the rest of the summer and into Autumn. What about you?