We've already shown you how to make your home the perfect Farmhouse Halloween haunt, but this year we're taking things a step further!
The hype is real as October 31st draws near, and stores everywhere are getting into the holiday spirit by unloading truckload after truckload of spooky finds and gothic accoutrement. For anyone who’s a die-hard for the creepy and crawly, or those who love a good excuse to redecorate, Halloween time is like a dream come true.
It’s exceptionally easy to get overwhelmed with so many choices and items out on the shelves...especially if you’re not prepared! That’s why we’ve come up with three easy-to-follow steps to kickstart your holiday prep with Halloween decorations for 2020.
Before you begin, it’s a good idea to come up with an overall vision for your space.
You’ll want to decide how far you want to take the Halloween theme and come up with a game plan—draft up schematics, sketch your ideas, or go digital and use software to edit decor pieces into photos of your space to help you visualize the finished room.
Pinterest is a great resource for inspiration for cheap Halloween home decor ideas. Make a brand new board for the occasion, compile all of your favorite looks, and take a second to review your choices.
Do any of your pins have something in common?
Once you’ve determined what you’re after, it’s best to decide on a color palette. This will help your design feel and look cohesive without you having to put too much thought into every little element. You can do this in one of two ways:
- Evaluate your current decor and determine what seasonal colors fit in best with what you already have going on. This is an excellent option for people who’re looking to bridge the gap between their home decor and the season’s latest trends.
- Store all the decor pieces that aren’t seasonally appropriate and start from (mostly) scratch. This gives you a greater degree of freedom when it comes to your design, but it can quickly become the more expensive of the two.
Below are some of our favorite examples of Halloween color schemes. We’ve tried to update the typical seasonal colors to be a bit less tacky and a bit more classy while still keeping it bright, fun, and accessible to shop for.
There are plenty of other options out there, and settling on one depends on personal style and preference, but once you decide, it’s time to get shopping and decorating! Keep your color scheme in mind at every step of the way, and we promise you’ll come out of this with a beautifully styled room!
Toss your feather duster!
We don’t mean that literally, but cobwebs and cheesecloth are practically Halloween’s bread and butter!
Adding either or both to your space can instantly set the tone for the rest of your decor. They can even have an impact on your lighting situation by casting shadows and creating a spooky ambiance.
We recommend draping cheesecloth over larger furniture pieces and stretching store-bought cobwebs sparingly over mirrors, art, and houseplants, so they don’t lose their usefulness or beauty.
Happy (antique) haunting!
You know what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Despite what some horror movies would have you believe, antiquing and thrifting is a great way to find vintage Halloween decorations for your home and absolutely won’t result in an angry poltergeist haunting! Cheap Halloween decorations are easy to come by and won’t break the bank!
Vintage and thrifted items can add a great heirloom quality to your space and ultimately add to the spooky vibe you’re looking to achieve for the season. Here are a few items to keep an eye out for when hitting up your local flea market, thrift store, or antique mall:
- Apothecary bottles
- Old medicine bottles and jars can be used as-is or in upcycling DIY projects and, depending on what you do to them, can be reused for other occasions. Print off some apothecary labels for things like “werewolf fur” and “snake powder” or “infant toes” to add a sinister edge to them.
- Lanterns
- Vintage lamps and lanterns are spooky enough on their own with their discolored metal components and dusty or missing glass fittings. Add a few candles and cobwebs into the mix for a bone-chilling effect that’s sure to send a chill up your guests spines!
- Clocks
- There’s a reason so many ghost stories involve old clocks and timepieces: they were often incredibly personal items, usually handed down through generations, and often fell into disrepair when their original owners shuffled off this mortal coil, leaving no one who knew how to care for these often priceless heirlooms properly. It’s these very qualities that make them perfect for adding a mysterious flair to your space that’ll leave guests half expecting a ghost to jump out at them at any second!
- Candleholders & pillars
- When was the last time you saw someone use candles, let alone candelabras, functionally? Candles, candleholders, and pillars not only provide ambient lighting, but they give your place an austere and foreboding look that’s reminiscent of long empty hallways and murderous butlers.
- Figurines
- Even the sweetest shepherd or angel statuette can take on a dark tone with a little black spray paint and red acrylic paint. Collect a bunch of them to create a spooky porcelain village and creep out all your friends!
Go Norman Bates on some gourds!
Is anyone’s Halloween home complete without a few jack o’ lanterns!?
There’s something about a pumpkin smiling up at you with a carefully carved smile and glowing with candlelight that’s positively enchanting. Adding one of these festive cultivars to your space can instantly take your room from cozy autumn wonderland to creepy hangout!
Embrace this centuries old tradition by purchasing a few gourds, real or otherwise, and going to town with a carving kit or a couple of knives. Invite some friends over for a spur-of-the-moment get-together or get the kids involved and make some unforgettable fall memories.
Knives make you squeamish? No problem! Painting and drawing on pumpkins is a perfectly viable and stylish option. Do everything you can do with a knife with a paintbrush or marker and so much more—all you need is a little imagination, a bit of time, and patience to follow through with your amazing ideas.
Bonus: Make it a Monster Mash!
Now that you have the bones of your room design down, it’s up to you to decide if you want to add any final touches.
Skeletons, ghosts, spiders, and bats are all fun little flourishes to add to a room to transition from fall to Halloween. Depending on how far you want to take the holiday spirit, you can lavish your rooms with any number of Halloween decor goodies.
Big box Halloween and craft stores have entire sections of Halloween props, scary Halloween decorations, and specialty decor pieces, so there’s certainly no shortage of choices!
If you’re after a more subdued and subtle look, keep the extras to a minimum. Look for simple shapes and Halloween themed decor pieces rather than outright ones to combine with your already burgeoning collection of holiday decor. Choose pieces that you could conceivably use again and again, not just during Halloween time but well beyond.
These tips are just the beginning when it comes to the world of Halloween decor. From DIY Halloween decorations to store-bought, there are so many ways to dress up your home for Halloween that we couldn’t possibly cover every single one! Still, we hope you’ll stay tuned for our next post where we’ll share some good ghost stories with you!
Until then, happy haunting!
