There are no words to accurately describe just how much I love Halloween. I’ve obsessed with all things spooky since I was a kid, and while I’m also a fan of the many holidays that follow, for me, nothing will ever trump this season of scary movies, haunted houses, Halloween treats, and things that go bump in the night! What’s ironic about this, though, is that, after years of owning our own home, I really didn’t decorate much for Halloween. In trying to keep things minimal throughout the year, I’d get plenty of live pumpkins for the porch and then maybe a skull here or ghost there, but stopped at that.
That is, until last year, when we decided to throw a Halloween party. I realized that we had virtually no Halloween decorations whatsoever and went into panic mode. Not only about needing to stock up on them, though—I was totally torn about what “style” of Halloween I wanted to go with, what kinds of decorations I’d feel good about leaving up all October long and that felt fairly cohesive all throughout the house.
I landed on a more traditional and put-together take throughout the house—lots of cobwebs, witch hats, bats and black cats, and spooky portraits—in addition to a more vintage and nostalgic vibe in the kitchen. We saved the extra creepy pieces for the night of our party!
We quickly gathered a great start to our Halloween collection by making use of items we already had on-hand, visiting thrift stores, Target, and Amazon, and to top it all off and take things to the next level, my mom showed up with tubs full of treasures that took me straight back to my childhood! My goal last year was to find things that could go a long way in terms of making a big impact without breaking the bank.
For the party, we brought out a lot more of the mish-mashed decorations that didn’t really fit in with what we had going on in the house—including animatronic skeletons and witches and the like. I may share a separate post all about last year’s Halloween party later so you can see more of that. But for now, let’s talk transforming your house into a spooky (and cozy) Halloween sanctuary!
Here are my tips for the most low-cost, easy décor ideas that can cover a lot of ground and make an immediate impact when transforming your home from neutral to supernatural in no time if you want a more traditional and cozy Halloween look!
Go crazy with cobwebs. I’m literally still finding remnants of the fake cobwebs I had all over the house last year! I strung them across windows, from light fixtures, across hallways, over mirrors and doors… everywhere! If you do it right, a small package of faux webs can go a long way. I spent a lot of time really pulling at them and thinning them out to look more realistic, rather than leaving them tightly compacted and thick. For an added scare factor, toss a few fake spiders into them!
Enchant your ceiling with floating witch hats or other enchanted objects. Maybe my favorite decoration of last year that packed the most punch were simple witch hats that I hung from our living room and porch ceilings! I simply threaded some clear fishing line through the very tips, tied in a knot, and then used scotch tape to hang them from the living room ceiling. We used the same method for the porch, except we used a staple gun to attach them, to help them last against heavy winds. I’ve also seen people hang faux pumpkins and tapered candles!
Go batty with bat cutouts! I was seeing these bats all over social media the year before last and knew I had to incorporate them into our décor. They make such a statement and can go just about anywhere! I opted to use them above our mantle and then pepper them throughout the house around a few other signs and photos.
Let the crows inside for a spell. I perched several fake crows around our living room and entryway, sitting them on top of portraits, mirrors, door frames, and even some of our houseplants!
Display eerie portraits. I inherited and found a few haunted portraits that transform as you move and just love that they may look a little creepy at first glance but make you jump as you move around! I’m on the hunt this year for even more thrifted paintings and photos that are ghostly enough on their own or that I can tweak to be a little extra chilling.
Make use of your dead garden. I cut several coneflowers that had turned black to pop in vases around the house, along with a few other dried out flowers and grasses. This year, I plan to take it up a notch with fallen sticks and branches, too!
Light up the darkness. I used a combination of thrifted candleholders and lanterns to hold a mix of battery-operated candles I found online. For some larger candleholders, you can get creative skip out on the candles altogether by placing pumpkins, skulls, or other décor in or atop them!
Give your pillows costumes of their own. One of the easiest swaps to your existing décor is to place Halloween pillow covers over your throw pillows! I did this both in our living room and on our front porch.
Cast a spell on your TV screen. There are several YouTube videos that display a few hours’ worth of Halloween imagery, some with ambient or spooky noises, that bring an instant boo-factor to the room!
For all the nooks and crannies left over, consider filling them with pumpkins, skulls and skeletons, black cats, and ghosts!
There are so many ways to bring Halloween into your home—these are just a few of my suggestions for making a big impact on a tighter budget if you’re looking for a classic Halloween vibe and are starting from scratch!
Shop some of our favorite Halloween decorations:
And who says your spooky sanctuary should only be about the visuals? Putting on a spine-tingling playlist will instantly change the vibe—and makes decorating and Halloween gatherings much more fun! Check out my go-to playlist here:
I hope this post gave you some inspiration for leveling up your Halloween decorating this year!
Happy Halloween decorating, ghosts and ghouls!
—Aly