Top 10 Halloween Decorations for a Spooktacular Home in 2023
Halloween has become one of the most popular and anticipated holidays to decorate for. As soon as fall hits, many people start eagerly planning out their Halloween decorations to set a spooky, spellbinding scene both indoors and outdoors.
Every year it seems to get bigger and more extravagant, doesn’t it? No, not my ever-expanding waistline… Halloween!
I remember celebrating it as a child. We’d dress up as witches by putting a black bin liner over our heads and an old witches hat that had been passed down through the generations to go and knock on our neighbor’s doors, whilst Dad would be at home trying his very best to carve a swede (or turnip, probably the most inappropriate vegetable to carve!).
But Why Pumpkins? Or Turnips for that Matter?
Halloween has always been huge in the U.S. with the most amazing displays of Halloween décor making its way over the pond and putting our turnip efforts to shame. In fact, Halloween originated in northern Europe, mainly Ireland, United Kingdom, and Northern France, and was originally called All Hallows Eve (later shortened to Halloween).
Carving turnips came from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack who tricked the devil and was sentenced to roam Earth for eternity. People started to carve demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul and this is where the term Jack-O-Lantern originated from.
When Irish immigrants went to the U.S., they carved pumpkins instead as these were native to the region they moved to.
In recent years, we have seen people rushing out to buy a small country’s GDP worth in pumpkins so they can create elaborate displays on their doorsteps. Halloween decorating has only grown more elaborate and over-the-top.
No longer just a quick spiderweb and plastic pumpkin – homeowners now go all out with massive decorative displays featuring lights, inflatables, animatronics, tombstones, skeletons, and more. Even neighborhoods join in, coordinating gorgeous haunted scenes across multiple houses.
Here are a few of my favorite displays from last year:
Top 10 Halloween Decorations for 2023
Why has Halloween decor become so hugely popular? For many, it’s a fun creative outlet to embrace the dark magic of the season. Plus modern technology and materials have enabled decorating masterpieces never possible before.
Transforming your home into a haunted mansion or supernatural spectacle is the perfect way to embrace the creepy fun of Halloween. Read on for the top 10 essential decorations that will make your home the talk of the town and truly spooktacular this season!
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1. A Halloween Mantel
I’ve seen some superb fireplace Halloween decorations on Instagram and I think it’s a wonderful way to add some autumnal cheer to your living room as the nights get cosier. It doesn’t have to be all ghosts and ghouls, a beautiful floral arrangement in autumnal colours with candles lit can do just the trick.
To create a fall or Halloween mantel with a floral arrangement you will need:
Materials:
- Fresh or faux flowers (dark red roses, black dahlias, purple calla lilies, white chrysanthemums, and orange gerberas can be a good mix).
- Decorative branches (black or dark-colored ones for a spookier feel).
- Small and medium-sized pumpkins (plastic or foam pumpkins are the best).
- A floral foam block (also known as Oasis).
- A shallow wide tray or container.
- Scissors or floral shears.
- Optional: black spray paint, LED candle lights, moss, and other decorative elements.
Steps:
1. Preparation:
- Clean the fireplace mantel and ensure it’s dry.
- If you want, spray paint some pumpkins black or metallic gold for a different look. Allow them to dry completely.
2. Setup Tray and Foam:
- Place your tray or container on the mantel where you want your arrangement to sit.
- Soak the floral foam in water for several minutes until it’s fully saturated.
- Place the wet floral foam onto the tray.
3. Insert Branches:
- Insert the decorative branches into the foam, letting some stretch out and some stand tall, creating an uneven, eerie forest-like backdrop.
4. Add Flowers:
- Trim flower stems at an angle to ensure they can drink up the water efficiently.
- Start with larger flowers (like dahlias) as focal points, inserting them into the foam.
- Fill in with smaller flowers, ensuring to distribute colors and types evenly for balance.
5. Place Pumpkins:
- Intersperse small pumpkins within the floral arrangement by placing them on the mantel. They can be clustered or spaced out based on your preference.
- For a more integrated look, carve out mini pumpkins and insert some flowers or LED candles inside, placing them in between your other elements.
6. Add Finishing Touches:
- Sprinkle some moss around the base or among the pumpkins for a more rustic, aged look.
- Place LED candle lights around the arrangement for a soft glow. Remember, if you’re using real candles, ensure they’re safely distanced from the flowers and always supervise them when lit.
- Add any other Halloween decorative elements you have, like faux spider webs, spiders, or miniature skeletons, to enhance the theme.
7. Maintenance:
- If you are using real flowers, mist the flowers daily to keep them fresh.
- Check the floral foam every couple of days. If it feels dry, add some water to the tray so the foam can soak it up, keeping the flowers hydrated.
2. Bat Out of Hell
If you want a quick and easy idea just to get in the mood for Halloween, how about adding some bat stickers, or card cut-outs? You could also make your own bat silhouettes and put them up your wall, over your fireplace, or even on your front door.
3. Faux Pumpkin Decor
Don’t fancy a “fun” afternoon of turning your dining table into a pumpkin seed factory complete with orange slime dripping off your table and your kids wielding a pumpkin knife like Michael Myers? Yeah, I didn’t fancy it this year either. So, go faux!!
I bought some foam pumpkins from Amazon and decorated them in different colors to pop on the mantel and around the house. All you need is some foam or plastic pumpkins, a few pots of tester paints, and a paintbrush!
You can also buy fake pumpkins from many home stores, supermarkets, and online shops, and the best bit? You can keep them to use over and over again. Here are a few of my favorites:
4. The Real Smashing Pumpkins
Now, I love having real pumpkins in the house (apart from having to carve them of course). But, the one thing I’m not so keen on is traipsing out onto a cold, damp, dark field in the middle of nowhere with the kids, finding massively overpriced pumpkins whilst the kids moan that they are *insert whingeing sort of noise here*.
I tell myself every year, why didn’t I just go to the shop and buy the ginormous ones for £2? Mainly because we’re only going to try and keep up with the Joneses and paint them anyway!
Either way, you can keep your Pumpkins as is (like normal people) or get creative and paint them!
Pumpkin painting is a huge business now and you can buy plenty of accessories, such as stickers, gold paint, and Halloween decorations to create a unique pumpkin!
5. Make a Wreath
A wreath is for all seasons, not just for Christmas! Instagram has totally opened my eyes to the wreath-making scene and now we’re all at it (ok, not all of us. Probably about 0.1% of us that can be bothered).
You can buy wreath-making supplies from places like Hobbycraft and swap out seasonal peonies for foam pumpkins (see above!) I wrote a blog post on how to create a wreath here. The thing is, if you don’t fancy getting crafty or are just plain shit at it there are plenty of wreaths to buy online.
6. Create a Hauntingly Halloween Dinner Setting
I do love a good table setting and I think Fall and Halloween are one of the best times to dress your table. Think pumpkins, foliage, warming soup, candles, and a few spider webs thrown in.
Creating a Halloween-themed table setting can be both spooky and elegant, depending on your personal preference. Some ideas include:
- Black, orange, purple, or Halloween tablecloth/table runner.
- Ceramic or glass plates and bowls.
- Cutlery (silver can give a classic look, black for a more modern feel).
- Glassware (wine glasses, goblets, etc.).
- Halloween-themed napkins or cloth napkins.
- Decorative items: pumpkins, skulls, spiders, candles, faux cobwebs, etc.
- Optional: name cards, LED lights, and other decorative items for added ambiance.
7. Floating Candles Ceiling Decor
Floating candle ceiling decor, inspired largely by the magical setting of the Hogwarts Great Hall in the “Harry Potter” series, can add an enchanting ambiance to any event or room. It gives the illusion that candles are floating in mid-air.
The best place to put floating candles largely depends on whether you are using them as general decor or you are having a Halloween party. As they will be suspended from the ceiling, the best place to put them is above a dining or coffee table so that people don’t bump into them!
8. Halloween Lights
A really simple way to decorate for Halloween is to use Halloween string lights around your home. There are plenty to choose from such as;
- Ghost string lights
- Pumpkin string lights
- Maple Leaf and pumpkin string lights
- Cute Wooden Halloween Pumpkin String Lights
- Green-colored fairy lights
- Purple spider lantern lights
These lights can be hung anywhere, from around your fireplace to above your front door.
9. Spider Webs
Perhaps not for the faint-hearted, another simple decor idea that goes fabulously with string lights is giant spider webs. You can spread creepy cobwebs over bushes, trees, door frames, and other areas both inside and outside your home. Purchase different types of spiderweb material like silky strands, chunky mesh webs, or sticky web sheets depending on the look you want.
Pair your spiderwebs with plastic or plush spiders of varying sizes, from normal-looking spiders to monstrous and terrifying ones. Look for spiders with posable legs and bendable joints that allow you to shape them crawling across walls, dangling from ceilings, lurking under chairs, or wherever you wish.
10. Hanging Witches Hats
Hang witch’s hats from your front door or porch to greet trick-or-treaters. Look at getting hats in different colors and patterns if you want to go for a contemporary look, although I prefer the classic black hats. You can add witchy embellishments like brooms, potion bottles, or black cats.
If you don’t have an area outside to hang your hats, string up witches’ hats along the banister of your stairwell. Vary the heights for interest and for extra creepiness, add cobwebs, severed hands, or glowing eyes.
You could also suspend witches’ hats from the ceiling of your main hall or over the dining table. Position them at different angles for a fun look and age them with cobwebs and creases to create a dusty and worn look.
Halloween does seem to be getting bigger and better every year. Turnips are being replaced with pumpkins, pumpkins are being painted all the colors of the rainbow and our pets are being given the Halloween treatment with black cats taking centre stage.
I wonder what the big trend will be next year? What do you think?
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I also use Artificial Intelligence Image generators to create some of my images. These are to show you examples of my ideas and inspiration when I cannot produce the real images myself.
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