Realize Your #HomeGhouls With These Halloween Décor Tips

Halloween is a great time of year to spend time tricking, or treating, your kids, extended family and even your larger community. While the ghoulish night is relegated to the 31st of October, you can start your preparations in the weeks before in order to beat the last-minute rush. With the day approaching  you'll want to get both your costumes and home décor in order. The great thing about Halloween décor is that it can easily be incorporated into your existing autumnal palette, and just as easily put into storage for next year.

Sprucing up your home for Halloween needn't be time or resource consuming. These 10 ideas are easy to implement and are guaranteed to not cut into your candy budget. 

Get ready to spook up your…

Front Porch

Even if Halloween guests — like trick-or-treaters — never enter your home, they'll definitely see the front porch. Give it a festive feel with a colourful rug, lanterns, chrysanthemums and piles of pumpkins. For a ghoulish finishing touch, add a pair of gnarled faux trees wrapped in mini orange lights. Add some comfortable chairs with cushions and cozy blankets if you and your kids plan on sitting on your front porch handing out candy. You may also consider adding a drink trolley if you plan on inviting other parents over to spend the evening.

Fireplace Mantel

Get your whole family into the Halloween mood by sprinkling a few tasteful decorations throughout your home's interior. If you have a fireplace mantel, source old books, vintage accessories and candles from your family's heirlooms or from charity shops. If you're looking to keep these pieces long after Halloween and work them into your autumnal décor, there are many new accent pieces that are made to look old. 

Add a few Halloween-specific accents, such as stuffed owls or skeletons to complete the look, and use a small trunk to display a few vintage finds such as moss, netting, and toy animals to make your set-up even creepier. 

Console Table

Entertain your kids and guests by creating a Halloween-themed vignette on a console or side table, whether it's in your entry hall, living room, or dining room. You can choose whatever theme best complements your home's aesthetic when creating this vignette, whether it's an elegant black and white colour palette, or something more child-friendly that incorporates the warm tones of the season.

Staircase

Your staircase is likely one of your home's focal points, and shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to decorating regardless of the season. Dress up your staircase for Halloween and make it a family affair by enlisting the help of your kids or other loved ones. A spooky staircase is a great feature especially if it sits near the front door and will be visible to trick-or-treaters. Easily display some pumpkins on the stairs and a skull on the newel post. You can even DIY some spiders, bats and any other spooky graphics your kids might love and stick them to the walls. You may also consider installing a stair runner to add some extra warmth if your stairs aren't carpeted, as well as some photo frames to give your wall decorations added visual appeal. Add a final touch by wrapping spider web garland or strings of orange lights around your banister. 

Gallery Wall

If you're a fan of the gallery wall trend, try a Halloween-themed one. You can make or buy themed artwork and other wall coverings, which can include: framed prints of Halloween emblems, DIY taxidermy using craft-store animals, a spider web, and an assortment of pumpkin, vampire and witch prints. The best part of a gallery wall is that it can be customized throughout the year to suit each season, holiday or family milestone. A variety of photo frames in different colours and sizes is integral to a successful gallery wall, so ensure you stock up to give yourself plenty of options.

Ceiling

Your ceiling is likely an oft-forgotten slice of real estate within your home that can be leveraged as both a focal point and backdrop for decorations. If you have ceiling-mounted light fixtures, consider replacing your current light bulbs with tinted ones, such as orange, for a Halloween glow. If, on the other hand, you'll be throwing an elegant Halloween-themed party, you may consider investing in a new light fixture, such as a chandelier which can add visual impact to your space. 

For a more child-friendly approach, hang spider web, or DIY ghosts from the ceiling at varying lengths, and don't forget about the ceiling of your front porch.

Sofa

Whether it's during the evenings leading up to Halloween or on the night of, whilst you await trick-or-treaters, you and your family are likely going to spend a lot of time on your sofa. Accent pieces, such as cushions and throw blankets are great and easy ways to update your home for any holiday season, including Halloween. Choose jewel and warm-toned colours to decorate your sofa for the autumn season, and sprinkle in Halloween-themed accents on your accompanying coffee or console tables. These can include: candles, framed photos or prints, and seasonal gourds and pumpkins, which can either be real or faux.

For a fun and child-friendly DIY project,  wrap some old some old pillows in muslin fabric, secure with glue and attach black eyes to have them resemble ghosts.

Lampshades

If you don't feel like going all out when it comes to Halloween decorating, consider simply adding some festive accents to your lampshades, or any other small surface, in your home. Surprise your kids and guests by adding spooky accents to your lamps, such as DIY spiders or bats. For a more subtle nod to the seasons, consider replacing your usual lampshade with one in the season's colours.

Nooks & Crannies

An empty corner in your home is the perfect spot to create an eerie vignette. Pick a Halloween motif, such as witches, bats, vampires, werewolves, or whatever you and your kids like, and decorate the empty spots of your home accordingly. You can hang witches' hats from the ceiling and prop a broomstick on the wall, DIY spiders or bats to stick to the walls, or string spooky garland alongside lights and other accents.

Bookshelves

Whether they're bookshelves or floating shelves, these surfaces are great for a quick Halloween-themed makeover for any room of your home. String some spider web, and sprinkle pumpkins, fake spiders and birds, and branches throughout. If you've inherited any old books from your family, or have your own collection, these work well within this theme. Top off the look with a few decorative vases filled with seasonal flora, or gnarled branches, as well as candles (real or battery-powered) and matching candle holders for added ambience.

Though Halloween comes only one night out of the year, it's a great excuse to get the whole family involved in decorating your home. If you already have your home decorated for the autumn season, Halloween décor can easily complement what you already have, and can easily be transitioned into festive décor in the coming weeks. Check out Furniture.ca for home accents and décor perfect for the spooky seasons and for transitioning throughout the year.