12 Halloween decorating tricks that will transform your home into a neighbor-envying treat this holiday

As scary as it sounds, somehow we're racing through October, and Halloween 2024 is just around the corner. Which means it is time to start thinking about how to transform your home with stylish yet spooky Halloween decorating ideas.

To make your space look more frightfully festive than ever, we've curated our black book of the most creative Halloween decor and styling ideas to inspire you this fall.

Whether you’re hosting a haunted house party or just want to add a bit of eerie elegance to your porch with outdoor Halloween decor, we've found endless ideas to recreate. From classic pumpkins to moody lighting and chic vintage-inspired accents, there’s no shortage of ways to create a spooky atmosphere without sacrificing on style. Let us lead the way.

12 Halloween decorating ideas for both indoors and outdoors

Whether you're a Halloween decorating enthusiast, a minimalist, or a maximalist at heart, our edit of Halloween decoration ideas has got you covered for spooky season.

For instance, it's so easy to take your fall decor and repurpose it for Halloween. You could slowly add Halloween decorations to any existing wreaths, pumpkins, and so on.

'Seasonal decor items are not for everyone. At times, they are costly, sometimes they appear childlike, take up additional storage space, and have to be changed pretty frequently to keep up with the holidays,' says Luis Carmona of Verde Interior Design. 'However, there is a way to still evoke a festive feel in your home without the jack-o-lantern wreaths and synthetic spider webs.'

Here, we share the most stylish ways designers and experts are decorating for Halloween 2024.

1. Enhance your fireplace with seasonal decor

If you've already perfected your fireplace decor with fall mantel ideas, the best and easiest place to start with your Halloween decor is to simply give your fall decorations a sprinkle of Halloween flair.

From candles to pumpkin decorating ideas, garlands, foliage, and even bats as seen above, let your Halloween creativity run wild on your fireplace.

Offering a sense of warmth, comfort and coziness, many of us will be gathering around lit fires during the cold winter months, and what better way to celebrate this natural focal point in a room than with eye-catching seasonal decor. Here we explore how to decorate a mantel for Halloween further in our dedicated feature.

2. Get your porch prepped for Halloween

Looking to go beyond the usual pumpkin carving ideas and Halloween door decor? Then go all out on your porch decorations. The neighbors will love it, and so will all the family.

This Halloween porch decor by Pottery Barn is decked out in an abundance of pumpkins, gourds, lanterns, and most importantly light-up spiders that creep across the porch.

You really needn't buy a ton of pumpkins for this stylish look – simply arrange a collection outside your door or across your porch steps, and if you wish, enhance them with gourds, flowers, and foliage. Learn when to put your pumpkins out however, so they do not rot too soon before the big event.

3. Put your efforts into an expansive pumpkin display

Knowing how to carve a pumpkin to effect is one thing, but you can actually create way more of an impact with bold pumpkin painting ideas.

Better still, these no-carve pumpkin designs need less effort and time to look fabulous. Simply choose a color scheme you love, perhaps one that matches your front door or your indoor room color ideas, and go to town.

'We are seeing a ton of pale blue coming through this year for fall trends and Halloween trends,' says Jen Ebert, Homes & Gardens' digital editor. 'It's a wonderful foil to all the fall colors you see around in nature and incredibly stylish, too.'

4. Curate a spooky tablescape

Of course, you can create an abundant Halloween table decor with fun motifs, such as spiders, bats, and ghouls. But for an adult-only meal, why not be a little more elegant?

The team at Studio McGee recommends taking a less-is-more approach to create a hauntingly elegant vibe with a deep, jewel-toned palette and carefully curated details.

Look to add in a few Halloween-themed pieces like a skull here and there, or a ghostly glass but, as Studio McGee suggests, dark foliage, fruits, gourds, and berries, will add an organic yet eerie touch.

5. Don't forget flowers and foliage at Halloween

Florals and foliage are not just for fall (and Christmas!). While Halloween decor often conjures up images of skeletons, pumpkins, and cobwebs, incorporating foliage can bring a sophisticated touch to your holiday setup.

Whether you make a Halloween wreath from fresh flowers to complement fall planters or make a pumpkin planter for a look that combines both fall and Halloween, you can't go wrong if you stick to burnished colors that complement the nature that surrounds your home.

Dark, moody florals like deep red dahlias, black calla lilies, and dark purple roses can make a dramatic statement. Pairing these with lighter accents such as dried hydrangeas or baby’s breath can add layers of texture and contrast, too. These arrangements can sit beautifully on your dining table, mantels, or by the front door to greet guests.

6. Spice up the kitchen with some pumpkins and gourds

Usually, we focus on Halloween decorating ideas in our outside spaces, living rooms and entryways, but who says you can't bring a taste of spooky season into the kitchen also?

Anthropologie's fall collection is filled with pumpkin-shaped kitchenware like the Cindy Stoneware Pumpkin Mug, wooden serving boards, and mystic dish towels to adorn your kitchen with a few novelty motifs.

We also love the Le Creuset Autumn Collection, and think the pretty pumpkin casserole dishes, servingware and accessories will make for a perfect Halloween accent in a kitchen space – and they will be sure to fit in perfectly with your Thanksgiving table decor ideas, too.

7. Embrace an on-trend mystic and witchy style

A big Halloween trend for 2024 (and well, always) is mystical and witchy decor.

Interior designer Bethany Adams is a fan. 'I love to hint at little "boil, boil, toil, and trouble" by lighting a coven's worth of candles and tossing, or, rather, heaving, some crystals about the table. Just beware when decorating with minerals and invest in a packet of felt furniture pads. Your tabletops will thank you,' she suggests.

These Black Vine Witch Hats from Terrain are the perfect example of a minimal take on this trend, styled with a few pumpkins and a maple leaf wreath. And the Florence Balducci collaboration at Anthropologie, part of the Anthropologie Halloween collection, is filled with dreamlike characters and mythical motifs that epitomize this trend.

8. Opt for a more simple, minimalist look

If you're looking to create a more subtle Halloween display then neutral colors and a more minimalist approach might work for you and your home.

Sometimes it is color and lighting that can make or break the holiday decor. For the Halloween season, opt to use black and warm neutrals to decorate the home. The use of the darker shades paired with the warmer tones will give a neutral, muted Halloween aesthetic without stepping too far into the literal theme.

Using black decor items like throw pillows, runners, dishes, place settings, and candles can give your home the feel of Halloween without the use of traditional decor. For your doorstep, a variety of white or blue/gray pumpkins, albeit rare and hard to find, will give the space a fall feel without it feeling tied to Halloween.

9. Go big on candles

There is no better time to decorate your home with plenty of candles than during fall, Halloween and winter.

Candles can not only help to make a house look cozy and warm, but there are plenty of wonderful scents to choose from that can also make your home smell like fall, too.

Invest in stylish, enduring candle designs that can be used and enjoyed all year round, like these striking orange twisted taper candles from McGee & Co., and pair them with a beautiful holder, like the Rosario Taper Holder shown.

10. Have fun with a Halloween crafts

Halloween decoration ideas, if made at home, should be fun, and something the entire family can get involved with.

The simplest of these Halloween craft ideas has to be bats cut from black paper. Perfect as Halloween window decor, they can be hung from tree branches outside, decorate your pumpkins, or added to garlands, too; creating a spooky, easy-to-create display.

This Bats Iron Bunch from Terrain can help you create the same effect if you don't fancy the hassle of an arts and crafts evening.

11. Pick out playful Halloween lighting ideas

Halloween lights needn't be garish – there are plenty of sophisticated lighting ideas perfect for placing outside, on a table, or hanging in the window.

While it's tempting to rely on classic orange string lights or flickering pumpkins, opting for more elegant lighting ideas will help create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that feels chic rather than cheesy. But don't be afraid to keep things fun and playful.

Lighting can make a huge difference in augmenting any existing decor. Dim, warmer lighting appears more ominous evoking the feel of Halloween while the casting of shadows creates the illusion of a haunted house.

12. Think outside the box with unexpected decor

Want to make more of an impact with your Halloween decoration ideas? It's time to think outside the box.

In order to create an unexpected display, consider things like vintage gilt mirrors, distressed swathes of fabric, and some deep dark paint colors suggests interior designer Benji Lewis.

'Bring on your best Miss. Havisham to life with textiles that have the feel of a grand old haunted house to them,' he suggests. 'Hang an antique giltwood mirror on black painted walls, like Lamp Black from Little Greene. Go black with all your accessories – a set of black books on the mantelpiece, black candlesticks, a ceramic vase in a shiny black glaze.'

Want to keep your Halloween decorating ideas subtle? One way to do so is to simply set pumpkins around a fireplace; if you want to create a cute display that can be seen from outside too, some simple bat shapes cut from card and hung at the window with fine thread will do the trick.