My Halloween Decor For A Neutral Home

I buy my halloween decor the same way every year, which means nothing orange and nothing that looks like it came from a party store. Black, cream, a little gold, and pieces I can leave out into November without the house looking like I forgot to put things away. The CB2 Lilith black ceramic vase with leather handles is the piece I would start with, and honestly it is not a Halloween piece at all.

It is just dark and a little strange looking, which is exactly what makes it work in October and then keeps working in January. The Anthropologie Bistro Tile stoneware vase with the gold accent is the opposite approach, more decorative and more fun, and it comes in a couple of colors if the one I picked is not your palette.

The Joss and Main Hopewell handmade stoneware vase is the neutral of the three, and I would put dark faux stems in that one. For the ghosts, I only ever keep two out at a time. The MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check illuminated ghosts are the ones people notice, because the check pattern is so recognizable and they light up, so they earn a spot on the console. The McGee and Co ceramic ghost figure is the quiet version, matte white and simple enough that nobody would call it kitschy.

Then candles, which is where I do most of the work. The Grandin Road jeweled skeleton hand taper holder is my favorite thing in this group. It is a little dramatic and it makes people laugh, which is the whole point. The MacKenzie-Childs Haunted House candles are the splurge and I burn mine on the dining table.

The Crate and Barrel bat tealight holder is small and cheap and I scatter three or four of them down a runner. Last are the World Market black and white rugby stripe tapers, which are the piece that ties the whole table together for under fifteen dollars. My rule is one strange object per surface and everything else stays neutral. That is how you get a house that feels like Halloween without redecorating it.