The Uplift is a monthly series in which our Style & Trends Editor Charlotte Olby uncovers the best decor to bring joy to your home. She consults our experts and picks through thousands of pieces from the biggest designers and retailers to bring you the very best.
I have a bone to pick with Halloween decor. Personally, I find it really rather tacky. So in order to still embrace the spooky season and introduce some stylish Halloween decorating ideas that don't feel too flammable, I've had to do quite a bit of digging around in some of my favorite stories.
To help me with my quest to find chic Halloween decor that isn't going to ruin my existing decor – and to find pieces I'll want to use year after year – I've asked the H&G editors to share their most stylish finds. From budget-friendly buys to indulgent splurges, these are the 15 Halloween decor items the Homes & Gardens' editors are shopping ahead of Halloween 2024.
15 chic Halloween buys our editor's are actually decorating with this holiday
'Candles are probably my favorite decor year-round and Halloween is the perfect holiday for lighting all of my candles to create a moody ambiance,' says H&G's Social Media Editor Anna Aylward. 'This candelabra has a hint of spookiness whilst also being a great table centerpiece.'
'I'm not a big fan of too many Halloween decorations in the kitchen, but this pumpkin-shaped cheese board is too charming to resist,' suggests Kitchens and Bathrooms editor Molly Malsom. 'Not only is it a practical piece, but I love having it displayed on shelving or leaned against the wall on a countertop.'
'I believe that Halloween pieces should last through the years (the classic carved pumpkin aside, that is), and one of the only ways to guarantee its timelessness is a monochromatic color palette,' says Megan Slack, Head of Celebrity Style. 'This black bat garland is the perfect solution. I love its ageless colorway, especially since black accents are already common in my home, but this versatile piece really won’t look misplaced in any space.'
'McGee & Co.'s viral wicker witches hats are not only in stock but they are also on sale,' suggests Head of Interiors Hebe Hatton. 'These look lovely as part of your mantle piece decor or elevate them (quite literally) by tying some clear wire from the top and hanging them from your ceiling so they appear to be floating.'
'I love this time of year because I can get my hands on some seriously chic moody decor,' adds Molly. 'These candle holders have a really unique, irregular shape – they look perfect on a mantelpiece or as part of a Halloween table centerpiece. And if you're anything like me, you can keep them out all-year round!'
I'm hosting a dinner party this Halloween so have been looking for ways to create a tablescape that nods to the holiday but doesn't turn my guests off their food... These black striped bows are designed to be tied around your napkins to add something special to the set-up.
'For a more elevated, elegant look for your Halloween decor, instead of opting for scary, opt for all things cozy instead – for me, this means that my fall decor doubles up as my Halloween decor,' says Zara Stacey, Managing Editor at H&G. 'Anthropologie has to be my go-to retailer for chic seasonal decor and they always do the sweetest pumpkin candle designs.'
Alongside a holiday-themed wreath, I'm looking to add a touch of Halloween outdoor decor to my porch. I'm already having to hold back from putting up the Christmas lights, so these simple-yet-eerie blackened branches with 120 LED lights will take the edge off and provide a bit of Halloween spookiness.
'I'm not a big fan of orange pumpkins, because they don't match the rest of my decor, but this beige pumpkin is the perfect jar to put all my Halloween candy in and I'm tempted to leave it out for the whole fall season,' adds Anna.
'For me, this time of year is all about leaning into a cozy, wintery look rather than themed Halloween decorations,' says our Paint and Color Editor Emily Moorman. 'This candle holder from McGee & Co. is the perfect balance of seasonal and chic, and once November rolls around, it’ll work just as well for Thanksgiving and Christmas tablescapes.'
'Staying on the pumpkin theme, this glamorous check pumpkin by NYC-based brand MacKenzie-Childs is ideal if you’re looking to channel a more non-traditional Halloween look,' adds Zara. 'I love that ornaments like this can be used year after year, and I think this pretty pumpkin design is perfect for placing on a mantel or for using as a centerpiece.'
'Wreaths aren’t just for Christmas, but for the Halloween season too. This dried arrangement by Terrain would work wonderfully either inside the home or on the front door, elevating your space with fall colors that nod to Halloween while maintaining a stylish look,' says Emily.
'A few years ago I made something similar to these bats myself, when I got them out this year they looked a bit worse for wear, and rather than spend hours recutting them out of black card, I ordered these reusable bats stickers from Walmart,' says Hebe. 'They are the perfect balance of chic and spooky flying out of the fireplace.'
'As someone who prefers more understated (yet fun) Halloween decor, I am loving this skull tray,' says Megan. 'The subtle details around the rim are a constant talking point at every party without feeling too intrusive or overpowering in my space. Like the bat garland, it’s designed to transcend trends, so it will look just as great next year.'
As someone who loves thrifting for vintage art, these set of 5 prints from Amazon really caught my eye when I found them on the Lone Fox Amazon storefront. Each landscape features a teeny painted ghost and is totally my style of Halloween decorating: cute rather than creepy.
If you're looking for giant crawling spiders, ghostly skeletons, or guts and gore, this isn't the Halloween decor edit for you. But if you, like us, are looking for something understated and stylish to bring a spot of spookiness to your home his holiday, hopefully these 15 editor-approved picks will inspire your shopping habits this October.
