I’ve learned a lot about myself since becoming a homeowner – what styles and color palettes I lean toward, the textures I prefer, the projects that I enjoy doing (painting) and the ones that make me hate everything (anything that involves measuring). But one of the biggest revelations has been that Halloween is my favorite holiday. If you’ve seen my house at Christmas, this might come as a surprise – and don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas too! But at the end of the day, Halloween reigns supreme for me. I think part of what I love about it is that it’s a purely fun holiday. Halloween rarely comes with any sort of expectations or scheduling issues – it’s just about having fun.
When we bought our house, one of the things we were most excited for was handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, but sadly Trick or Treat was canceled thanks to COVID during our first year here. In 2021 we were pleasantly surprised when we had a TON of trick-or-treaters – so many that I had to run out and grab more candy! After such a successful Halloween that year, last year, Darian and I decided to go all out for Halloween for the first time. We dubbed our Halloween brand “Haunted Mansion Chic” and pulled together quite the collection of spooky but (mostly) tasteful decorations.
Now that it’s October and we’ve hauled out the Halloween decorations, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Halloween decor that fits the spooky chic vibe that we’re all about in the Somers household. Keep reading for a round-up of my favorite spooky chic Halloween decor for 2023! And if you’re looking for more, we’ve had the most success finding great Halloween decor at stores like At Home, Joann’s, Michael’s, Target, and Amazon – so be sure to check out the Halloween sections of those stores too!
1. Black Feathered Crows (6 Pack) – It might seem random, but if I could only choose one Halloween decoration for our home, it would be these little feathered crows. They come in a six pack, which is ideal because I just keep wanting to add more. They add a little something extra to any Halloween vignette, and they look great perched just about anywhere. I’m tempted to order a second pack because I keep thinking of new places to put them!
2. Brass Magnifying Glass – I remember reading in a blog post from Sarah of Room For Tuesday a few years ago that she prefers to lean into spooky curiosities during the Halloween season, and I’m the same way. This magnifying glass can be used year-round, but paired with some spooky accents, it feels like a fun curiosity and fits right in with the Halloween theme.
3. Black Taper Candles – If you’re looking for something that’s subtle but still gives off Halloween vibes, you need these candles in your life. I’m loving the twisted candle trend and these black ones are so beautiful. While they aren’t necessarily an obvious Halloween decoration, they have a little bit of an eerie feel to them that’s perfect for the season.
4. Decorative Skull – I couldn’t put together a Halloween decor round-up and not include a classic skull! I like to put out a variety of skulls during the month of October. They’re great to place on top of books, use as bookends, or display on pedestals. I like to stick with the classics and opt for neutrals like white, black, gold, or pewter. It just doesn’t feel like Halloween without a skull or two on display!
5. Small Skull Scatters – One of my favorite ways to switch up my decor for the season is by switching out the bowl filler in my decorative bowls. These little skulls are tiny – they’re probably about an inch tall – and they look delightfully spooky in my favorite decorative wood bowl on the built-ins. They definitely scream Halloween, but their tiny size makes them feel a little more subtle.
6. Ouija Board Doormat – When we decided to go all out for Halloween last year, we spent ages looking for the perfect Halloween doormat. I love a good holiday doormat, and there are SO many great ones out there, but this one was by far my favorite find. I love how it fits the Halloween theme without being too obvious!
7. Witchcraft: A Handbook of Potions and Spells Book – During our first holiday season in our home, Darian had the idea to go to our local used book store to look for holiday themed books, and we’ve been using books as part of our holiday decor ever since! Last year we picked up copies of Frankenstein and a couple of Edgar Allen Poe books, but I needed one more book for the stack, so I went looking and found this one. Although I’d always advocate to check your local used bookstore first, this one is a great option if you strike out at the bookstore!
8. Black Glass Halloween Skull – Last fall, Darian and I developed an unhealthy obsession with the Halloween section of our local At Home store, and this was one of many little trinkets that came home with us. We have a few of these glass skulls scattered around the house, and they’re a great spooky accent to spice up a shelf or mantle that needs a little dose of Halloween.
9. Glass Cloche – I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect glass cloche for years at this point, and while I was browsing my Halloween Pinterest board to source items for this post, I stumbled upon one that looks absolutely perfect. This cloche would be great for housing some sort of little curiosity, whether it be a raven or a skeleton hand or even a fun potion bottle. I just might have to scoop this up, because the price is great too!
10. Cast Iron Skeleton Keys – These skeleton keys fit our Haunted Mansion chic vibe perfectly. While they aren’t specifically a Halloween decoration, much like the magnifying glass I mentioned earlier, they fit the vibe of spooky chic Halloween. We have a set of these draped across the chess set in Darian’s office and I really like subtle but eerie feel they give off.
11. Celestial Spells Candle – I always like to make sure my candles match the season – and while normally that just refers to the scent, at Halloween I like to find ones that double as decor! I have several fun little potion bottles that I’ve picked up at Homegoods over the years, and this one fits right in with them, but it’s a candle too! I always love decor that’s also functional.
12. Bat Wall Stickers – If there’s one thing in my life that I bought 100% because of Instagram, it’s these adorable sticky bats. They were all over Instagram a couple years ago and I couldn’t get them out of my head! I think I first saw them when Alaina Kaz from The Everygirl shared them on Instagram, and I was instantly obsessed. I don’t care if they’re over the top – they’re so cute and whimsical and they’re one of my favorite parts of decorating for Halloween. These are the ones that I purchased last year and they held up great. I’m planning to use the same ones this year!
13. Halloween Skeleton Hand – I first spotted this last year on the Joann’s website and I immediately ordered it, but I was so bummed when my order got canceled. This year it was at the top of my Halloween decor wish list! I actually ended up finding a similar one at Dollar Tree, but I still love this one too. Just place it on top of a stack of books for a subtle touch of spooky!
14. Spider Candle Holder – This is one of two decorative spiders we have in our home and it’s probably the most over-the-top Halloween decoration I own, but I just couldn’t resist! I keep this perched on a stack of coffee table books on our coffee table and I love it so much.
15. Portrait of a Lady Print – One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to decorate for Halloween is to swap out your everyday art for art that has a spooky vibe. Although this isn’t technically a Halloween print, this portrait definitely has haunted vibes and gives a sort of Haunted Mansion feel. As an added bonus, it’s available for free via the Smithsonian, so all you need to do is download it and get it printed at your local Walgreens or Walmart and you’re all set!
