The Want List: Classy Halloween Decor
Conjure the spirit of the season without haunting your house with kitsch.
The first leaf has fallen, sparking the ceremonious changing of decor. Halloween lurks in the calendar’s shadows. The festive urge to place a cauldron on the dining table, and perhaps some nylon inflatables on the lawn, has officially creeped in.
But if you hold style in high regard, certain decorations, much like Dracula, shouldn’t see the light of day. Think to yourself, how would Martha Stewart outfit her sprawling Bedford estate? Tasteful vignettes that incorporate natural elements with a playful wink of witchy, you might gather, from an endless stream of 90s-early aughts Pinterest inspiration.
So, sweep some fresh flower petals out the door and welcome the bare branches in. Here’s a list of fashionable Halloween items for the home.
Full Moon Masquerade Pillow
Furniture can get dressed up, too! Coral & Tusks’s embroidered Halloween line incorporates the brand’s whimsical woodland and wildlife characters into the spirit of the season. The Full Moon Masquerade Pillow features Fox as a Jack-o-Lantern and Dog as Frankenstein. Thoughtfully imagined and embroidered to life on unbleached, un-dyed 100% linen, these seasonal pillows are so charming one could argue they have year-round staying power.
$128.00 at Coral & Tusk
Halloween Stoneware Plate
The crow’s association with Halloween is tied to their spiritual relevance, symbolizing transformation and messages between the living and the dead. If the afterlife affiliation gives you the ick, here’s another perspective: crows appreciate shiny things. They are, in their own way, collectors of antiques. Anyone with an avian or antique affection will find these hand-finished, scalloped edged plates perfect for serving warm slices of pumpkin pie.
$19.60 at Terrain
Simple Taper Candelabra
What better excuse to leave the big lights off? If you’re keen on setting a gothic mood, get yourself a candelabra. This hand forged, iron piece will basically transform your living room into a Transylvanian ballroom. A candle’s glow romanticizes the dark. Sip your blood red Beaujolais in the flickering light of nine dramatically dripping taper candles.
$190.99 at GreenRow
Fall Branch with Mini Orange Pumpkins
Gathering those branches, leaves, and sulking sunflower heads from the yard. Contort the stems and wilted blooms into a haunting arrangement for the foyer. But if your locale doesn’t provide the skeletons of the plants that once were, there are tastefully artificial branches from online marketplaces — like Afloral. The ‘Fall Branch with Mini Orange Pumpkins’ screams, “I love fall” without having the live-laugh-love decor say it for you.
$24.00 at Afloral
Glass Pumpkin Lidded Snack Bowl
Bite-sized candy bars are about to infiltrate our pantries. Offer them an aesthetic resting place so you can S.I.P (Snack in Peace). This glass gourd vessel, with a mango wood top and iron stem, acknowledges the time of year while fitting into the scene you’ve already established. It’s a spooky-enough storage solution that will keep your candy corn classy.
$45.00 at Pottery Barn
Angela Deane Ghost Original Art
Angela Deane’s work Ghosts enlivens (or unalivens?) found photographs with painted white-cloth-draped ghosts on vacation, at home, at the Guggenheim. If you invite any sort of supernatural spirit into your sacred space this Halloween, let it be the ghost sunbathing under an unruly hedge. Original works and prints are available.
$25.00-$135.00 from Angela Deane Studio
A Stack of Heirloom Pumpkins
Channel your inner Martha, high priestess of the crafts, and design a display of heirloom pumpkins yourself. Available at local garden centers and farm stands, you will find curvy winter squash in a variety of enticing shades. Burnt orange, sage green, speckled and warted all lend their color and texture to a display that will add intrigue to your leaf laden landscaping. Look for the French heirloom Musque de Provence, a cheese-wheel shaped squash with unique lobes. Take a cue from Martha’s universe and drill holes in the squash for a starry glow.
