Here designers including Shea McGee and florist Philippa Craddock share the interior design trends that will enrich your home with Halloween spirit without interrupting your scheme. Yes, it is possible.
5 Halloween trends – for a sophisticated celebration
If you’re looking for Halloween ideas with a design-led, these latest Halloween trends are ones you won’t want to take down come November 1st – think of them as fall decor ideas with a spooky edge.
1. Invest in brassy accents for a seasonal palette
Halloween epitomizes autumn, meaning fall’s brass tones are instantly associable with the festival. Home Designer at Neptune (opens in new tab) Fulham, George Miller, recommends reflecting subtly these tones through your living room fall decor ideas by investing in autumnal-hued accessories – including candles and votives. ‘Choosing soft furnishings in warm reds and browns, like our Rust or Burnt Sienna, is also a great option for autumnal decoration, and brassy ornaments and tableware will feel warm and inviting inside your home while the temperature starts to drop outside,’ George adds.
2. Experiment with etched pumpkins
Etched pumpkins are the subtly stylish pumpkin trend that are making statements on both sides of the Atlantic – and all for a good reason. Iowa-based pumpkin artist Jessie Alt (opens in new tab) of Alt Farms (opens in new tab) has set the standard for this design, and while she admits it takes ‘a bit of planning’, the results are beautiful. ‘You begin to etch while the pumpkin is still growing on the vine. When the pumpkin is the full size – but before the skin hardens – etch the design with a tool of choice,’ she explains. ‘Etch by splitting the skin and causing slight damage while drawing your design. The pumpkin then continues growing and heals up just like it would from a bug bite. Unlike a bug bite, the result is a wonderful raised scar giving the etched effect,’ Jessie adds.
3. Create a contrast with bat silhouettes
While bat-inspired decor is not conventionally at the top of our autumn lust list, Shea McGee of Studio McGee (opens in new tab) has revealed how to decorate a front porch this month. ‘When it comes to decorating our front door for fall, I like to start with a more neutral fall look base and then layer on Halloween decor come October. Last year at The McGee Home, we started with a mixture of pastel pumpkins and florals and added in bats, crows, webs, and skulls for a spooky addition,’ Shea explains in the discussion of outdoor fall decor ideas. The bats offer a monochromatic contrast to Shea’s front door – but this aesthetic looks just as seasonal when paired against a neutral-painted wall too.
4. Opt for moody floral displays
Just as brass accents bring a sense of Halloween to a scheme, royal florist Philippa Craddock suggests deeply-hued blooms offer a similar nod to the celebration without overpowering your palette. ‘Avoid the gimmicky, overly decorated arrangements, and instead take inspiration directly from the outside, opting for darker tonal colors which are in abundance just now,’ Philippa says. ‘A mass of deep maroon colored Hydrangeas, displayed in a large urn, alongside a few stems of aubergine Himalayan Honeysuckle and a few larger branches, creates a fantastically elegant display, full of deep, moody tones.’ Philippa, who runs a free Autumn flower arranging mini-course (opens in new tab), adds that these hues are the perfect fall table decor idea for October and are equally striking as entry table decor ideas.
5. Go traditional – with a Scandi-twist
Pumpkins are perhaps the most famous of Halloween decorations, but the famous winter squash has received a Scandi-cool makeover that will suit even the most minimalist of interiors. This year is the year of white pumpkins – the chic response to the traditional staple – that is as rustic as it is modern – meaning it will impress every style of home. May the rest of your month feel sophisticatedly spooky.
