We promise there are no tricks, just treats on the blog this week!
When it comes to Halloween, I personally prefer things that I can get out of the garage and pack away easily when the day itself is done. With three kids and one whose birthday is a few from Halloween, I find I am nearly always rushing around... so I won't be painting walls orange or getting out a velvet chair with skulls on that has been stored for this day.
Instead, I have a box of things I think are important to pull out at Halloween just to give the house a more festive feel - as they are also Autumnal, it's fine if I get them out a little earlier or do forget and they stay out longer. I must also add that, we do also have some more spooky items which I use in conjunction with these, but those items tend to change yearly depending on whether I am hosting and how busy we all are. This year we have just put up the exterior bats, sweeping across the front of the house - inspired by @studiomcgee
1) As you know by now, the front door, the entry to your home, is the first impression people get of you, so a good wreath is always a big plus for me.
This one is 40cm in diameter which is good for most doors. It has a wonderful texture with vibrant, warm colour pallet and large detailed leaves. The wreath has a luxurious natural twig frame. You can also easily entwine some warm white microlights throughout the foliage for a comforting glow as night falls each evening.
2) Of course another thing that initially impacts guests is the smell - scents have the power to trigger memories, evoke emotional responses and create lasting impressions.. so a great autumn punch can be given with some good scented candles.
Try the Delilah Chloe Pumpkin Spice Soy Wax Candle. It is the perfect fragrance to enjoy on those crisp autumnal days. With notes of Nutmeg, Orange, and Caramel beautifully blended to give you the perfect smell of a warm pumpkin-spiced latte. They are all hand poured using a natural Soy Wax to ensure they are truly luxurious too.
3) When it comes to Halloween night, one of the things that I love most every year, is returning from trick or treating, putting the kids to bed and cosying up on the sofa with a horror film (probably from the 80s). This wouldn't feel the same without a blanket!
They are great not only to give that cosy feel on cold nights but are a great way to add a punch of orange to your interiors. Whether it's draped over the sofa, a chair or folded up on a pouffe, it's well worth investing in for your Halloween musts.
I love this one from Gifts of Wales. It's a pure new wool throw-pumpkin colour and flecked with grey to suit a variety of interiors. It's also a nice big size at 150 x 200 cm which is actually harder to find than you think. As a bonus, it is suitable for machine washing.
4) One of the things the kids love about Halloween is their dinner - we always tend to go for something spooky. From Eyeball pasta to pumpkin pizzas, none would be complete without something to serve - Recipe Ideas. Ideal for snacks if friends come over, or for serving a spooky dinner, I tend to go for something fairly big and like to add some black or darker tones here too - it creates a great contrast with the food.
This Pasta bowl from Abode living works really well and is so versatile. It's a contemporary design and has a gorgeous glaze. It works wonderfully with the autumn pallet and being high-fired, it makes it suitable for regular use and dishwasher safe.
5) Keeping on the theme of dining, this one depends really on whether you host over Halloween. But I love to keep a few staple pieces for the dining table. One of my favourites of these is, of course, is the pumpkin. I love these Pumpkin Trio Packs from Truffle Tablescapes but there are lots out there that you can choose based on the theme you prefer.
Also for the table, something new for this year. We found these Halloween Crackers in a gorgeous orange velvet. From Sunday's Daughter, they are reusable making them a good investment and you can fill them with whatever you like which makes them really versatile to customise to our audience.
6) And lastly, but by no means least, Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without some lighting. As with all our interiors, regardless of season, we like to layer our lighting at home.
For Halloween, I tend to add some sparkle in novelty lighting like the LED Pumpkins from Light 4 fun. And some candles - which you can customise the colour to depending on your theme.
I hope this inspires you to get ready for Halloween and create your own Halloween staple box that you can bring out year after year and still enjoy.