HALLOWEEN is a favorite holiday for many. It is one of the few holidays in which the focus is on the fun as opposed to the pressure of gift-giving or what some may view as the stress of holiday entertaining. While you are looking for ways to decorate your home in a festive way this holiday season, why not also look for ways to extend some of your décor all year-round? Here are some of my top Design Recipes for transitioning Halloween décor into your home, while also enjoying some of the colors and festive décor beyond the holiday.
- Gold and orange. These are two colors often associated with fall. And while black and orange are two colors prominent in Halloween décor, bringing orange and yellow into your home during Halloween is a great nontrendy way to celebrate the season.
- Trick or treat. Many people often think of ghosts and goblins at Halloween, but this is the perfect time of the year to bring wonderful tasty scents into the home. Homemade candles in fragrances such as pumpkin and spice not only help set the mood and smell great, but can be used year-round.
- Colored light bags. Pumpkin carving is typically messy and can be difficult with precise shapes and designs. Why not light up the night with colored bags instead?
One way to achieve this is to take traditional solar-powered stake lights and pierce the bottom of a colored paper bag. The result is safe and colorful.
- Frame a card. While greeting cards are seldom associated with Halloween, these colorful cards make for great instant artwork to adorn a table for entertaining or a trick or treat table at the front door. Just frame and you’re ready to go!
- White pumpkins. These are not as common as their orange counterparts but look beautiful adorning a Halloween table. Spray-paint some black for a ghoulish mix.
- Chalkboard placemats. Now is the time to get creative with your table setting and décor. Little chalkboards are easy to find at most craft stores and can double as placemats. Add spooky elements like netting and write a message in chalk to both surprise and scare your guests.
- Create easy centerpieces. Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, but the small ones work especially well as centerpieces. Either place several in clusters on your table or spray-paint white pumpkins in different, festive colors. If you are feeling extra creative, add glitter, string or buttons.
- Go custom. Often a hit at birthday parties and events, these days it is super easy to create your own custom wrappers to serve as the candy for trick or treaters or your guests. Looking for a home idea? You can always use transfer paper for toss pillows, pillow cases or napkins with your own custom design.
• Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert.