Spooky season is here, and as the nights draw in, you might be thinking about taking your interior decorating over to the dark side. Whether you’re planning a Halloween party for friends and family or just a cosy autumn night in, adding a little bit of gothic glamour to your home and kitchen is easy. We’ve teamed up with Heather of Interior Styling 18 for her top gothic interior design ideas– keep reading to discover her top tips for some frightfully tasteful Halloween kitchen decoration.
1. Theme
When it comes to Halloween decor, you’ve got plenty of themes to pick from – take some time to choose a theme that will help you get the overall effect you want to achieve.
For example, to achieve a vintage Victorian theme you could use bats, potion-filled bottles & dripping candlesticks to create a mysterious atmosphere. For a more luxe Halloween style, try black pampas grass in a dark vase, and swap the usual orange for black or white monochrome pumpkins and choose gold accessories as a stylish accent. And if your style is a bit more rustic, then opt for soft autumnal shades of wheat, rust, and russet with plenty of natural touches like autumn leaf wreaths!
The most important part of picking a theme? Remember to stay true to who you are when decorating your home. This is the perfect opportunity to show your personality, and picking the right theme will help you to enjoy the process so much more.
2. Incorporate nature into your design
Bring the outdoors inside and use natural elements in your Halloween home décor. Using natural resources not only saves you money, but it’s also better for the environment than buying additional decorations.
Using natural resources will help inject some character into your home décor – not to mention, you can make it into a fun activity for all the family! Head to the pumpkin patch and pick some irregular shaped pumpkins (complete with warts and all!) or grab some wonky branches from the garden to form part of your autumnal display – this looks even more effective in a traditional style Shaker kitchen. Use branches with crisp golden brown, orange & red leaves to inject some colour into your Halloween scheme.
If going so natural isn’t quite your style, you could also use dark wooden kitchenware such as chopping boards or wooden spoons to bring some of the natural world into your home.
3. Dont be afraid to use seasonal kitchenware.
While you want to make the most of your Halloween décor, your kitchen is also a workspace – so make the most of your favourite look but keep it practical with seasonal kitchenware! Think cast iron casserole dishes in the shape of a pumpkin, cauldron salt and pepper shakers, or a spiderweb-print spatula – items you can use in your home year-round, or bring them out every autumn.
These fun kitchen items are also great for entertaining. Bring a bit of Halloween drama to your dining table with functional items that double up as decoration, from pumpkin ramekins to Halloween wine glasses.
4. Colour Scheme.
In most people’s minds, Halloween décor means two colours: black and orange! And while those might be the most traditional colours for the season, that doesn’t mean you need to stick to them, Don’t be afraid to buck the trend
- Natural neutrals: A more muted colour palette can either complement your traditional black and orange decorations or stand on its own, with rustic, natural fabrics to help things pop.
- Metallics: Make your Halloween looks a bit more luxe with golds, silvers, and bronze tones – you could spray paint pumpkins or pick up some gold accents to go with the rest of your decor.
- Pretty pastels: Spooky Halloween decorations not really for you? If your kitchen is decorated in lighter shades, why not tap into the ‘pastel goth’ trend with candy-pink pumpkins and cute light purple bat decorations?
5. Use lighting to set the mood.
Lighting is a powerful way to bring the Halloween spirit to your home! From your favourite pumpkin spice-scented candle to traditional candlesticks in a vintage candelabra, candles help bring that gloomy, dramatic vibe to your kitchen – just make sure you’re following fire safety requirements, or opt for LED tealights and candles.
Apart from candles, you can afford to be a bit more dramatic at Halloween, with pre-lit pumpkins, neon signs, projector lights and more – turn off the lights, turn on your kitchen uplighting, and let your statement lights do the talking!
6. Faux bouquets or seasonal plants.
Apart from candles, you can afford to be a bit more dramatic at Halloween, with pre-lit pumpkins, neon signs, Faux bouquet arrangements are a perfect way to dress a dining table or breakfast bar with a slightly more natural gothic feel. A seasonal arrangement makes a perfect centrepiece, or you could pick a brighter bouquet to inject some colour if your decor is relatively dark.
If you want to create your own arrangement, look for seasonal varieties like ferns, Protea, Gypsophila, autumn leaves, dried stems and dark grasses, or pick more colourful options like burnt orange roses, sunflowers, carnations, or gerberas.
7. Classic vs tacky.
If you want to do a classic ‘tacky’ Halloween then own it – but if you want to steer away from the kid’s party plastic decorations, then there’s a healthy balance to be found. Just find some key pieces and use a little bit of both for the full effect!
There you have it – top tips on how to add a bit of gothic glamour to your kitchen and home this spooky season! For more ideas, check out Interior Styling 18 and see Heather’s Halloween makeover at her Instagram, or find even more kitchen inspiration with hauntingly good kitchen designs from Wren.