There are two types of Halloween decorating.
There’s the cobwebs, skeletons, severed limbs and plastic spiders everywhere kind... and then there’s the nicer kind.
I love a little nod to the season, but I’d rather add pieces to my home that still look like they belong there once the trick-or-treaters have gone. Pumpkins, warm autumn colours, candlelight and just enough black can make things feel a little bit Halloween-y - without making your living room look like a crime scene.
So, I’ve been playing around with some of our HAYM favourites to show how easy it is to bring a little Halloween into your home without the horror.
Pretty Pumpkins
You absolutely cannot do autumn without a pumpkin. I’m fairly sure that’s a rule.
But they don’t all need to be bright orange and grinning at you.
Our knitted pumpkins are a much softer take on Halloween and work beautifully mixed into your existing decor. Add a rust-coloured candle and suddenly you've got that lovely autumn feeling without really having "decorated for Halloween" at all.
And why not add some of your own Halloween memories into the mix? A favourite photo amongst your autumn styling makes it feel that little bit more personal.
And, importantly, you can leave the pumpkins out long after 31st October without looking like you simply forgot to put the decorations away.
A little bit of black
Black is probably the easiest way to give your home a subtle Halloween edge.
A black wire pumpkin candle holder, dark slate or black detailing mixed with warmer amber and mustard tones gives you just enough of the season without going full Addams Family.
I particularly love it alongside our amber glass and some artwork. It feels autumnal and a tiny bit moody, but still like a home you'd actually want to live in.
Autumn doesn't have to mean pumpkins
This might actually be my favourite way to do it.
Warm earthy ceramics, dried flowers, candlelight and artwork with a slightly celestial feel give you all the cosiness of the season without a pumpkin in sight.
Our Nkuku vases are the sort of pieces you'll have out all year, but change what you put in them and they instantly move with the seasons. A few dried stems in autumn, greenery at Christmas, fresh flowers come spring - much more the way I like to decorate.
Add our little Dundee Marmalade candle and bottle of matches and you've got a corner that feels cosy enough for the darker nights without screaming Halloween.
And then there's the pumpkin mug...
Okay, so sometimes subtlety can go out the window.
Our speckled pumpkin mug is very definitely a pumpkin - but it's cream, simple and cute enough that even I can cope with it.
Pair it with a lamp, greenery and one of our Please Don't Die plant pots and it becomes part of the room rather than a Halloween prop.
Although if your plant does die, I suppose that technically makes it more Halloween appropriate. 😂
Halloween, the HAYM way
I think that's the trick - don't decorate your home for Halloween, style it for autumn and add a few little Halloween touches.
Choose things you'd happily have in your home anyway, mix in warm oranges, mustard, black and natural textures, add a pumpkin or two and light the candles.
Cosy, autumnal, a little bit spooky - but absolutely no severed limbs required.
That's Halloween without the horror. 🎃
Shop our Autumn Accents collection online
or pop into HAYM on Carnoustie High Street to see what's in store.