We’re always excited to get new ideas and pro tips on decorating our homes—though it’s not often that we’re looking for ways to make it look old and creepy enough to scare guests. Unless, of course, it’s Halloween.
With our favorite spooky holiday coming soon, we reached out to Jenny Rausch, president at Karr Bick design firm and well-known Halloween enthusiast, for her most creative ideas and tried-and-true decorating tips for this October.
1. Make things look old. Dusty, musty, and covered in cobwebs is the look everyone should aim for when it comes to searching for decor and dressing up your home. Rausch recommends antique shops and rummage sales for cheap silver, peeling books, tarnished candlesticks, foggy mirrors, and more. She also prefers gauzy fabric to faux spiderwebs, because it creates the same spooky, time-worn effect but is much easier and quicker to clean up.
2. Start with items you already have. Broken clocks can be cracked or painted, mirrors can be made spooky with spray paint, and dolls can be transformed with paint to become zombie-style dolls. Whatever scene you’re creating, says Rausch, be sure to include plenty of plastic or rubber spiders and place candles everywhere.
3. Take your darkest imagination on a shopping trip. “When you’re looking for Halloween decor, buy things you like,” says Rausch. “Don’t overthink it or try to create a specific look. The point is to create something unexpected. So get the things that thrill you or spook you, and let the ideas come to you while you’re decorating.” Some of Rausch’s favorite scenes to create at home: a bag of bones arranged like firewood in the fireplace, with candles arranged around them; a buffet of dead things on a sideboard; a staged skeleton dinner party at the dining room table; and a witch’s candy bar on the hutch.
“I love decorating for Halloween, because you can be so creative,” says Rausch. “If you have a desire to make strange, awkward scenes, this is the time people will find joy in that.”
This post was created by SLM Partner Studio on behalf of Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath. To learn more, visit karrbick.com.
