A Spooky Chic Haunted Heights House

Last year we had the bats—this year I bring you birds, branches and bones for a Spooky Chic Halloween…

In last week's Halloween decorating ideas post, I shared the inspiration behind this year's theme and a roundup of my top designer-approved products. I was late to the decorating game this year and needed something quick, easy and budget-friendly. I put together these unfussy vignettes in one morning with a mix of old and new items.

Less is more when it comes to holiday décor, but I think you can bend the 'rules' and have a little fun for Halloween. The centerpiece for these vignettes is simply branches cut from the yard and placed into vintage glass bottles (thrifted years ago).

I picked up an extra set of smaller amber glass bottlesto add to my collection, and gave them a dusting of spray paint + dirt to make them look like old bottles of potions and elixirs.

Black taper candles were placed inside vintage glass candle holders (also from my collection) and I burned down the sides to make them drippy:

It helps to keep the idea of usingblack creepy clothas a table runner. A little less expected than your traditional white, and definitely spookier.

To tie into the 'birds nest' theme, I scattered Spanish moss from our trees over the table cloth, and layered an assortment of old branches and bones.

Perhaps my favorite part of this look are these black crows(I bought two sets in “Medium”).

They look pretty convincing and It helps to keep the variation in size and posture. They have wire at the bottom of the feet you can use to wrap around branches (I added more floral wire to wrap around the top of the bottle).

I am also genuinely into this 'Beauty and the Beast' inspired glass cloche… inside I displayed a hand from myskeleton bag of bones (they keep selling out/raising the price—this bag of boneslooks like the best deal currently, andthis one is a popular choice too).

Having a large collection of vintage books also comes in handy throughout the year, and the black bead garlandis icing on the cake:

I was originally planning to usewhite creepy clothon the credenza, but decided the subtle tone-on-tone look was more elegant.

So glad I did not skip out on Halloween decorating this year—I played spooky music throughout the house, got Esmé involved in the festivities and it was truly the most creative fun I have had decorating in a long time.

I hope she grows up cherishing our holiday decorating rituals, just like I do from my childhood. These traditions are genuinely where the best memories are made.

Anyone get over-the-top excited about holidays? I LIVE for them. This is just the warm up for the next two months…

Now that that is out of the way, time to start planning our Thanksgiving and Christmas decor! Everything is happening earlier this year due to the ongoing supply chain issues, so I'll be back next week with holiday entertaining ideas and inspiration. Until then…

A little behind-the-scenes update—this post led to a photoshoot with Better Homes & Gardens Halloween Tricks & Treats, and our home was featured in the magazine in 2023!