Halloween decorations are, in my opinion, the biggest offenders when it comes to their 'disposable' nature of all the major holidays. While Christmas decorations tend to be heirlooms, spooky cobwebs and dismembered plastic feet aren't exactly the sort of decor you're motivated to hold onto.
Enter: IKEA. The Swedish homewares giant is known for its low prices and genuinely agreeable quality, and its Halloween offering looks to eschew the disposability of the season. It's a collection that's aimed primarily at kids, it's fair to say, so you might not find the most chic, upscale Halloween decor ideas in the collection, but cute and good quality are good enough for me.
This year's collection hangs on two motifs — the black cat and the spooky ghost, with these characters appearing across everything from kitchen storage to textiles. These are my favorites.
THE BEST OF IKEA’S HALLOWEEN TABLEWARE
This glass jar might perfectly toe the line between kitschy and cool. The clear glass adds a minimalist touch, a smaller visual footprint, and a chicer look overall. This tiny ghost would be perfect to fill with candy for guests (‘tis the season after all!) or maybe just small trinkets or jewelry. It’s pretty obviously for Halloween, but maybe it wouldn’t be too weird to keep this out all year round...
When you think of Halloween decor, you probably think bright oranges, greens, and purples, but this throw from the KUSTFYR collection goes to show that a more muted palette makes things a lot more livable. With its raw edges and monochrome palette, it may be ghostly by design, but it's also pretty stylish.
A fun little detail for your Halloween dining table, these spider tealight holders are budget-friendly enough to buy a set of and keep to dress up your dinner party around this holiday every year. Minimalist enough in design to not be too much for an adult dinner party, but I'm pretty sure kids will love them, too.
Perhaps my favorite of the bunch. This set of three candlesticks would have been an excellent bargain buy if finished in, say, silver or gold, but the matte black finish really takes things up a notch. Cluster them together for a lumiere-type of feel, or scatter them about for a mismatched look. Customers also love these, for what it’s worth; the set has earned a rare 4.9-star designation from IKEA buyers, with the highest marks coming in at appearance (5.0), ease of assembly (5.0) and value for money (5.0).
These glass wine goblets—incredibly priced at 15 pounds for four—are surprisingly chic for the price. What I love most about them is the almost smoky color, which adds a touch more dimension than your typical transparent offering (and fits perfectly with a Halloween imperative). Stylish alone, or as part of a set.
The cat from IKEA's Halloween collection is a cute design, but stylized in a minimalist way that makes for a slightly more sophisticated, but still kid-friendly decoration. It matches the other smoked gray glass in the collection, so it could easily tie in as a centerpiece on a Halloween party table.
That smoky blue-gray color strikes again, this time in the form of a serving plate. You could use this in your centerpiece to complement the matching wine glasses on the table (should you choose to display them together), but the possibilities are otherwise endless. IKEA suggests using it as a fruit bowl in the kitchen, or as a pedestal for a stout vase...but I can't stop thinking about how nice a seasonal dessert would look resting on top.
You wouldn’t think Halloween when you look at this glass jug, but you could easily use this to both get in the mood for spooky season and construct a chic tablescape. Fill it with a signature cocktail, trickle in some lights for some ambiance or even stuff it with some funky faux flowers.
These string lights are not exclusive to IKEA, nor are they individually chic or stylish. In fact, on their own, they're quite mundane. But combined with the right setting and the right accessories (perhaps the glass bottles in this edit?), they could add a touch of magic to your witchy dinner. It's never a bad idea to have a set of these on hand, especially for just 12 pounds.
Finishing Touches
These candles look like they belong on the Eras Tour—which, to be fair, might be why I like them. But they're also quite fun on their own, with the jet black base and sneaky snakes climbing up the side. They look so elegant, and much more expensive than they actually are. To be fair, I'd use them as decoration more than a source of light—but that's still well worth it, in my opinion.
This is an investment piece, which means it needs to be something you can use beyond Halloween. And I think this handpainted, 19th-century inspired serving bowl from none other than Oscar-winning costume and set designer Catherine Martin fits that bill. I'd find any excuse to whip this out, but a spooky season party would work for starters.
We can get so bogged down in black and orange that we forget fall has a much more expansive color palette than the traditional two-tone binary would suggest. A pale green like this is perfectly seasonal and chic, while still offering up a chance for spookiness, depending on how it's displayed.
This affordable glass candlestick from H&M would look excellent mixed with the IKEA set above. For starters, the contrast in shape (which conveniently looks like a potion bottle, mind you) stands to add some welcome dimension to any tablescape, while the difference in finish (matte. vs. glossy) would give some visual contrast, as well.
I'm genuinely shocked at how elevated this candle looks for such a kooky bit: a hand holding a jet-black vessel, much like the evil witch holding the poisoned apple in Snow White. The perfect combination of chic and kitsch.
A few of these around the legs of your dining table, flanking your grazing board, or in the center of your table? Forget about it. An affordable (and timeless!) way to elevate your Halloween party or dinner in style.
We get it — decorating with orange is not so easy. So hopefully, this edit shows you that there are plenty of ways to honor spooky season in your home without sacrificing the style you've spent so long curating.
How can I style an elevated Halloween tablescape?
We've had a lot of talk about keeping your spooky season classy, not (overly) kitschy—but we haven't necessarily discussed how. Thankfully, we polled an expert to help share some of her favorite tips for an elevated Halloween tablescape, as well as guidelines for mixing multiple dark colors together at one time.
To keep her tablescape high-end, designer Janette Ewen leans on "weathered black, slate, olive greens, deep browns, and dark berry tones" rather than the classic Halloween orange, she tells me. Those tones are then balanced out with "levels of deeper yellow-brown or ochre." Otherwise, avoid "color palettes that look primary in tone," like "bold oranges and sharp blacks."
Janette also suggests turning to seasonal films or TV shows for inspiration.
"Current shows like Wednesday nail this look, as do classic movies like Interview with a Vampire," she says. "In watching the set design of these productions, you will notice the looks are always VERY layered and deep.
"It’s almost as if every element hints at a story or a mystery. Layers are key, think of gothic luxury. Layer natural elements like branches and berries (that hint [at] a witch's spell), with vintage tabletop décor."
