Spooky season is here! People hide in their homes to get cosy and warm as a chill creeps into the land. This change in season is the time when bad spirits emerge into the world of the living, according to ancient beliefs. As a result, people have developed traditions and celebrations such as Halloween, aimed at scaring away evil miscreants by hanging spooky decorations around our homes.
What better way to celebrate this holiday than to infuse a show home you are advertising with some spooky, Halloween vibes? As a bonus, this will make the home unforgettable for property seekers who will appreciate the attention to detail. In a market of show homes frozen in time, yours will stand apart for its dynamism and seasonal character, which make it seem lived in and cared for.
What can you do to give your show home that spooky Halloween aesthetic? We’ve compiled a few suggestions together that we think you might like.
1. Begin from the entrance
First impressions might not be the be-all and end-all, but they are important. The entrance to the show home and the path leading to it offer you a great opportunity to introduce Halloween themes early and set up the mood for the indoor spaces. If the property has a front yard, consider transforming it into a spooky display. You can set up a scarecrow or a skeleton to greet the visitors and get them into holiday spirits. If there are stairs or a pathway leading up to the front door, cover them with pumpkins on either side to create a mystical and somewhat magical feeling. Embellish the entrance with a wreath of dry flowers to create a wonderful autumnal tableau.
2. Utilise the windows
Windows are an important focal point in any room. They let the light in and allow us to view the outside world with all its changes and beautiful landscapes. To enhance the view, stick cutout bats on the surface of the windows. They will create an engaging contrast with the outside view and dim the natural light on the inside to reflect the season. You can counterbalance that by introducing artificial lighting around the rooms to create a cosy atmosphere. You can point the light and use bat and ghost cutouts around the bulbs to cast atmospheric shadows around the room.
You can take this opportunity to upgrade your window dressings with a new batch of robust, made-to-measure products from Base Furnishings. We suggest black voile roller blinds which will create an unforgettable Halloween atmosphere.
3. A Halloween Feast
Use the dining table to put together a veritable feast of autumnal fruits and dishes. This will showcase the utility of the kitchen and help visitors envision their dream Halloween gatherings with friends or family. Pumpkins are the essential fruit for Halloween. A carved jack-o-lantern would be a wonderful centrepiece, surrounded by munchkins (small pumpkins) and other decorations. Use candles to create an intimate and welcoming atmosphere. If you want to take the scene even further you can use props to form a family of monsters sitting around the dining table. This celebration is the perfect opportunity to upgrade an old dining table. A large, spacious, product like our Peony Dining Table would fit right in with the rest of the décor and remain a robust and practical piece of furniture for years to come.
4. Bedding Ghosts
Haunt the bedroom with spirits and spiders. Fake ones, of course. They can be in the form of cushions, for example. You can get small artificial spiders and hang them from the ceiling to create a spooky scene. Ghosts are also easy to make. Get some spare bedding and drape it over chairs for an easy ghost look. Add a few buttons for eyes, nose and mouth and voila. Alternatively, scatter cushions could be repurposed into cute, little phantoms.
5. The (Un)Living Room
Living rooms often have heaps of character, giving you an opportunity to really get creative with the décor. Place a mummy or skeleton sitting on the sofa and watching an old Halloween movie. Hang bats and electric candles from the ceiling to make the place look like a cave or a witch’s hut. If you would like to expand on the witchcraft aesthetic you can place an old broom with a wooden handle prominently in the room. Use accent furniture like our Weston Side Table which could be reminiscent of an old witch’s cauldron in the correct environment. Place some colourful candles on it to give it an eclectic and mysterious feel.
6. Use furniture that fits the aesthetic
Wicker and rattan furniture like our Carver Dining Chair can create an eclectic and intricate atmosphere and introduce a spooky vibe around the house if used sparingly. Atmospheric prints and paintings of the right kind can be placed strategically on the walls to evoke a spirit of dark curiosity. Use scatter cushions and throws in autumnal natural hues and Halloween hues to add pops of colour around the focal points of the building.
For more inspiration and help with your show home check out our interior design services. Learn more about our approach to design in our recent article about show flats.
