Halloween is almost here. Can you believe it? I don’t know about you, but I am getting so excited to celebrate the big day. The strange thing is, we actually don’t know how we will be celebrating this year. Usually, we set out our bonfire pit and enjoy a cozy fire on the driveway with our Halloween music playing, and we pass out candy. This year? I’m just not sure what we will do. Part of me wants to pass out candy as usual, but the other part of me thinks that there won’t be many, if any, kids to pass out candy to. So, I decided that I would throw together a classy, yet whimsical and unique Halloween table setting for some inspiration in case we just enjoy a pizza night with festive movies next to a roaring fire. This may seem excessive for just a pizza night with a few people, but hey, Halloween is a time for fun and imagination! So I did it anyway.
I really wanted the feel of this table to be somewhere between magical and classical. As I’ve mentioned before, I love Halloween but don’t usually love to decorate with all the decor because it doesn’t blend well into my personal style. I really wanted a concoction of “Harry Potter motif” meets Jillian Hatfield personality! I grabbed some items that I already had that have an “old school feel” that worked well with that vision in mind: vintage books, antique flash cards, old shoe molds, ravens, tapered candles, and of course, the famous floating candles. Yes, I may have gone slightly overboard on this look ha! I have to admit, I was slightly nervous to share this because some people might think it’s too much, and that’s okay, but I loved it! Let’s always remember that decorating should meet our own personal tastes and not be dictated by what other’s think. Oh, and also remember to just have fun with it too!
These floating candles above the floral arrangement are tapered candles that I strung up to my chandelier using fishing line. They have been “well-used” so they already had the perfect Halloween finish to them. Don’t panic, they are for decorative use only and will not ever be lit hanging up there (even though I really wish I could!). There are LED tapered candles that would be great for getting that full Harry Potter effect, but using free candles I already had at home seemed like a much easier way of doing things, especially on a budget. It still adds a fun, whimsical touch above those branches (from Hobby Lobby, naturally).
As for the table itself, I started with a lace curtain that I actually picked up at an estate sale a few years back. I wanted something that added some elegance to the display. This fit the bill. The extra spooky thing about this curtain is that it came from a rather large, old house from a small town not far from here. As kids we always believed that that house was haunted. I’m so glad I was able to go in it for that estate sale. It was truly magnificent, and now I have something special from that “haunted house” we loved to drive by as children.
The floral stems I used had that perfect hint of color, while still being sparse enough to give that Halloween vibe. I didn’t want something that looked too full. I wanted that “enchanted” feeling and half bare branches can add to that when used in the right setting.
To keep with the elegant parts of this table, I used these beaded plates I picked up from the Dollar Tree last year. Yes, these are from the dollar store! They are some of the best plates I’ve ever owned. Beautiful and cheap are a great combination. On top of the plates, I added a black apple and an antique flash card. An unusual mix, but that’s the whole point, right? The apples were just faux apples I picked up from a craft store. I spray painted them black to use for unique Halloween decor. They worked perfectly here. I placed the whole setting on top of some vintage plate hangers that I simply repurposed as plate chargers.
I added in the old books, some mini burnt orange pumpkins, shoe molds, and the two black tapered candlesticks I have. Adding some more candles on the table would definitely build to the fun of the display, but again, I’m working only with what I already have at home and all my other candles were clearly occupied elsewhere.
Lastly, I added in those Halloween art pieces I made a few weeks ago. You can read more about those here. I had two of them, so I decided to use both and hang them on my hutch using some craft rope I had. With the vintage looking ink writing in the background, it really tied into the theme I was going for.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this eclectically styled dining room for Halloween. Sometimes it’s just pure enjoyment to create playful design. I wanted an imaginative, festive design that fit my personal taste and left me looking forward to celebrating the holiday next week. Thanks for checking in today!