Seven classy outdoor decor ideas to give your guests goosebumps (for all the right reasons)
Gather friends into the garden for one more outdoor celebration, before the patio furniture is brought in for winter.
When it comes to party decor, if dripping fangs and squashed eyeballs bring you out in a cold sweat, banish the gory tat and amp up the glamour. For a fabulously elegant Halloween soiree, I love a gothic theme in over-the-top, but ever-so-tasteful, monochrome.
I've picked out seven tasteful outdoor accessories for the perfect Halloween garden party.
1. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Bring an indoor-outdoor mirror into your garden space. The reflections and movement create an uncanny other-worldly atmosphere, especially as the sun drops low in the sky and the beautiful autumn light is caught in the glass.
I love this antique-style mirror from Rockett St. George. I would elevate the levels of eerie elegance and decorate the glass with crow silhouettes.
2. Lighting for Brooding and Shadows
It goes without saying that the lighting at any Halloween party should be low. Create shadows with flickering candles placed in stark metal lanterns or atop gloriously over-the-top candelabras.
These monkey and raven outdoor lights are fabulous and would make such a talking point.
Mischevious monkeys are perfect for (tasteful) Halloween decor. I think they switch from mischievous and fun to wicked and menancing in a blink!
Image Credit: Graham & Green
3. Dramatic Planting
If you are a little green-fingered then take the elegant Halloween theme through to your patio planting. Choose a variety of large dramatic pots and fill them with Halloween-inspired plants and flowers.
I love Viola Roscastle Black as an easy but effective option. It puts on a glorious show of black satin flowers all the way to the end of October.
Image Credit: Terranova Nurseries. Plants include (clockwise from top) Colocasia 'Black Magic', Begonia 'Benitochiba', Brunnera 'Looking Glass', ivy, Heuchera 'Black Beauty'
4. Eerie Soundscapes
To create a spooky atmosphere for your guests, you can’t forget the background sounds. Music is fantastic of course, but for capturing the wind rustling in fading leaves, you can’t beat an old-fashioned wind chime. These black metal wind chimes are not, in fact, old-fashioned at all, and instead are beautiful to listen to (not tinny and irritating). They would, I think, add a delightfully unsettling feel to an outdoor horror movie night!
5. Painted Pumpkins
What would Halloween be these days without pumpkins? Pile them up outside your door, or use them as a centrepiece. This DIY idea for a black pumpkin decorated with fresh white flowers is beautiful, glamorous, and somehow just a little sinister.
If you're less keen on managing a rotting pumpkin after the party, use this magnificent decorative pumpkin as your table centre.
Image Credit: Brown and Ginger
6. Boo-tiful Serving Bowls
To my mind, any party is always about the food and drink. Keep to theme, but have a little laugh with it too, and serve your guests out of these wonderful dishes from Marigold and Lettice.
7. Beetlejuice Bean Bag
For living-room comfort outdoors I love our Armadillo Sun bean bag chairs. This design in black and white stripe would add the perfect Beetlejuice vibe to a Halloween garden party. Its weatherproof fabric won’t be scared of the weather - or any spills from glasses dropped in fright!
You could cocoon yourselves in blankets, get cosy on a bean bag, and set up an outdoor movie night with old fashioned horror films on the bill – Frankenstein; Dracula; The Birds…
What are your thoughts on Halloween? An opportunity for a party, or do you leave it to the children?
If you’d like some ideas for an outdoor movie night take a look here – or if you’re getting cosy for the changing of the seasons take a look at how you can use your outdoor furniture indoors here.