The idea of decorating for the holidays can be daunting. You've seen us post "inspo" decor images from our homes or party's, but I realized that we haven't actually posted what key elements you need for decorating your home/party for themed events. No matter what your budget or how "beginner" you are at this, it's a lot easier than it seems. Let me break it down like this, in order of importance (at least in my opinion); Color, lighting, aroma, sound and taste.
When you aren't sure where to begin with each, try thinking about a theme you would like to have. Since we are in Fall and Halloween is around the corner, what's your favorite? Do you just like pumpkins? Witches? Spiders? Do you prefer a rustic scene of burlap and foliage? For example our house on the inside has two themes, Rustic and Haunted/ Bewitched. Up in the loft there's a coffee nook and the theme is rustic with traditional colors of orange, black, brown, and other neutrals. In the dining room and Sala a.k.a. Living room/ "Florida Room" it's HAUNTED & BEWITCHED, gothic elegance with black, deep purple, reds, greens and silver. Outside is traditional. Always full of orange and black traditional pumpkins and fun orange glowing trees and any other lighting we can come up with. We love our trick or treaters!!!
Let's break down the list even more with some helpful tips!
KEY ELEMENTS for DECORATING
COLOR SCHEME- This is going to help with cohesion, pick no more than 5 colors and out of those 5 make 3 the dominant ones. Ex) The Loft has black, orange, brown, green, white. Black, Orange and White are the dominant colors, the brown and green are add ons that also break up sections or displays so it doesn't cause all the colors to get muddy.
LIGHTING - Turn off the over head lights, try a lamp or two, change the bulb to a different color. Get some plug in/ battery powered string lights, fire lights, fake candles, real candles. Projections are the latest items to hit the market in the last 2 years. Making it more accessible to the average Joe, versus hiring a professional. Home depot came out with these orange and purple projections two years ago that look like a cauldron bubble. Since our ceilings our white, I just pointed them up and it created this beautiful yet eerie feel. The mood of a room instantly changes with lighting. This will also be key when choosing props/ fabrics etc.
FABRIC- What do I mean by fabric? The oldest trick in the book is to get old white blankets, bed sheets, pillow covers and changing the look of your furniture in seconds. if you don't want white, I recommend the black cheese cloth they sell in the party section and draping it on chairs, sofas, mantel even mirrors for a haunted look. It stretches and is fairly affordable. You can find them in the halloween section at Target, Micheal's Crafts and sometimes the Dollar Tree.
AROMA- Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING lol. Actually anything that smells like dessert or spices reminds me so much of fall. I don't actually start incorporating green smells, like pine, until the last week of November. I highly recommend Glade plug ins. Don't be fooled by the fancy stuff. When it comes to budget and quality, I find the glade plug ins to fill your home with scent faster and longer! Their holiday candles do a pretty good job too. The next up would be Bath & Body works their sister store White Barn and of course Yankee Candle! They have sales all the time!
SOUND- whether you're a music person or sound effects person, this element just keeps your guests on their toes!
TASTE- Lastly taste is only important if you love to have a something sweet or savory according to season near by. I love making cakes, pound cakes and granola to pick at and there is always a jar of candy corn out for my niece and nephew. If it's for a party, it's just another great add on to immerse your guests in.
Check out these images below and see how we apply our KEY TIPS for decorating. Notice certain rooms and their decor versus the added key element of a well lit room. Enjoy.
I hope you all enjoyed how we apply our KEY TIPS to our rooms in the house. This is obviously Halloween Edition, but would love to do a rustic Fall & Winter / Christmas edition as well in the coming month! Stay tuned for Halloween makeup looks and a party so bewitching, you are gonna wanna gather your best ghoulfriends and throw one!
Happy Hauntings,
BLONDE2BRUNETTE
P.S. for all things FALL, please click HERE!