Vintage Halloween Home Decor

Whether you're looking for a new look or just want to add some spooky touches to your home, these vintage-inspired Halloween decorating ideas will help you create a unique space that everyone will love. We like to take a modern and minimal approach to holiday decorating throughout the home and then choose one to two locations, like the dining room table, fireplace mantle, or outside front porch, to go big. Choosing a theme to carry both inside and out will help keep the decor from overpowering your everyday life. This year’s theme is an All Hallow’s Eve Vintage Haunted House Halloween party and here are a few Oddities and Curiosities that we used to achieve this look.

Creating the Halloween Table Scape

Get creative by using both Halloween decor and year-round decor to build your spooky table scape. We are using a layered, organic combination Black, Ivory, Natural, and Gold accents down the table. Here are a few decor items to create a look that screams, “Welcome to the Haunted House”: Apollo Statue, Black Crows, Ivory Skulls, Rustic Chains, Spiderweb Runner, Gold Pedestal Fruit Bowl, Latex Black Pumpkins, White Harvest Pumpkins, Manzanita Branches, Vintage Books, Gold Mirrored Trays, Skeleton Hands, Caged Chandeliers and Lanterns, and lots of Gold Candlelight with Black Taper Candles. The more scattered and imperfect, the better the vintage-like impact.

Pick your Poison: Halloween Cocktails

Gold Starburst Mirrors are used as trays throughout the home for guests to choose their favorite Halloween drink. Black Stemless Wine and Martini Glasses are used to carry the dark and haunted theme. Hang a few Plastic Vermin to the glasses for a creepy crawler accent (and sprinkle the rest throughout the other displays!). Black Skull Lace Tablecloths along with black linen fabrics and Cheesecloth Table Runners are layered with Vinyl Placemats to ground all of the drink stations. Sphere Ice Cube Molds are used to make batches of round ice cubes for the “Full Moon” cocktails.

Full Moon Martini Recipe

  • 1/2 cup coconut cream

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 ounce vodka

  • Blackberries to garnish (optional)

  • Sugar to rim the glass (optional)

Combine 1/2 cup water with a 1/2 cup coconut cream, mix well. Pour mixture into Circular Ice Cube Molds. Place into the freezer and allow at least 5-6 hours to freeze. Using a Coupe Champagne Glass, wet half the glass rim with a wet paper towel and dip wet side into a small amount of sugar. Set glass aside.In a cocktail shaker, place vodka and plenty of ice, shake well and strain into the prepared glass. Place moon-shaped ice cube into glass and drop a blackberry or two into the cocktail. Recipe courtesy of jojtastic.

Vintage Halloween Accents

As we were decorating for this Vintage Halloween theme and layering in new decor to our existing spooky and all black Halloween decor, we turned to vintage-inspired accents. A collection of Antique Keys scattered down the table, buffet, and bar helped create the look. To give our bar a little edge, we studded pumpkins with Flatback Spikes and spray painted them with a high gloss Lacquer Black Spray paint. The combination of flat matte and shiny textures gave this look even more dimention (especially at night under candlelight and dim lighting!). We used black Cheesecloth Table Runners to add a gauzy texture and Leather Strips to achieve this look.

Haunted House Library Books

Throughout the home, we found our oldest library books and layered them within all of the Halloween displays. Leave a few open to the spookiest page and a few stacked. We even tore a few pages out and crumpled them up to integrate into the table scape and buffet. We shopped a few more used books to complete this look at The Last Bookstore and The Melrose Trading Post in Los Angeles. This particular book had an unassuming cover and was called Great Interiors, but when we opened it up found beautiful (and dusty!) photos of old Victorian homes which resembled haunted mansions. The Bleeding Heart and Skull Chains layered in an eerie way over the books helped complete the haunted look.

Vintage and Haunted Wine Labels

So we weren't buying this wine based on the tannins and dimension, but more for the playful graphic design of the labels (and we may have to apologize in advance for the potential hangover tomorrow!). Lazy Bones, Phantom, Ouiji Board, and Patriot Gypsy were just a few that were purchased from our local tried and true Trader Joe’s to support the Vintage Halloween theme party. Layered with another cranium and Gold Starburst Mirror, your Halloween wine bar will now be complete. W are also wrapping some of our libations in the Leather Straps we draped around the table scape for more haunted textural looks.

Masquerade Masks for Everyone

Invite your guests with costume required and even request a theme dress for your Vintage Halloween party. An alternative would be to provide a little costume fun if they arrive in their dinner party attire only. These black laser cut Masquerade Masks were giving us vintage vibes and not only did they accentuate the decor but they served functional and fun all night long! These also look amazing placed over pumpkins or amongst the candlelight for a special glow.

Vintage Prints for the Fireplace Mantle

Last but not definitely not least, we showcase our true vintage finds from many thrifting trips here in Los Angeles. Always on the hunt year round, keep holidays in mind when thrifting and shopping. First up is a black and white horror film drawing we were so fortunate to find. This is the second year we are incorporating this into Halloween home decorating and will showcase it for some time as it has been admired by many. Next up is a framed print of the classic horror movie, The Shining. We found this hidden gem digging though photos and records in Palm Springs at Vinyl Pharmacy. Since our Franklin Ave home studio is a 1920’s building in the Hollywood Hills this was a perfect Old Hollywood print to find. Anyone can incorporate this into their Halloween decor and you will find a horror movie buff will recognize it right away. If you can’t make it to PS, here is a quick ship alternative.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from FRANKLINAVE!