40 Halloween Decorations That Make for a Spooky and Stylish Tablescape
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Festive drinks and scary-good treats are essential when throwing a Halloween dinner party, but don't forget to show some love to your table. A sophisticated, grownup Halloween dinner party (or a casual buffet!) is much more exciting than a regular old Halloween party. To ensure you set an eerie scene this season, we've got plenty of ideas to get you inspired—many of which you can easily DIY. From unconventional color combos to spooky surprises, these elevated yet on-theme Halloween table decorations and centerpieces are sure to make it an unforgettable evening.
Incorporate Ceramics
Whether you make your own ceramic pumpkins as a fun fall activity or buy them, the decor piece will easily elevate your Halloween table. With openings in the design, they'll add to the ambiance if you place real or faux candles inside.
Shop Now Ceramic Pumpkin Light
Serve Drinks in Eerie Glasses
Upgrade from the tried-and-true plastic cups to an elevated glass version, like this skeleton hand one that's perfect for serving potions Halloween-themed drinks. Plus, you can easily reuse them throughout the year when you're missing the holiday.
Shop Now Skeleton Glass
Display a Carved Pumpkin
Carved pumpkins don't have to be confined to your front porch. Whether you turn one into a house or give it a scary face, it can easily act as a nice candle-lit centerpiece. Place it on a rustic cutting board along with a few fall-colored taper candles for a dreamy display.
Shop Now Rustic Wooden Cutting Board
Make It All About Candy
If you plan to have a dedicated dessert table at your Halloween party, toss candy and other goodies into spider web baskets. Decorate the rest of the table with mini pumpkins, tiny spiders, festive cups, and a fun tablecloth.
Shop Now Spider Web Baskets
Don't Forget Other Tables
The table you eat at isn't the only table you can give a little festive love to come Halloween. Consider decorating your side table, coffee table, console, or credenza with everything from cobweb-covered poison apples on a shiny tray to a collection of skull heads.
Shop Now Fake Spider Web
Let Your Tablecloth Do the Work
A festive tablecloth, like this skull one, can instantly make your dinner table look Halloween-ready. Pair it with solid-colored dishes and other simple accessories for an easy yet chic look.
Shop Now HomeGoods Skulls Printed Tablecloth
Add Playfulness
For a goofy take on chic decor, simply arrange a few mini pumpkins and gourds on a rustic wood slice and add googly eyes. Kids and adults alike will certainly get a kick out of the not-so-serious look.
Shop Now Googly Eyes
Go Green
Drippy candles, unidentifiable foods, brooding florals, and a few Halloween motifs sprinkled in... This table decor is ticking all the boxes and then some. And we love the offbeat color scheme. Everyone knows green and purple are witchy and zombie-chic, yet orange seems to get all the love. Here's a little reminder that it's a good idea to switch things up.
Shop Now Color Drip Candles
Opt for Subtle Fall Decor
Keep things sophisticated with unexpected colors that don't scream Halloween but still feature that fall aesthetic. A rich, blue tablecloth helps neutral plates pop. Add fresh flowers for even more color and stick to an earthy palette with your plating and napkins to even it out.
Shop Now Madre Linen Napkins
Be Creative With Pumpkins
Whether you get your hands on a carved wooden pumpkin, try to make one yourself, or go for these faux ones, they'll look stunning next to anything else you decide to place on your table for Halloween. And if you're style is more simple, you can easily display them alone with a few faux leaf and berry accents.
Shop Now Wooden Pumpkins
Use Mini Cauldrons
Mini cauldrons! It doesn't get any cuter than that. Whether you choose to serve drinks, soup, or dessert in them, mini cauldrons are the perfect Halloween table decoration that also serve a purpose. Pro tip: Bring your tea light votives to the next level by wrapping them in black lace as a contemporary take on witchy black flame candles.
Shop Now Pearlescent Cauldron
Mix Fall Motifs, Patterns, and Colors
Keep things classic and sophisticated with harvest motif plating, metallic accents, orange paisley-print tablecloth, and gingham napkins for some pattern mixings, and, of course, an elaborate fall-hued floral centerpiece. In this one styled by Robert Rufino, the feathers enhance its dramatic beauty even further.
Shop Now Autumn Leaves Plate
Create a Handsy Cheese Plate
Keep things subtly spooky by placing a skeleton hand on your charcuterie spread. Style it like this one from Sugar & Charm.
Shop Now Design Toscano Skeleton Hand Bottle Opener
Opt for White Pumpkins
Not into orange and black? Forget them! If you want it to feel more elegant, go for white instead of orange pumpkins. And try an unconventional pop of color, like light pink. See more of this pretty tablescape at Sugar and Charm.
Shop Now White Faux Pumpkins
Choose an On-Theme Decanter
If you're hosting a scary movie night, get inspired by the on-screen horror with your Halloween decor. If you don't want something as obvious as a skull, something smoky and moody will do.
Shop Now Decanter
Go Graphic
A black-and-white striped tablecloth adds a contemporary playfulness to an outdoor Halloween dinner party. Then, glue little ants to your napkin rings to be freaky but not too freaky.
Shop Now Spider Napkin Rings
Don't Neglect the Rest of the Room
Don't forget to extend the fall and Halloween-themed decor to the rest of the dining room! In this space by Emily Henderson, the cabinet gets the autumn treatment with pumpkin-shaped jars, red nesting bowls, and a rooster motif pitcher. The dried floral wreath above it doesn't hurt either.
Shop Now Nova Deruta Rooster Pitcher
Go Farmhouse Chic
Welcome to the big kid's table. This is where we'll be when the trick-or-treaters come knocking. Keep your table rustic and pared-down, then add in pops of color with purple placemats and orange napkins. And let the food double as decor (figs are always a good call).
Shop Now Orange and Yellow Napkins
Display a Broomstick Chandelier
Have you ever seen a more epic Halloween table? From the broomstick and black cat chandelier to the black fringed tablecloth, gourds, and black candlesticks, this dining room is fully decked out. The romantic pink and red centerpieces make for a nice contrast that softens and elevates the themed decor.
Shop Now Natural Witch's Broom
Make Flying Bats
Frame a doorway leading to your dining room with flying paper bats for a super simple but fun Halloween vibe that lives beyond the table. Then create a seasonal centerpiece surrounded by mini pumpkins. "The best thing about a Halloween arrangement is it can be sparse, dried, and organic as it adds to a haunted house feel," says Sugar and Charm.
Shop Now Black Construction Paper
Use Black Feathers
An affordable and easy way to put a Halloween spin on your favorite floral centerpiece? Just add black feathers to the bouquets, as Sugar and Charm did here.
Shop Now Black Feathers
Try Candy Lanterns
You may not have a giant candelabra on hand, but you probably have some summer lanterns. Refresh them for Halloween by filling them up with candy and placing them on top of faux spiderwebs. See more at Sugar and Charm.
Shop Now Black Taper Candle Holders
Keep It Fresh
Who says Halloween is all about doom and gloom? Okay, like, all of history and pop culture, but that doesn't have to be the theme! If you live somewhere that's still warm or temperate in October, set up your dinner outside (bonus point if you can get access to or mimic a cornfield or apple orchard), use unexpected pastel candles, and then create a fall centerpiece, as done here by Cheetah Is the New Black.
Shop Now Blue Taper Candles
Work Around One Color
Make things easier on yourself by orienting your decor around a singular color. In this Halloween spread from Sugar & Charm, all the candy, napkins, and accessories are cobalt blue.
Shop Now Faux Flying Crow
Use Fruit as Decor
You don't have to go creepy on October 31st—instead, try a more sophisticated Halloween tablescape. A muted red tablecloth grounds this table while the wooden serveware sticks to the rustic, easy-going atmosphere. Keep it simple with a few pomegranates lining the center of the table.
Shop Now Acacia Wood Cake Stand
Spruce Up the Bar Cart
Don't forget to spruce up the bar cart while you're at it! Learn how to make this gorgeous garland (it also works for the fireplace or as a centerpiece) from Sugar and Cloth.
Shop Now Halloween Wreath
Paint Your Pumpkins
Opt for pinks, peaches, and burgundies in your centerpiece rather than the classic warm orange-y fall palette. Then paint your pumpkins white! (Faux pumpkins work, too.)
Shop Now Small Artificial Pumpkin
Make a Tassel Branch Chandelier
Tell, Love, & Party hung this tassel branch "chandelier" over her Halloween dinner table to extend the fun overhead. Paired with string lights and plenty of glimmering candles, it's a magical display indeed.
Shop Now Orange Yarn
Add a Moody Centerpiece
Throwing a sophisticated grownup Halloween soiree? Decorate the table with a centerpiece like this by Cheetah Is the New Black. It's much more moody and romantic than your average Halloween decor. And then maybe throw in some festive coasters for good measure.
BUY NOW Thomas Fuchs Skull Wine Coaster
Show Off a Faux Cobweb Tablecloth
Instead of using a runner or tablecloth, cover a dessert/buffet table in faux cobwebs. It's such an easy way to give your spread an instant Halloween aesthetic.
Shop Now Halloween Spider Webs
Add Metallic Touches
This Halloween table decorated by Emily Henderson strikes the perfect balance between spirited and stylish. The harvest wreath on the wall is a great seasonal backdrop while the metallic painted pumpkins bring the autumnal vibes to the table and the moody black accents are a nod to All Hallow's Eve.
Shop Now Glass Pumpkin
Serve Dessert that Doubles as Decor
Let the dessert do the talking. These cakes double as Halloween decor while the skeleton serveware is actually chic enough to live beyond the grave of October 31st.
BUY NOW Thomas Fuchs Skull Ice Tongs
Dress It Up
If you love the idea of serving your Halloween cocktails in a cauldron but want something a little less kitschy, take notes from this drink station by Sugar and Charm. A glass punch bowl is light, airy, and a little dressier. But that nearby crow reminds us it's Halloween.
Shop Now Punch Bowl Set
Spotlight Pretty Fall Plating
A burnt orange linen runner and classic fall tableware keep things casual. Name cards are also a good idea, preferably if they feature some Halloween-inspired design.
Shop Now Place Cards
Keep Things Light
Halloween doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. For something a little less grim, take note of the cheerful spread above. Decorate plating and serveware with wiggly eyes for a fun Halloween pop.
Shop Now Wiggle Eye Crafts
Opt for Black Roses
Grab a couple of black candelabras, black roses, skulls, and spiders, and you've got a kind of creepy but also a little glam Halloween centerpiece. See more at Hostess With The Mostess.
Shop Now Black Candelabra
Focus on Florals
When in doubt, dress your table up with a festive bouquet and mini pumpkins for good measure. See more at Sugar and Charm.
Shop Now Recycled Metal Vase
Set the Mood
Paired with an inky black serving board, stemware, and napkins, this arrangement by Cheetah Is the New Black sets the scene for an elegant, grown-up Halloween dinner party.
Shop Now Black Wine Glasses
Bring Out the Whole Skeleton
Decorate your table with skulls and spiderwebs, then fill jars with candy. Is it weird that we think this looks insanely chic? Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm.
Shop Now Halloween Skeleton
Put Out Rogue Spiders
We will brave the spiders when there's cheese involved. Spread a bunch of spiders all over your table of buffet for a spooky setup. See more at Hostess With The Mostess.
Shop Now Cheese Knives
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