On the lookout for some magical Halloween outdoor decor ideas? If you love to decorate your porch and exterior spaces for the wonderful witching season, we've got all the inspiration you need.
But, with the world wide web saturated with scary transformations and makeovers, it can be hard to find the perfect concoction of classy outdoor decor ideas for Halloween without being corny.
The perfect potion for stirring up a stylish-but-scary includes a mixture of DIY Halloween decorating ideas and some easy and eerie shop-bought accessories. Think 'boo-jie' bunting, optical illusions, ghoulish lighting and lots more.
Halloween outdoor decor ideas to spook your neighbors
'The onset of autumn brings with it one of the year's most exciting holidays - Halloween. Marked by the spookiest of tricks and the sweetest of treats, Halloween is the perfect opportunity to experiment and really go wild with your outdoor decor,' says Nadia McCowan-Hill, resident style advisor, Wayfair. And Halloween door decoration ideas are a good place to start.
'If you're struggling to figure out where to start with your doorscape, consider working from the ground up, ensuring every space is covered for maximum scare factor.'
'Scatter a variety of Halloween figurines and assemble a squad of dapper little skeletons to perch on your porch alongside a patch of personified pumpkins. Whether your trick-or-treaters are charmed or frightened is all up to you.'
'Next, look to the skies and incorporate some Halloween-themed lights into your outdoor design. String lights and luminary pathway lights are incredible for lighting up long, dark walkways or driveways so trick-or-treaters can see where they're going.'
1. Make use of a dutch door design
Back in the day, Dutch doors functioned as a practical solution that allowed the breeze and sunlight to come into the house without letting children out or animals and pests in, so keep bad spirits away by incorporating this split design into your Halloween outdoor decor and front porch ideas, like this one from Lisa Furtado, San Francisco based interior designer and founder of Lisa Furtado Interiors.
While we love this smooth black finish, you can also use a chalky finish using an exterior paint from Frenchic. Don't just stick to black as shades like 'After Midnight' and 'Wise Old Sage' are great for country looks. For a rustic feel, omit the paint altogether and use distressed or reclaimed wooden doors.
2. Add 'floating' witches' hats using fishing wire
If you want to know how to decorate a front porch and include an optical illusion - hold onto your hats - witches and wizard hats to be exact. This Halloween outdoor decor is great as a small porch idea as it takes up no floor space at all. All you'll need is a bit of fishing wire to fix them to the porch ceiling.
Kids will love the Harry Potter-esque Sorting Hat vibes on your porch revamp.
3. Use banners for a quick and easy Halloween update
We're sure you'll agree this Gothic arch from Kelly Thomas, home decor influencer, @kellyscasa, is Halloween outdoor decor goals. Don't think you have to paint the town orange when decorating for the scary season. The contrast between white and terracotta exposed brick walls can sometimes do the trick.
Find similar Halloween banners on Amazon.
4. Don't be afraid to go black-on-black with your decor
A color synonymous with death, Halloween and haunted houses, you really can't go wrong with black. This dark hue will look sleek in the day and scarily swish at night.
'Say hello to Mr. Bones! Set up my front door decor today including a few of my all time favorite Halloween items - bats, layered door mats and pumpkins! I also did a festive witch hat DIY!', says Kasey Dixon, home design, decor and entertaining enthusiast and mom based in Idaho.
5. Use an assortment of carved painted pumpkins
Contrary to black decor you just saw, white can also cause a fright. Get to work by carving out an assortment of pumpkins with all different expressions. Then spray paint them white for a ghost-like look. Learn how to carve a pumpkin like a pro right here.
'Happy spooky season from white cottage farm!' Jack-o-lanterns, but make them cozy. You guys know I always do a couple fall porch looks every year, and this year I wanted to start out with a fun Halloween look which I think turned out so cool!' explains Liz Marie Galvan, a Michigan-based blogger, on her Instagram.
6. Create a 'arachnid infestation' with giant spider decor
Bugs, slugs and other critters creep up on us when Halloween arrives. Think liquid-centered candy, scary costumes and of course, interior and exterior homewares. And this home owned by Chelsea Cumiford, a digital content creator, is no exception.
Searching for equally spooky and hairy spiders is simple. You'll only need to go onto the web - Amazon, specifically. Be sure to stick them down with extra strong, heavy duty, double-sided clear tape.
7. Shop main street merchants for budget decorations
Letting us in her secrets, Sarah Chapman, independent health coach and mum-of-5 who runs Instagram account @vintagebaiiba detailed her Halloween outdoor decor ideas from head-to-toe. Her pumpkin and boo sign were sourced in 2019 from TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby.
She then shopped the black wreath from Michael's Stores and hand-finished it with thrifted pieces, balls from At Home Stores and a Johanna Parker Design black cat plaque from The Saw Mill Shop.
To finish, the self-proclaimed 'baby witch' finished with a rug from At Home Stores and found a second-hand witch figurine from Offer Up.
8. Go for an autumnal garland made of pumpkins
Give your guests a spine-tingling welcome with a skeleton couple and beautiful pumpkin garland. This Halloween outdoor decor idea is sure to stand out from the crowd and all you need are some gourds, something to carve them with and a quintessential piece of camping equipment.
'I simply just carved the pumpkins (some were already carved) and hung them one by one with fishing string and mixed in some fall garland.' explains Felicia Hausman, a photographer based in Pocahontas, Arkansas.
9. Repurpose rattan for a scarily stylish seating area
Autumn can be a little odd when it comes to the weather forecast. Sometimes it's cold and other times, you could be in for an Indian summer. So, if the sun is on your side in October, you needn't put your wooden garden furniture in the garage.
Create a front porch idea where kids can hang out with their treats or you can enjoy Halloween-themed cocktails. Little additions like the pumpkin garland, layered door mats, lantern lighting and rug underneath the table make this outdoor scheme in from Tammy Groethe in Utah scarily hospitable.
Get your furniture, garland and table from Grandin Roadand trick or treat signage from Harper Grayce.
10. Create a laid-back country feel with rocking chairs
There's something eerie about rocking chairs swinging back and forth when there's not a soul present, but they can also become a nice reading nook to hunker down into a horror or chilling thriller.
Settle down in style and comfort with some themed cushions and when you're not storing pumpkins in it, use the accompanying table to rest your pumpkin spice latte or hot chocolate.
And don't forget about your lighting. Here Courtney Fitzpatrick has used lanterns that can be picked up and placed on the floor or on a table.
Film buffs will love this scheme with the Beetlejuice style rug, Sleepy Hollow signage and not-quite-Nimbus-2000 broomstick decor.
11. Mix striped patterns with gingham and paneling
As the days get shorter and the nights darker, we tend to pull out our best fall clothing. But, as much as fashion trends evolve, stripes, gingham and check prints all seem to come full circle, so you can be sure that you can incorporate these motifs into your Halloween outdoor decor ideas.
This fun porch by Joanna Keel sponsored by Old Time Pottery features an orange gingham door hanging, spooky signage and dried out corn stalks as features for her pillars.
If you don't fancy the potted pumpkin look, pretty up your porch with some DIY pumpkin vase ideas instead.
12. Use atmospheric lighting to add a dramatic feel
'One of the easiest ways to really elevate the look of your outdoor Halloween decor is to add LED color-changing lights!' says Michelle Hansen, decorator, organizing expert, and owner of Practical Perfection.
'These can be set on a timer so they come on at the same time every night and they can be programmed to change colors as you choose. On my porch, we have two lights on the pillar and two lights pointed at the front door.'
'At each location, one of the lights stays at orange constantly while the second light changes through the rainbow. It provides visual interest to have it changing continually but having the first light continuously orange ensures that it remains Halloween-ish. These are a great alternative to traditional Christmas-type lights and only take five minutes to install.'
Our best porch lights can help brighten up your outdoor spaces all-year-around.
13. Bring your summer blooms back to life
If your looking for a way to recycle your flowers and revive them from the dead, this styling tip is what we call black magic. We love the contrast between the black and pink blooms.
'Public service announcement: Don’t throw out your dead ferns or summer flowers. Spray paint them black to give your porch all the dramatics. The best part? No more watering.' says Andrea, a blogger based in Kansas City.
How can I subtly decorate my porch for Halloween?
'If decking your house in all things spooky isn't your thing, there are simpler ways to incorporate Halloween into your outdoor decor,' says McCowan Hill.
'One of the simplest pieces of Halloween-themed decor you can incorporate into your home's outdoor style is the good old doormat. Replacing your regular doormat with a Halloween themed option is a quick and easy way to embrace the holiday and charm guests.'
How early should I start decorating for Halloween?
'With October fast approaching, shoppers are quickly getting into the spooky spirit and turning to Etsy for their Halloween door decor,' says Dayna Isom Johnson, trend expert, Etsy, when we spoke to her in the last week of September.
'In fact, we’ve already seen a 160% increase in searches for outdoor Halloween decorations, telling us that people are getting ready to wow trick-or-treaters this year, and show their support for independent makers.'
'Whether looking to create an over-the-top entrance or just incorporate a few accent pieces, shoppers can easily transform their front doors into festive Halloween displays with additions like front door or window decals, a personalized no carve pumpkin idea, or autumnal wreaths.'
While Lohini Francispillai, lead account manager UK at ManoMano says: 'Trick out your home this year and create a graveyard effect with some of our top Halloween outdoor decorations,'
'We’ve already seen people have the appetite for fright in September, with searches for Halloween decorations increasing by 1,700% and the traditional Halloween pumpkin increasing by 181%, as the nation go bigger than ever to celebrate. If you want to stand out on your street, don’t be afraid to go all out this spooky season!'