Halloween trends: 8 spooky-chic decor ideas worth trying this year

Halloween is on the foggy horizon and if you haven't already adorned your home in faux cobwebs and carved-out pumpkins, now's the time. Maybe you've been itching for a unique spin on Halloween decor or have yet to be inspired by looks from years past. If that's the case, we've rounded up all the latest Halloween trends. 

Don't be frightened; these fresh ideas for the haunting season are sure to make your home feel extra spooky, chic, or a little bit of both.

1. Wall of bats

Bats are classic Halloween characters, and if you can't get enough of them it's worth considering a bat wall for this year's celebrations. As Rosanna Spear has done here, a cascade of bat stickers are the perfect accent for really making the rest of your fall and Halloween decorations pop.

2. Floating Halloween decorations

What's Halloween without a little magic? This Halloween decor trend will make you and guests do a double take. From glowing candles to witches brooms and hats, people are stringing up spooky and chic decor on translucent string to create a floating effect. Let your imagination run wild and add a mind-boggling optical illusion to your home. Chelsea of @ourlittlehome2017 created this fun flying broomstick above the kitchen, which really ensures that every room in the house gets to take part in the holiday fun.

3. Creatively crafted pumpkins

Every year there seem to be new and exciting ways of decorating pumpkins for Halloween. Though the classic Jack-o-lantern will never fall out of fashion, but is overflowing with inspiration. This season, try painting prints or images onto your pumpkin (like an adorable cable knit sweater pattern) or find pumpkin figurines made out of different materials such as velvet to give the iconic Halloween symbol a trendy edge.

4. Friendly ghosts

While Casper may be the original friendly ghost, this new, not-so-horrifying look for ghouls is especially popular. Though ghosts are known for being the frightening entities that have haunted homes for centuries, they're looking much cuter nowadays. There are numerous options out there, including cute candle covers, painted figurines, pillows, mugs, and painted boards. Jordyn Hadwin, @jordynhadwin, added a gentle little ghost behind a collection of other Halloween trinkets for an adorable vignette.

5. Oversized spiders and webs

Even if you're the type to run for the hills when you see a tiny spider has moved into your home, it's hard not to love this Halloween decor trend. Lorianne of @mooringsandlea shows how webs – which you can create with gauze or netting – and oversized stuffed spiders result in a home display that's not gory or over the top, but stylish (yet still bone-chilling for arachnophobes). 

Buy a few extra-large eight-legged creatures to put around doorways or grab smaller ones to style on top of buffets and console tables. This one also incorporates the floating witch hat trend.

6. Monochrome vignettes

Orange and black are the first colors that come to mind for this holiday, but this year trends are leaning more minimal. Rather than opting for stark and saturated shades, monochrome collections that err on the side of pastel or neutral are seeing an uptick. Pull inspiration from this setup done by Savannah Wood – it's a gorgeous example of the powerful impact more subdued colors can have.

7. Halloween wreaths

Though you may have broken out the fall wreath the second September rolled around, this October is calling for a more thematic approach. Halloween wreaths are the ideal for infusing some creepy (or chic) detail into your home or on your front door. It's the perfect solution too if you don't have a yard to cover in spooky skeletons and inflatable Halloween decorations. While you can purchase one, they're relatively easy to DIY. 

8. Witchy word boards

Sometimes trends come back to embracing decorative items you already have, like letter boards. These felt and wooden displays are the perfect spots for sharing fun phrases and quotes. Come October, they're golden opportunities for a good Halloween pun. Sharon of @bondbeautyful created this fun pun on a wall-mounted letterboard, proving just how perfect a backdrop it is for other trending Halloween decorations. Other sayings we've seen floating around include 'Creeping it real,' 'Cheers, witches,' and 'Enter if you dare' – all extremely fitting for haunted occasions.