Mahwah's Creepy Halloween Decor

After a long summer, it’s time to get into the swing of holiday decorating, and the best time to start is Halloween.

The best part of Halloween is that decorating doesn’t have to be really expensive to create an elaborate effect. Merchandise is readily available. Just look around your house and yard for creative fall items to gather. I used ripped old sheets, outdoor bare branches, old fallen leaves, and even old clothes to create unique decorations.   

Bats can be cut from black paper and adorn fireplaces, windows and walls. Just remember not to use tape on painted walls; 3m sticky squares can do the trick.

Inexpensive mesh and tulle from a craft/fabric store works well and can be purchased by the yard rather than pre-packaged Halloween drapes. The more you tear at them, the greater they look. 

Lights are a must, and so are candles. Change your bulbs in chandeliers and lamps to flicker bulbs and black lights. Use black plastic tablecloths under iridescent sheers and black lace to create an elegant holiday effect. Mummies and stuffed dummies can be placed in corners with uplights shining on them. Rolls of caution tape across doorways and window can be used for décor.

Have fun with any traditional white sheets on furniture, along with placing drapes of webs on mirrors and paintings. Webs can be stretched for yards and yards to give that special effect.

Let’s not forget the creative fun that can be done with food and drinks. That is what Halloween is about.  

Find some fun recipes that will make an ordinary treat into something “scarily fun to eat.” Turn hot dogs into fingers, spaghetti into brains; the menu goes on and on.  The best part is the freedom to have fun at any age and create a dramatic backdrop to play out that fun.

This weekly Patch column, which looks at different homes in Mahwah for design inspiration, is written by Gina Avino, a Mahwah resident, interior designer and decorative painter, and Linda Wetterau, a Mahwah resident, floral designer and event planner, of Gina Avino Artistic Designs at 103 E. Main Street in Ramsey.

If you have a design question you'd like to see addressed in a future article, email the authors.