apartment dressed for a chic halloween

And the party planning was nothing short of pure fun

Hello everyone! I am so glad you are here! Hope you had a fun time celebrating Halloween! ​Halloween crept up on me before I knew it, so instead of decorating my place for the whole month, I invited a small group of friends to gather together and have a relaxing night celebrating over buffet dinner and good company! I am excited to share with you how I have decorated my small, two bedroom apartment for a chic Halloween party.

​You don’t need a lot of room to plan a spaciously harmonious event. Whenever you plan any event, start by separating your party space into sections...that way you can create a better flow and limit any congestion or clutter. I separated my space into four sections that represented different courses.  The separation provided a way to apply a specific type of attention to detail to each group:
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1. starters and appetizers
2. drinks
3. dinner
4. tea and desserts​

​I focused solely on our living area and the kitchen slash entry way - the heart of our home - where the party was held and where we’d end up spending most of our time. The term classy can get thrown around a bit these days when you hear about proper Halloween decor. But what does that mean exactly.

I think it’s mostly about people who have a love for all things pretty but with that touch of fear.  And being one of those types of people myself, less eerie yet a bit Halloweenie is what I decided to go for. So, I began putting time into understanding what my inspiration meant. Two things inspired me:
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1. I thought of animals - specifically deer crossed my mind. I am unsure of the reason behind the thought but I assume it’s because they are cute? Nothing original!
2. I knew I wanted the main focal point to be a bar cabinet (which I am working on as you know from my Instagram page and I can not wait to share about it on a separate post!). I pictured a door or windowsill of a dated and abandoned house through which one would tippytoe. ​

​To depict that, I imagined candles, lanterns, furs, moss, twigs and sticks, dark roses and a few crows to bring in some darkness. Crows and a few miniature skeletons are as far dark as I can go! The following pictures were taken using my husband’s Google Pixel. (He will be so happy since I've  been a fan of Apple products - still)

It’s the first thing that guests see and so the entryway makes that first impression. I have an inexplicable affinity towards empty birdcages. I have had a pair of cages from my wedding time which I like to use around our place in various ways. I chose the gray one for this event.

Light, colors, textures, and even sound can make or break the mood and ambience of a space. To add some eerie effect, I brought in our glittery black crow friend and put a bone in front of its feet - yikes! Inside the birdcage I laid out flameless, flickering candles surrounded by black tulle in the style of vignette to tone down it’s ivory color. The sound of wind chimes add to the eeriness and mystery of Halloween. While white pumpkin elicit the feeling of fall, Halloween called for the orange owl sitting on a thick, dead branch and a hanging glass ball filled with moss, sticks, and a lacy black pumpkin.

You want to know from where I got that dead branch? Well, I have a lot of family members nearby who have their own garden. I went to my aunt's house who was happy to let me grab a few things from her pile of sticks, almost-dying plants, and branches. I have used those and mixed in some fake and fresh flowers to create a few floral arrangements. Thank you family! 
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​I really wanted to go with a wreath as well but decided against it to control overcrowding of decor. Besides, thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I will have my chance! Sometimes less is more and you stop when it looks just right. Now come on in for a bite!

​I didn't want to go overboard with pumpkins and fall leaves, so I only had a handful scattered around. Guests would be hanging out in different areas, so I spread around few appetizers and starters all over the console table, kitchen island, and coffee table. Taper candles stood tall on black branch candelabra, skulls and skeletons just laid lifeless, furs strewn over tabletops, and Halloween details sprinkled over the surface.​

Fall is the perfect time, when you can simply step outside and grab leaves from the ground and scatter them around your house to bring the outside in. Although I’m a sucker for fresh flowers, I went with both fresh and nice faux flowers this time.

I always talk about details. It’s in the details where you find personality, story, and the thoughts that go into personalizing and perfecting a space or piece. As stated previously, my inspiration for the bar cabinet came from the thought of an abandoned house in the woods with a sense of darkness. This design and ambience is perfect even for a moody, warm, mysterious, or romantic wedding inspiration! I have been meaning to do something to cover up this utility closet in my living room and this was the perfect time and location. ​

​The counter top strewn with moss and sticks, some cascading dark black flowers with pop of large maroon roses hanging from dead branches, some "magic potions" empty bottles, lanterns, and Halloween props floating around - all of which generated the feel of dark chic. What heightened the effect of spooky was the punch bowl that brew fog. The guests really enjoyed the effect and it brought out an element of surprise.

A playful tea and dessert station: I am a huge tea lover so tea is a must at all my parties! I used orange tissue and floral tape to create some pumpkin candy packs as treats that guests can take home. Added some colorful donuts, bite size pumpkin pie, ghost marshmallows with graham crackers and mummy Hersheys, which we used to roast s’mores on the stovetop. Stovetop is a way to get your s'more fix indoors when your guests are comfortably enjoying at home and do not want to step outside in the cold to the fire pit. How amazing! To make it fit the picture and theme, the tea dispenser got eyes with a runny nose (the tea?) and an evil dragon creating fire around it’s tummy. Let my tea brew! ​

I wanted to cook a few Halloween inspired dishes, but decided to skip it this time to better manage my time. For dinner, we catered and I cooked Salmon with cabbage veggies. We did not serve dinner until later, so it all stayed in the oven until dinner time! When everything is set up ahead of time, it's only a quick warm, pull and serve - walla!

I changed up the decor just a tad bit on the mantel above our TV to create a sense of flow or uniformity throughout the house. The flameless candles were borrowed - thanks to my friend! I will definitely be investing in a few flameless candles myself considering how hassle free and effective they are! Mix them with a few real scented candles and the effect will only be more desirable. 

The couch has fur pillows, with warm and soft throws. Faux fur throws and blankets are one of the season’s hottest home decor trends and the softness in material and color provides a fancy comfort that is just as stylish as it is functional. Not to mention how perfectly it goes with the theme of the party. Cuddle up and indulge in the cozy feel of fur! 

Now that my guests have started to arrive, let's light the candles and start the party!

​Thank you so much for reading.

FYI: Everything should be on sale right now, so perfect time to purchase if you want to stock up for next year! For this decor, I have used the following items:

• Black branch Candelabra from Target
• Fur rug - HomeGoods
• A couple small black lace pumpkins, white pumpkins, artificial flowers, black crows - Michaels
• Fresh florals - HarrisTeeter
• Twigs, sticks, plants and leaves from the garden and backyard