Haute Haunted home decorating by Carol for Chic Home & Antiques

Living next door to a decorator can be tricky. On one hand, you're home will never live up to theirs, so you're forced to constantly meet them at the front door, and halt them less they think they can enter your temple of chaos. On the other hand, it's a constant home magazine tour when you visit them, and a wealth of decorating knowledge at your fingertips. Meet my neighbor. Carol's a part time decorator/furniture restorer and proprieter of the uber fab Chic Home Antiques. She is constantly decorating, re-decorating, re-storing, you name it. She is also the nicest neighbor out there so sometimes...I let her in. We've bragged about Carol before but I had to share her Halloween decor because not only is it chic, it's unique. Carol was kind enough to share her decorating tips + photos so that you too can attain a haute haunted home.

Chic Home for Halloween.

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year to decorate. You can still use those spooky decorations but in a way that is chic and not verging on the way of tackiness. First impressions always last a life time so I always start with the front door entryway. Making it creeping and just spooky enough for the little ones to still enjoy. Hanging glittery black skeleton heads on the front door and dead branches with dried leaves and green moss placed in my cement urns give my entrance way a haunted appeal. As you step inside I always have old glass vases filled with red,black and orange food coloring and old branches painted black as night covered with spider webs. The round table is draped in an old white cloth with skeleton heads and spiders creeping about. As you climb the stairs inside from the entryway cockroaches are waiting on the stairs. Little black mice are scattered throughout the more the better, where there is one there are always more. Taking an old silver candelabra covering it with spider webs, spiders and drooping old candles give the affect of a haunted kitchen. Halloween doesn't always have to be black and orange. Mix it up use silver and black instead, use white pumpkins instead of your typical orange. Use things from the outside like dead branches, green moss and bittersweet. Most of all have fun and remain Chic!-