We’re all busy and have a long to-do list, but if you love celebrating the holidays, you likely want to make a big deal of Halloween. After all, it’s not just a fun time for kids, but we adults can have a blast with it too.
If you’re looking to make your home a stand-out this October, so people from far and wide come to check it out, here are some tips for success.
1 Create a Focal Point
When planning your Halloween look, create a focal point for viewers to concentrate on. It pays to make a favorite decoration or prop or another piece the critical thing that draws the eye when people arrive at or go past your home. Use this item as the inspiration for the décor around it to tie everything together and create a cohesive look that will have more impact.
2 Buy or Make Spooky Decorations
The prime factor that will make your home a must-see at Halloween is amazing decorations. Some hand-carved pumpkins lit up with tea lights are a start, but look for ways to stand out from the crowd. Find goods that are more intricate, large, unusual, or simply up the spooky factor as much as possible.
Research online, and you’ll soon see a vast array of products to choose from to cater to every theme, color preference, budget, etc. It pays to purchase quality outdoor Halloween decorations that will last well in any weather. Invest a little more in pieces built to last so you can use them multiple years, not just this one, and then have to throw them out.
You might prefer to make some of your decorations, especially if you enjoy art and craft activities. Be as creative as you like and come up with wreaths, garden and doorway props, items to sit in trees and hedges, and so on. Just make sure you start designing and creating pieces soon, so you have plenty of time to get them finished before Halloween.
3 Go Beyond the Front Lawn
Many people put a few decorations out on their front lawn and leave it at that. If you want to make an impression, though, get more detailed. For instance, dress up the entrance to your home so you can give those who do some trick-or-treating more of a spooky vibe when they come to ring your doorbell. Create a dramatic entry for your porch, door, and even foyer to help set the tone and show you’ve committed to your theme.
Plus, don’t just focus on the external areas of your property. You can freak people out on the street by propping up an eerie-looking figure in a bedroom window or setting curtains to open and close seemingly of their own accord. Or, add spooky images by projecting a ghostly video in your window with a projector and screen to bring Halloween to life before viewers’ eyes.
4 Consider Lighting
Lighting is another vital component of a stand-out Halloween setup. Proper lighting sets the mood and creates the atmosphere you want to build. Use eerie, subdued lighting choices, especially blue, green, purple, red, and orange lights. Keep lighting levels low enough to set the tone but use enough of them that trick-or-treaters can find their way to your front door safely.
It pays to install some colored floodlights to broadly light up a scene you’ve created with props and other decorations. Use such lights to highlight one specific feature, such as a skeleton, tombstone, or ghost. Pointing spotlights at items can make them appear to glow in the dark, which is fun.
Plus, consider swapping the bulbs in your porch and garage lights from standard white lights to darker red, orange, or purple ones. You won’t have such a contrast between your yard and your entranceway as a result, and you can keep the creepy feeling going for longer.
5 Incorporate Sound and Other Senses
Lastly, don’t forget to utilize all the senses when decorating your property. Incorporate sound effects through an eerie soundtrack you project through your yard, add a fog generator to give people that spooky touch, and get the nose involved with Halloween-type scents such as pumpkin and candy corn. Appealing to all the senses will help make your home a memorable one for visitors.
No matter how you choose to adorn your place this Halloween, make sure you have fun with the process. Bring your imagination to the project, and don’t be afraid to go big with your ideas.
