5 Ways To Make Your Halloween Party Extra Cool

Planning a last-minute Halloween Party and don’t know where to start with? The home-stylist Jane Ashton has come to rescue us, breathing new life into the usual patterns. Leave those spider-nets and inflatable skeletons in the storage room and add a sophisticated touch instead to your home decor. In fact, just like any other holiday, there are plenty of chic ways to welcome guests. All you have to do is going beyond that traditional set and transform your home or party venue with trimmings to die for!

Beyond trick or treating, dare to be chic

Getting into the Halloween spirit doesn’t have to mean giving up your magic touch and just because it is autumn doesn’t mean your house needs to be orange. If you’re looking to avoid that usual Halloween kitsch style this year, here are a few top tips to creating a more elegant impact at your spooky gathering.

1. Bring the outside in – forage for spooky dead branches and wild autumn foliage and mix with dried pampas grass stems to add a wispy ghost-like feel. Try Trouva for pampas grass.
2. Dramatic candles – use black, grey or dark moody coloured candles and arrange plenty of them in candlesticks of gold and black in varying heights to create drama and atmosphere. I buy beautiful hand-dipped tapered candles at Curious Egg who do some gorgeous moody colours.
3. Think past orange – Rather than orange, think white or grey-green pumpkins for a more ghost-like feel. Stack large a selection of large ones outside the front door and medium around the house and scatter smaller ones around the table. Waitrose are now selling white pumpkins
4. Creepy Vignettes – create little areas on consoles, dressers, and occasional tables by mixing the season – a touch of wild autumn foliage in little vases, or foraged bark, conkers or acorns, a tea light or candle for mystery and maybe a touch of spooky in the form of a small pumpkin sprayed with black spray paint or maybe an ornamental skull in gold.
5. Fill the house with seasonal scent – stimulating the senses is key to creating the right atmosphere, so don’t forget to wow their sense of smell with a gorgeous scented candle. This is my ‘go-to’ autumn candle. Pumpkin Clove by Anthropologie