This year, we decided to give our Halloween decorating a new twist, with Hannah decorating the living room and I decorating the kitchen sitting room, porch & more. Hannah's design is a classy Halloween decorating idea using the fireplace and end tables to show off a black, white and gold Halloween vintage Victorian style and incorporating Halloween printables.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because of how creative your spooky season decor can be. If you love spooky fun decor more than gory decor, then you have come to the right place because this year, my daughter Hannah took her love for crafting and vintage shopping to create this classy Halloween decorating idea. She has such good taste that I knew it would turn out beautifully.
Before we jump into the details of how she achieved this haunted hearth, pronounced like hearse, as she calls it, I want to set the stage with a story to put you in a spooky mood.
The story takes place during Victorian times. A classy family of witches with a father, mother and three children, one of whom is now a ghost.
So now that you have a picture of who lives here, let's break down the fireplace mantel and end table into details.
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What Do I Need for Classy Halloween Decorating?
There are so many details in this haunted living room. Here are the supplies she used to create this classy Halloween decoration.
- Lace fabric (for mantel and ghost)
- Vintage frames, art, and old portraits
- Printable silhouettes of witches
- Sculptures or busts
- Printable witch hats
- Old books
- Cloche and printable bats
- Candles, brass candlestick holders, and chamber lamps
- Statues of crows and owls
- DIY sheet ghost (directions on how to make the ghost are here)
Now, let's dive into each piece for the best tips on how she created it on the mantel.
Why Should I Focus on the Fireplace when Decorating for Halloween?
Do you know the old saying, “The fireplace is the heart of the home?” Well, in this room, since the fireplace is a focal point, I thought it would be a great place to start sharing the details of the haunted hearth.
Lace Doily Mantel Decoration
First, she folded an old lace tablecloth that she thrifted and draped it on one end of the mantel. This is a great way to set the mood. This design is reminiscent of the doilies Victorians used back in the day.
Vintage Frames, Portraits and Art
Next, using vintage frames, portraits, and art, Hannah built the design by layering each piece along the back to create a triangle shape. Vintage art is an elegant way to add to the Halloween spirit.
She borrowed an old portrait of her great-great-grandfather to act as the family's father and then created a silhouette of a Victorian witch reading in a small oval frame, let's assume this is the mom. If you don't have an old portrait of a family member, try checking out some thrift stores. They're a great place for vintage Halloween decor finds.
These two pieces were placed in front of an old ornate frame found while thrifting in Maine. It was in bad shape, but thankfully, my brother-in-law, Tom, could put it back together again.
On the other side of the mantel, she used an old creepy-looking piece of art, but most of it is hidden by statues, which is what we will talk about next after we talk about the other silhouettes.
Halloween Vintage Witch Silhouette Printable
I love how the Victorian mom reading silhouette turned out! They are elegant Halloween decorations. This vintage Halloween witch silhouette is available in our Etsy shop, and it comes with other vintage witches we used on the end table.
Little witch children are fixing each other's hair and a youthful silhouette bust. This is such a fun way to get that classy Halloween look. You can get a vintage look but with crisp modern graphics. You can purchase all three in a bundle in our Etsy shop and they come in three different sizes.
Decorating for Halloween with Statues
There are these creepy singing busts at Disney's Haunted Mansion, and Hannah's bust reminds me of them. Talk about classy Halloween decorations!
On one side is the creepy piece of art, I mentioned earlier, a smaller bust, and check out the witches hat. Isn't that funny?
Halloween Witch Hat Printable
Good news! This witch hat is a printable craft available in our Etsy shop. It is a fun and easy way to take something so serious and make it fun with a touch of the spooky spirit, and you can use the DIY witch hat template to make party hats for guests at a party or hang from the ceiling. This time of year, there are so many things you can do with these hats.
On the other side of the haunted fireplace is a larger bust of a woman who is also adorning a witch's hat. I love the contrast between the serious traditional white bust and the fun witch's black hat. It makes a big impact.
Last, my daughter had a tiny chalk bust of Mozart. You can't get any more classy than that. LOL! She placed him by the portrait and silhouette.
Classy Vintage Books
After she placed the larger items, it was time to fill in between with books, candles, and such. Gathering old books, she used them on the mantel shelf and the hearth, stacking them this way and that as if tossed there at one time. Books are the perfect way to create height and layers to your decor.
Cloche Filled with Bats
Next, she used glass canisters from Target, turned them upside down, and filled them with printable decorative bats from our Etsy shop. This is one of my favorite classy Halloween decor ideas.
Cloche Full of Bats Printable
She used a glue gun, a fishing line, and the cutout bats. Cut some fishing lines and hot glue the paper bats to the line. Then, drop a glue dot on one end of the fishing line and drop it down into the turned upside-down dome. Turn the dome over and place it on the base, and you have a cloche filled with bats. These adorable bats turned out amazing and the best thing is that you can reuse them yearly.
She placed the bat specimens onto the books to add to the classy witches Halloween mantel.
Vintage Candles, Brass Candlestick Holders and Chamber Lamps
Halloween decorating is not complete without candles and twinkling lights, it makes a huge impact. The hearth is the perfect place to add your candles and lamps. On this haunted fireplace, she added thrifted brass candlestick holders, chamber lamps, and lots of battery-powered candles. I love battery-powered candles. They look so realistic and the best part is that they don't leave wax everywhere.
She also used these items on the end tables and coffee table in the room.
Statues of Crows and Owls
Next, Hannah decided to add crows and owls to complete the look because what is Halloween without black crows and owls?
She placed these two little statues, one on top of the mantel and another on the hearth, both in the black and white color scheme.
Speaking of color schemes, I forgot that she started this whole project with a black, white and gold Halloween color scheme in mind.
DIY Sheet Ghost
Last, we had to include our adorable ghost, as we had on our mantle last year, which was our retro Halloween home tour.
This year, instead of placing a Victorian lamp on a vintage babydoll high chair we sat it on a plant stand instead. This works so much better, and then, instead of throwing a plain sheet on it, we gave her that Victorian look with doilies bellowing out from under her ruffled sheet skirt.
Last, we plugged her in and covered the cord by sweeping her skirt over it to one side. Our ghost is ready for the Halloween holiday season.
This ghost has little girl written all over it, and rightfully so because she’s the adored little girl of the witch family. Here are more details on how to make a DIY sheet ghost.
After we finished taking photos, we thought she needed a witch hat, too, so we made her one. What do you think? Does she need a witch's hat?
Conclusion
So what did you think? Did you enjoy reading about this beautiful Victorian black-and-white haunted fireplace and living room? I hope it puts you in the Halloween spirit.
Remember this year, we divided our entire home, with Hannah doing the living room and I decorating the front porch and the kitchen sitting room. To see what I did and the rest of the house, you’ll have to watch my YouTube video. It’s a classic retro Halloween design with a whole new look and a brand new Halloween retro cat printable that you can hang on your wall.
If you're interested in more great Halloween decorating ideas, check out these posts:
- Decorate Your Mantel With Old Fashioned Halloween Decorations
- Crafting Spooky Magic: How to Make Halloween Decorations Out of Paper
- Vintage Inspired Halloween Decor Mantel Ideas
- The Magic of Decorating with Printable Bat Templates
Do you have any great elegant Halloween décor ideas? I'd love to hear them in the comments!
I want to thank you so much for coming and reading this blog post and joining us here. We hope you have a wonderful day and a Happy Halloween.
Happy Decorating!
