There’s something about old-school Halloween decorations that modern Halloween decor just doesn’t quite get. Give me slightly goofy jack-o’-lantern faces, black cats with arched backs, paper decorations, honeycomb pumpkins, witches on broomsticks, and decorations that look like they’ve been pulled out of somebody’s grandmother’s attic.
The problem is that actual vintage Halloween decorations have become collectible, which means the price tag can sometimes be scarier than the decoration.
Fortunately, you don’t need to spend your weekends digging through antique stores or pay antique prices to get the look. And you definitely don’t need to turn your house into a Halloween antique store.
The trick is figuring out what actually makes Halloween decor feel vintage, then recreating that look with a handful of affordable pieces, reproductions, things you already own, and maybe one or two treasures you find along the way.
What Actually Makes Halloween Decor Look Vintage?
Vintage Halloween has a pretty recognizable recipe.
Look for:
- Pumpkin orange instead of neon orange
- Faded or warm black
- Cream instead of bright white
- Mustard yellow
- Muted green
- Black cats
- Jack-o’-lantern faces
- Witches and moons
- Skeletons
- Paper cutouts
- Honeycomb tissue decorations
- Ceramic pumpkins
- Old-fashioned illustrations
The easiest mistake to make is buying anything labeled “vintage Halloween.” You don’t need everything to match.
Actually, please don’t make everything match.
A few nostalgic pieces mixed into the things already in your house usually look much better than an entire room of reproduction Halloween decorations.
Start With Paper Decorations
If you want the biggest vintage-Halloween payoff for the least amount of money and storage space, start here.
Old-fashioned paper Halloween decorations are lightweight, inexpensive, easy to hang, and practically disappear when it’s time to pack everything away.
Look for reproduction-style black cats, pumpkins, skeletons, witches, moons, and honeycomb decorations.
Worth the Space: Vintage-Style Halloween Cutouts
Why I like them: One inexpensive package can decorate an entire wall, mantel, kitchen or party area.
Where I’d use them: Above a mantel, around a mirror, in the hallway, mixed into a gallery wall or on kitchen cabinets.
Storage verdict: Excellent. They’re flat.
Search for things like: Beistle vintage Halloween cutouts or vintage Halloween paper decorations.
Add One or Two Honeycomb Decorations
Honeycomb pumpkins and cats are one of the easiest ways to get that old Halloween-party look.
You don’t need twelve. Try one pumpkin on a stack of books or a pair of honeycomb decorations on the dining table.
Worth the Space: Honeycomb Halloween Decorations
Why I like them: They add a lot of shape and color without taking up much storage space.
Storage verdict: Very good if they fold flat.
Search for things like: vintage Halloween honeycomb pumpkins, honeycomb black cat Halloween decoration.
Let Lighting Do Some of the Work
This is my favorite decorating cheat. Turn off the overhead lights.
Suddenly the handful of Halloween decorations you put out look approximately 47% more impressive.
Use lamps, warm string lights and flameless candles to create the glow.
Worth the Space: Flameless Taper Candles
Put them in candlesticks you already own, thrift inexpensive ones or mix a few different styles together.
Black candles lean spooky. Ivory candles lean more antique.
Bonus: These aren’t Halloween-specific, so you can use them during Thanksgiving, Christmas, dinner parties and the other 11 months of the year.
Search for things like: remote flameless taper candles with timer.
Add One Ceramic Jack-o’-Lantern
Here’s where I would spend a little more if you find one you genuinely love.
A ceramic jack-o’-lantern gives you the nostalgic Halloween look without needing five smaller decorations surrounding it.
Put it on the mantel. Put it on a bookshelf. Put it on the kitchen counter.
Done.
Search for things like: vintage ceramic jack o lantern Halloween.
Shop Your Own House
Before buying anything else, look around.
Dark hardcover books become Halloween decor when you stack a pumpkin on them. Bonus tip: Check out thrift stores or second hand bookstores for some old dark books.
A wooden bowl can hold mini pumpkins.
A black picture frame can hold a printable vintage Halloween illustration.
Get the printable here.
Branches from the yard can go into a vase. Old candlesticks suddenly become spooky when you put black tapers in them.
This is also where vintage Halloween becomes a lot more interesting.
Your house should still look like your house.
It just looks like Halloween moved in for a few weeks.
The Domestic Enough Vintage Halloween Formula
If you want the look without thinking too hard about it, decorate one area with:
One paper decoration + one dimensional Halloween object + candles + something you already own.
For example:
Vintage black-cat cutout + ceramic pumpkin + flameless tapers + stack of old books.
That’s enough.
Seriously.
Step away from the decorative pumpkin aisle.
What I Wouldn’t Buy
I would skip giant sets of tiny Halloween knickknacks… but no shame from a frequent flier of the Target dollar bin.
They look inexpensive because they usually are, they take forever to arrange, and somehow you end up individually wrapping 19 (yes, 19) tiny ceramic ghosts on November 1st.
I’d also skip decorations with a very specific phrase unless you absolutely love them.
A black cat is going to work with whatever Halloween style you like five years from now.
“WELCOME TO OUR SPOOKY BOO CREW” may have a shorter shelf life.
The Short Version
You don’t need a house full of vintage Halloween decorations to get the vintage Halloween look.
Start with paper decorations.
Add warm lighting.
Pick one or two dimensional pieces you genuinely love.
Then use the stuff you already own.
Halloween should be fun.
It shouldn’t require renting a storage unit.