Vintage or Vampy? Find your Halloween Style

0:00Home is where connections are made. Memories are formed and ideas are born, and no one knows home better than NFM. Thanks for tuning in to I Am Home, the podcast that goes deeper than trends and dives into what it means to make your house a home. Hello and welcome to I Am Home, the home life best life podcast. I'm Tyler Weisskup. Joining me today are my co-host. She's the coolest Google on the mic. It's Becca Subbè. Hi Tyler. Hi Becca. And she's got spell binding style instincts. It's Hillary Waltona. Hey. Hi Hillary. Today we are getting into Halloween decor. And if you haven't been paying attention, Halloween has gotten a lot more stylish lately. I think Gone are the days of just like the plain plastic skeletons and just orange plastic. It was more plastic. It was a lot of plastic.

1:04It's always been plastic. But Hillary, you've brought some design inspiration from what you're seeing out there in Halloween trends and are going to bring it as like a jumping off point to talk about like what's trending, what what what we love and maybe what should stay buried. But first, let me tell you why we're even doing this podcast. And that's because NFM is more than just your everything. Home store, we're in the business of improving life styles because your home life should be your best life. And you can learn more at nfm.com. Okay, Hillary, how do you want to set this one up today? So I have four different trends to to share with you. And they may like some of the some of them may sound kind of familiar, like some I've brought to you in previous Halloween trend episodes. And they've they've continued to be relevant. We're just seeing a little bit of an evolution. Icons are colors or like new elements being added, but it just speaks to

2:07Halloween growing in popularity. I don't know if you've heard summer. Ween. August, we like people are looking forward to decorating for Halloween earlier and the better earlier. Yeah, because like historically, it's been thought of as a little tacky, not the most tasteful. And I can recall early years working here in visual merchandising and Halloween product would come in. And we are just like, because it just like wasn't it's gotten so much. It's fun. Yeah. And now we're to the point where we almost have more Halloween than we do fall decor. Yeah, yeah, it's sort of you know, kind of pushing out fall a little bit or sort of a blend of the two, which I think is really really nice because it can kind of feel like a short season. So if you can extend it a bit longer. Right. Being lean on like the fun and the whimsy and it doesn't feel like something is just around

3:15for such a short. Yeah, short and only that's a day. Yeah, it feels like if you still have Halloween stuff out after actual Halloween, like you feel of visual trend, your space feels wrong. Yeah. So I love the fact that people are getting into it earlier and earlier and totally agree. I mean, after July 4th, I essentially like I think summer should be. Yeah. Why not? Let's jump in. That's the big that's the big holiday for me anyway. No, I love summer, but I can understand those that love fall. So yeah, I think much like there's been a throughline in many of our other episodes. People are embracing color and whimsy and bringing in some personality into their homes. And Halloween has become like a really fun way to express that. And it's something that the whole family can enjoy to like kids enjoy it, adults can enjoy it to versus, you know, sometimes some of the other like seasonal decor can feel like stuffy and and unseurious or and too serious. But

4:19so yeah, there's it doesn't have to be like scary spooky either. There's lots of fun. Like cutesy takes on it too, which I enjoy not being a super spooky gal. So yeah, ranging from really untraditional to more nostalgic. I think there's like a fun range that I've pulled together. Awesome. So you're ready to dive into the first one. Yeah, totally. So this first one is what I would describe as like a vintage retro look. And we've had sort of a vintage retro vibe for a while. But what's fun about this one is it's kind of taking on this like carnival aesthetic a little bit. So things like bold like stripes. The other thing that's like showing up a lot here is like bunting and decorative garlands. I think a couple times we've talked about those like paper chains

5:20or just really mixing a ton of of garland. Like there's a photo in the bottom middle where they have like a big vintage jack a lantern. I don't know if it's like flat or three dimensional. But there's like streamers and garland like coming out from the ceiling and draping down. So just a really fun way to like go beyond just putting a few things out on your table. And there's like pieces of that that are Halloween specific. It's not like that whole kit was part of Halloween decor. So whether it's like fabric or garland, plastic cardboard, just all sorts of like fun materials, paper garland or like those felt penance, streamers like that more is more with this. And it kind of gives that carnival circus tint vibe. Yeah, yeah. That's really fun. And then seeing these little like the ghost just to the right of that has like a little party hat

6:22on and holding a balloon. So taking something that could be spooky like a ghost but making it cute. And it has this like adventure like they're out and about doing doing things. Which makes it really, really fun. The what was interesting I found this it's like a magazine clip on the left. And it's I was trying to figure out when this was published. And I couldn't find exactly. But this the like whoever wrote this I think died in the 80s. So I mean, this is this is probably a reference from the 80s. But you can almost like copy and paste what's going on there into some of these other design. So it's these like vintage Jacqueline turns seeing a ton of that. I mean, kind of see him painted some painted pumpkins on the bottom right where they've got sort of a like clown.

7:27That's a player reminds me of like a circus. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I know like sometimes circus is like spooky to people. Yes. But they have like the cute little like rosy treats and really expressive faces. So I if you would just like describe this to me, I'd be like, not for me, but seeing it in action. I think it's really cute and fun. And if you have young ones, I think this would be a fun one to lean into. Or if you're somebody that just like appreciates like a vintage retro aesthetic, it doesn't have to swing super juvenile kind of in the top right middle. Is another example where they did lots of fun bunting on their ceiling stacks of like vintage Jacqueline turns all over the place. So not super serious. Really fun graphic patterns mixed in you can see like the black and white checkered pumpkin in the top right. If you're familiar with McKinsey Childs, like it's

8:29very much that look, which feels more sophisticated and an adult that blends with some of this more youthful juvenile stuff. And then like a fun graphic pattern below. And sort of like a Harlequin kind of diamond style mixed with bold stripes. So yeah, this is a fun one where you could take I don't know, even if you have I think you could bring in some of like the birth date. If you have like birthday party supplies or decor, like putting a party hat on your pumpkin. It's just a fun way to I love when you can use things from other holidays or seasons and kind of bring it together to like make your stuff go a little bit further and can I can serve a few seasons. Yeah, I like how it's cute, but it's still scary. Like I still think the carnival is scary. And like it's just be like cute, but low key, like creeping, creeping me out. It like really real like this

9:33this pumpkin design here in the middle one with the like super wide. That's super creepy. But it's not it's also kind of cute. Like I love it. I think it's great. Yeah, I feel like friends with with with kids either like sort of like some of that spooky stuff. And they are not like freaked out by it at all. So I think ranging on your your kids interest, you can go spooky or not so spooky with this. Yeah, yeah, I like it. Good range. Yeah, fun. Okay, you're ready for the next one. Yeah. So if this wasn't cute enough for you, I've got one cuter yet. Okay. This one's a bit more whimsical or what I've been calling spooky cute. Spooky cute. So there's some influences from like 90s and early 2000s. Like there's this like Y2K element. Yeah, yeah. Hold in color palette is much more pastel, but then making it feel

10:37Halloween by bringing in that punchy orange color. Okay. Really fun element in here is the like disco ball detail. So you can see that there's some pumpkins and towards the bottom right that have that like near disco finish. We've been seeing those for a couple of years and still continue to be like a relevant trend forward piece that's in it. There's things kind of have this like iridescent or sparkle finish to it on the far left. They made a crescent moon that's got like a streamer like iridescent streamer. Okay. Not entirely sure how they made it, but it's got like a long tassely streamer texture to it that has that iridescent finish. So I loved in the bottom middle with somebody's front porch and they had made you know kind of I saw a lot of this with

11:44Taylor Swiss eras to making those like friendship bracelets. And I have to look at my printout here to see what it's see what it said, but yeah it says in my spooky cute era, but they had like they've got balloons out there and have made this like little friendship bracelet level. Yeah. Porch decor. Lots of pink in there. Lots of like candy or confection inspired. Yeah, sure. He says like I loved this little like graphic of a little ghost making cookies in the in the kitchen. And then I saw this like fun DIY where they made cotton candy. Oh, was that what that is? Yeah, but they put little plastic spiders. Okay. And two. So yeah, like a fun little like DIY, they like hung some from the ceiling or like gathered in a base on your dining table could be really fun. The great place to pull in like the like the

12:49felt garland where it's where it's the felt balls or they have little felt ghosts. There's some really fun like Halloween desserts at the top, like a whole two tier cake with little ghosts on it. And then top left is some sort of dessert treat that's got these like fun pastel colors and bats and ghosts and pumpkins. So yeah, spooky cute felt like the best way to describe this one. Yeah. And yeah, I also get like Barbie Halloween. Yeah. I can't be laying on Halloween for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's super cute. It like I want to hate it, but it's also it's pretty. It's it's I would dig it if it wasn't if we had an error. It's just it's it's whimsical. Yeah. It's fun. Yeah, little irreverent. You know, it's it's taking spooky things like bats and ghosts

13:50and making them feel feel cute. Seeing like neon or glow in the dark being brought in here too. That's that's fun. And then found a few examples that didn't fit them on here, but of like monsters, but that look cute like that. They're monsters, but you know, somehow still look a little cute and yeah, cuttily. Okay, ready. Now we're we're we're stepping away from the the cutesy stuff. We're gonna start going us a slightly different direction. We're gonna get dark. Yes. Yes. Because I appreciate the the options that you're giving us. Yeah. This was definitely on the far end. Yes, there's a whole spectrum. But it still works. It still works. Yeah. I still feel like it's Halloweeny. Yes. And I love I appreciate the way that they were so intentional about this contrast and it works. Yeah. Yeah. If you if you know, we've talked about like dopamine decorating like if that is something you enjoy, this is certainly a way for you to kind of lean into Halloween and get that

14:57fun colorful. Yeah. Enjoyment out of it too. You can make it work. You can feel like Halloween. Yeah, totally. Okay, ready for the third one. Let's do it. So this one is more in the kind of like gothic realm. So very dark, very moody. If you like the dark academia aesthetic that we've referenced a lot, this is very much in your wheelhouse. It's got kind of spooky Victorian flare to it. There's sort of some like old world or like science references in here too. What I particularly love about this is the really dark moody florals. Like the top left is an all black monochromatic floral arrangement. In the middle, it's it's deeper darker reds mixed in there.

15:57So it's it's very, very dark heavy use of like candles to give that kind of moody glow. Lots of velvet used in here as well to the bottom middle is a mantle that's just like totally decked out and it has those velvet pumpkins that have been around for a while but are still like relevant. I can remember when we had those years, years ago. So just kind of a classic piece that can have a lot of life. What's really fun about this one is that there's not like a ton of overt Halloween specific decor in here. There's there's like pumpkins, there's some crows but a lot of like dark cheesecloth that looks spider web-ish but isn't necessarily like the only time you can buy that isn't it during Halloween. On the far right, they have it kind of shredded and

17:03hanging from their chandelier. So again, it's not something like you'd only be able to find at Halloween and every day element. And I don't know if you've seen this has been around for a few years too where people take bats and like they're usually like plastic or paper, just simple like cutouts and like cover their wall or have them. I think those are really yeah or even on the outside of the house. What was fun is they use sort of like a moth or butterfly instead in the top right. So another fireplace made a tall, but they've used some sort of like bug with wings and have them kind of coming out the fireplace and then the there's like a portrait of someone that they've like added some to and then there's like a photo of a crow. So again, not like super specific to Halloween but kind of pulled all together.

18:05Like the mood. Yeah, yeah. I loved the bottom left was like I think an entryway table where they took a couple of like bust statues and made them spooky by adding again more of that cheesecloth on there. Stacks of books. They had like a snake wrapped around one of them. So again, we've been seeing more of these like bust statues in decor, like having having a bit of a moment. So something you could take existing and then just add some spooky flair to it. You don't necessarily have to like remove all of your everyday decor and put out Halloween decor. You can store it sort of like layer it all in which is what I like personally like like to do. And you can like collect things every year as you find new stuff and just sort of build build on it. Build your Victorian Gothic. Yes. Super haunted castle. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

19:12So your Edgar Allen Poe collection. Yes. Yeah. So kind of dramatic moody. I love this theme for a dinner party. I think this would be such a fun like adult dinner party. Where you speak in a Victorian Transylvanian accent. Exactly. Exactly. And you do it now. Maybe next time. All right. I need some practice. Hold up. Hold up. So yeah, I would love to you know, this I had a girlfriend's bachelor at party that I planned a couple years ago. And we didn't go quite this moody and dramatic, but it was along this vein. And yeah, it just we we didn't want it to feel Halloween. She didn't want it to feel like a Halloween party. But as an October. Yeah. October birthday. A Scorpio. Like sure. Love this aesthetic. So we could

20:13kind of bring it in, but it didn't feel like a like a kids Halloween party per se. Right. Yeah. It totally works. Super fun. Yeah. Yeah. Very Halloween. And like you said, it's I think it'll work for people that don't want it to that actually wanted to be a little bit more serious. You know, but still it's so whimsical just in a little bit more of that like. Yeah. It's not as kitschy. Yeah. Sure. Sure. A bit more sophisticated. Cause if you saw these things individually, you don't know that I don't know that you'd necessarily like find it in the Halloween section per se. So okay, you're ready for our fourth and final. Let's do it. Okay. So this one was referring to as spellbound. So I thought of the movie practical magic. Are you do you have you seen practical magic with um, Sandra Bullock and why am I blinking on the other

21:14women's names red hair. Be was married to Keith Urban. Honakul Kidman. Yes. Yes. I knew you would know that. All you got to say is yes. Yeah. Well, you flip us forward one more Scott. Thanks. So there's some references like zodiac references in here or tarot card reading. Some of those like celestial references feels a little witchy, folkloric, kind of mystical. What's fun about this is the use of like natural elements and materials. So like little like woodland mushrooms would work well in here. Um, there's, um, I found a few examples where they had taken, um, like herbs, had them dried hung upside down. So almost like, um, if you were making a, uh, a potion or a spell like all of those.

22:20Yeah. Yeah. You'd pull, pull together to make that. Um, bottom right is a fireplace mantle where they took tarot cards and made garland and just like strips of fabric and ribbon and again, some of those like dried herbs. Um, and then to the left of that looks like a witch's broom made with dried grasses. Um, there's sort of a boho or scandy element in here too with some fun textures, some macrame, um, like these felt or they're not felt. They were like, um, oh, they're, um, maybe like a cotton or muslin material, but they're like these little ghost pillows but have kind of like a raw edge to them. So not too polished. Love the top left photo is like a dried oranges hung in the window. So again, gives that like, I don't know, bring your, your

23:24girlfriends and your witches to your cousin and, um, you know, make some, make some spells. My girlfriend threw a Halloween party sort of in this vein, like a girl's, girl's night out. And we, uh, read our horoscopes. Um, and so it was like a really fun kind of scene to lean it into for a girl's party. Um, love the black cat candle holder in the, um, kind of top left, um, but it has sort of a like folkloric pattern painted on it too. So, um, yeah, loved the pattern just to the right of that that has like the moth and the butterfly and moons and ferns and, and uh, yeah, just has that like, this is like go to your crystal shop. Yeah. Get all of the things. Yes. Yes. That my wife and her friend, like, whatever, whatever best friend, like I've done, like pretty much all of these with the oranges and the broom and the tarot cards. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, this is, uh, it's so fun to see it all together.

24:29Wow. I see it now. Uh-huh. This one is bustling. Yeah. Right? Yeah. So, um, you know, things don't have to be super matchy here. It can feel very collected, um, not too polished things have that like handmade look and feel to it. Um, I loved in the top right, they took on this fire place mantle, a portrait and then just like, I think out of like craft or construction paper cut like a black witch's hat and like attached it. That's, like, it's, it's really cute. Yeah. So, I was, I appreciate when they take like a piece of, because I don't know that, you know, there's some people that probably lean all the way in and buy like wall decor for the season. Right. But if you can take existing and like, yeah, out a little flare to it, um, and it's just a really fun way to, I know, you can stretch it further through your home, but, um, yeah, it bring layering some like every, some of your everyday stuff in on it. Yeah. And on it too, I think is, is really fun. And I think

25:33this is a good one that kind of, um, can, you can start early and feels very fall. Yeah. Some of the like the natural elements too. So if you, if you don't want to go Halloween right away, or if you want to and then pull some of that out and like keep them or fall feeling stuff, there's a lot of it that I think could last through the fall season. Um, and doesn't necessarily have to come down right after, after Halloween. So, um, yeah, really fun one here. Um, and I think across the board, love that a lot of them, you can take sort of your everyday decor, and add a little bit of flare or it's, you can find something that's like resonant with your own design style. It's not just to your point, the skeletons and the jac, plastic jant, jacolant turns, it, there's different styles being kind of like layer over top of your home design. You kind of blend it together with your vibe. I love it. Totally. So square. Yeah. So I think that's what's

26:37really interesting about where Halloween continues to go. Again, I started decorating a couple of years ago and before I, you, you would have asked me and I was like, nah, not, not for me. But now that there's so many more options and it's not just like, I don't know, sometimes it felt like an aisle at party sit or something. It's not as kitschy I feel. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, yeah, you can take your own aesthetic and push it a little bit further. So whether you're drawn to something that feels like nostalgic and reminiscent from your childhood, if you love Halloween, or if you're wanting to go a bit more playful and whimsical and colorful. If that's your style, you can certainly do that. If you like the drama of the morgothic look, or if you like more natural elements, you have more of a boho vibe. There's just a full range that can fit into your, your home really nicely. So 100%. Yeah. I was excited to bring these, bring these to you today. These are all

27:39great options. I love it. I think helps people kind of figure out how to do it and do it like back up with something. Well, so thank you so much, Hillary. Yeah. And thanks to Becca. Thanks to our producers Ann and Scott to all of you listening. And until next time, here's the making your home life your best life. One spooky story at a time. Thanks for joining us today for I am home with Tyler Wiseka, Hillary Walton, and Becca Sudbeck. No one knows home quite like NFM. So if you'd like more information on home design at NFM, please check out NFM.com and leave us a review on the podcast platform of your choice.