Halloween Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Flank the Steps

When it comes to fall decorating, don’t neglect your outdoor spaces. Using pumpkins, squash, and gourds can be as easy as integrating them into elements you already have.

A cascading display down the stairs allows you to use bigger ones that have more presence and are visible from the road. This vertical arrangement also draws the eye up the stairs. Position them on their sides or stack them on planters for an original look. Other garden spaces are just as easily accented with pumpkins, gourds, and squash of various sizes and colors placed among potted plants and furnishings.

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Place in a Vase

Instead of the usual flower arrangement on your side table, create a festive display that shows off some of your favorite pumpkins. Arrange branches, dried grasses, moss, squash, and small pumpkins in a vase as you would a traditional flower display. Then, choose a single pumpkin with an interesting shape or a twisted stem to showcase. Place it on a smaller table or stool to help set it apart from the rest. This height variation, in addition to the mixture of pumpkin and squash sizes and colors, makes an otherwise formal table much more playful and vibrant. This is a great display for families with young children, because the pumpkins and squash are at an easy height for kids to admire and touch.

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Adorn a Mantel, Traditional Style

For the traditional look, choose an assortment of small pumpkins and squash in muted colors that complement the surrounding style. This allows the pumpkins and squash to be on display without being the focal point of the room. Use other items from around your home that you wouldn’t normally think to pair with pumpkins, such as julep cups and old books covered in elegant paper. The key is to keep the look simple by sticking to the same basic color tones.

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Transform Your Mantel, Halloween Style

For households with kids or with kids at heart, a spooky Halloween look can be achieved just as easily as the traditional look. Use small containers in a black or dark wood finish along with items such as horns, crooked sticks, and Spanish moss. The darker colors will help the bright orange pumpkins stand out.

A stark color contrast gives your mantel an animated, playful feel, and the branches and moss add height and dimension.

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Pile Them On

For a quick and easy approach, group your favorite tiny pumpkins on a side table, and let the collection speak for itself. There is no right or wrong way to create this display. This arrangement looks unintentional, adding a carefree, casual seasonal touch.

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Mix Colors

Don't limit yourself to just traditional orange in your display. Orange and yellow pumpkins really pop when mixed with bright greens. Try using small green plants as well as gourds and squash with green tones.

6 Instant Pumpkin Displays

Flank the Steps

Place in a Vase

Adorn a Mantel, Traditional Style

Transform Your Mantel, Halloween Style

Pile Them On

Mix Colors