6 Subtly Spooky Yet Stylish Halloween Ideas

It's only a couple of days until Halloween and my girls are getting so excited. Ok, me too! How about you? Perhaps you're the person who goes all out, adorning your home with cobwebs and coffins, goblins and goblets or like me, prefer to add a gentle, yet spooky nod to the occasion. No matter your Halloween style, I've rounded up 5 of my favourite simple yet bewitching halloween decorating ideas - from light and bright, to the very dark side. I hope you find something that tickles your fancy on 31st October! 

1. Add one more guest to the (console) table this halloween with a bone chilling display complete with carnivorous cobra lilies, black beauty roses and allium in a skull vase, for a deadly display! 

2. Put a little ssssspace between you and your latest pet  - snake charming optional! 

3. Not into the spooksville side of Halloween? This pretty Scandinavian window display by Anna Kvarnström will last all season long, and it's as pretty as a pumpkin! 

4. Ask your portraits to keep a close eye on guests by adding a black mask to the glass on the front of your pictures - for an instant haunted house! 

5. Enjoy a bewitching banquet with this black and white display. Dine on blood red apples dipped in sticky toffee and finished with bony, gnarled sticks. 

6. Go over to the (very) dark side with pumpkins, brass candlesticks and candles as black as the night sky. Ghosts optional. 

Did any of these ideas capture your imagination? I'm totally going to get up early on halloween at my parents' house and put masks on all the portraits (although some of my Mother's paintings are spooky enough already!). Mwah ha ha haaaaaa! 
If you're looking for more ideas - you might also like the 7 spookishly stylish halloween ideas I shared last year (the ghost cake!). We're busy packing here since we're heading to London today to hang out with my family for the school half term (and of course do a little trick or treating!). Eeeeeee! I can't wait!  I hope you have a wonderful few days. See you on Monday! Niki

Credits: 1. Addie Juel  2. Svenska Maklarhuset 3. Anna Kvarnström 4. Country Living 5. Stocksy 6. Agata Dimmich / Passion Shake

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The Cosy Vintage-Inspired Home of a Swedish Artist

I love a home that feels truly personal. One of those cribs that has you marvelling at the details, a little like a (very relaxed) museum! I'm a firm believer that creating an entirely unique space takes years. Years of hunting for second hand pieces and offbeat furniture. Years of collecting art and little accessories that touch you in some way. It also takes a yearning to create a nest that's full of history and sometimes a certain artistic talent too. And that's when I stumbled across the home of Swedish artist Michaela Grut. Michaela lives in Lindingö, Stockholm with her two children and little kitten. Her style is very much about "decorating in a way that lasts" - opting for vintage furniture, interior details and art "that feels special, unique and a bit odd." The result is a rather eclectic home which blends colours, patterns and furniture from different moments in time to create a cosy family home in which to build new memories. Let's take a peek! 

A wood and marble vintage piece pops against Pomona wallpaper. 

When Michaela bought her first home she found it hard to find affordable art and began creating her own paintings and sculptures instead. her work immediately became popular among other and her online shop was born (I've just commissioned the sculpture in the above picture - I couldn't resist! Isn't it beautiful?!). 

Michaela's art is inspired by everything around her: "shapes, colours, structures... and the human body is a huge inspiration. I often exaggerate or understate the shapes to make it more interesting."

The children's room has been decorated in pretty Lilja wallpaper. Michaela designed the bunkbed herself and then got someone to build it. 

Take a closer at the 1940s kitchen (painted in Velvet 10246 by Jotun Lady) and you'll spot 'Staffan' a clay figure by Michaela casually perched on the open shelves! 

The sofa is in fact the IKEA Söderhamn wrapped beautifully in a loose fit Rosendal pure washed linen cover* from Bemz. The walls have been painted in Senses 2024 by Jotun lady. 

Both the artwork and clay bust are by Michaela and can be commissioned through her shop (particularly tempted by the bust, how about you?!). You can find all items in her shop or e-mail her directly to commission a piece (you can find her contact here and here). 

In fact, there are just SO many lovely pieces in this home. It makes me want to spend the whole of next weekend scouring flea markets and second hand shops for furniture and art, how about you? 

Other inspiring Scandinavian artist's homes to love today: 

The beautiful home of a Danish artist

The relaxed Oslo home of a Norwegian artist (I visited this home for my second book and still think about it today!).

Although not owned by an artist, this wonderful Copenhagen house is designed for an artist with its North facing windows (and lived in by an industrial designer) - that counts, right?! It's one of those places that never comes on the market, it's just passed down from generation to generation. 

This Stockholm home is also not own by an artist - but Karolina Modig is the author behind two art books so I think that totally counts - I love the way she's hung art really low in her home. 

Have a wonderful start to the week friends!

Niki

Photography: Michaela Grut - shared with kind permission.

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