It’s almost time for fun-size candy bars, costume parties, and trick-or-treating! Get into the spirit of the season by turning your balcony or patio into a show-stopping Halloween display.
But first, before you purchase a single pumpkin or plastic bat, check your apartment community rules either by asking at the office or checking your lease. Accidentally violating your lease agreement is a scare you don’t want this season, so find out what’s allowed and what isn’t. Some apartment communities have rules about decorating outdoors. Those rules often apply to seasonal decorations, as well, so make sure.
If your apartment community gives you the green light to decorate your patio or balcony, it’s time to create your spellbinding scene.
Going All Out on Your Halloween Decor
If your patio or balcony is like most apartment outdoor spaces, you’ll have a small area to work with. If you enjoy spending time in this space or entertaining, keep that in mind as you plan your Halloween décor. You don’t want to be shuffling pumpkins out of the way every time you head outside to enjoy your morning coffee. Measure your space, consider traffic flow, and be sure to allow room for your outdoor furniture.
Check the space to see if you have access to an electrical outlet. If you don’t, you’ll want to think about how you can light up your space at night. Consider decorations that glow in the dark or work on solar or battery power.
After you’ve evaluated your space, choose a theme. Having a theme in mind before you head out to gather supplies will give you a direction and will keep your outdoor décor cohesive. Do you want your space to be scary or cute? Stylish or kitschy? Gothic or cottagecore?
If you’re going with a more traditional theme, you might decorate with black and orange string lights, cobwebs, a few gravestones or scarecrows, and maybe a broomstick and a witch’s hat.
If you’re going for a more cottagecore look, set pumpkins on hay bales. Add flowerpots filled with mums and incorporate sunflowers into your décor. Stick with earthy, fall colors like orange, gold, red, yellow, and brown. Use pumpkins in a variety of sizes and colors. They’ll look great as-is, but if you want them to be a little more Halloween-themed, consider carving a few, painting some, or decorating them with ribbon.
Mason jars are also a great addition to your Halloween display. Fill them with candy corn and set them on a side table or add some sand and place votive candles in them to add a soft glow to the space. If you’re using candles, make sure you’re being safe. Don’t leave your candles unattended and extinguish them when you’re not around.
For a gothic look, visit online resale sites or antique stores and flea markets to find statues, mirrors, and fountains or birdbaths with an old-world look to them. Fill some pots with bare branches. Add a few skulls and maybe a cauldron. Drape some gauzy fabric around your balcony railing and let it float down on either end.
If you want something a little bit scary, try placing a skeleton strategically on your balcony so it looks as though it’s staring at those passing by. Or create a whole “skeleton” party by placing them in chairs, leaning against the wall, and peeking through the railing.
If you have a covered balcony, hang small ghosts (make your own using balloons and strips of fabric), fake bats, or spiders. Make sure whatever you use to hang your decorations doesn’t cause any damage. Have fun, but don’t jeopardize your security deposit.
DIY Projects for Simple Fall Decorating
Perhaps you want a hint of the season without going all out. A wreath on your front door will let trick-or-treaters know you’re in on the fun without going overboard. If you don’t want to buy a ready-made wreath, just get the frame from your local craft store. Gather some fall leaves, acorns, and dried flowers and glue them around the frame.
Another great way to decorate your front door is with ornamental corn. Simply tie a few stalks together with ribbon and hang them from your front door or prop them up next to your doorframe.
If you prefer to decorate your patio or balcony but don’t have a lot of space to work with, consider adding a couple of fall-themed throw pillows to your outdoor chairs and a matching tablecloth on your table. Then place a basket in the center and fill it with small pumpkins, leaves, or the age-old classic, pinecones spray-painted in different fall colors or rolled in glitter. Bring just the scent of the season to your space with a cinnamon broom, cinnamon sticks in a basket, or with some fall-scented oils in a diffuser.
HALLOWEEN DÉCOR THAT’S CHEAP OR FREE
If you don’t want to spend a lot (or any) money on your Halloween display, this is a great season for frugal decorating! There’s so much you can gather, from pinecones and acorns to fallen leaves and bare branches. Pair these items with things you already have in your apartment, and you’ll have a festive space in no time. Here are some cheap (or free) decorating ideas:
- Fill a large dish (a red or orange one if you have it) or a basket with pinecones, small pumpkins and gourds, or apples and set it on a table.
- Cut Halloween shapes into brown paper lunch bags and place a flameless tea light in each to create luminarias. (Don’t use actual candles or you might cause a fire!)
- Make spiders out of foam balls and pipe cleaners or aluminum foil and small branches or twigs. Spray your spiders with glow-in-the-dark paint to make them extra creepy.
- Use trash bags, stuffing (leaves work great), and some rope or twine to make a “mummy.” Lay this out flat on your balcony or patio or prop it up against the wall.
- Cut ghostly figures out of cardboard and spray-paint them. Stand them up slightly away from the wall. You’ll need to improvise a way to get them to stand up. Add “feet” to the back or attach a stick with tape and tap it into the ground. Angle a flashlight in front so it casts a creepy shadow onto the wall behind the figures.
- Add dried flowers to a container or glue them to a wreath frame. To dry flowers, hang them upside down in a dark space for two or three weeks. Hydrangeas, roses, lavender, and amaranth are great flowers to dry.
Decorating for Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need a huge yard to create a spooky wonderland for trick-or-treaters to enjoy. And, if you use items that are cheap, free, or perishable like pumpkins, dried flowers, and pinecones, you can dispose of your décor after Halloween and save on storage space. What a treat!
