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Halloween is one of those holidays where it’s tempting to go overboard on décor.
Stores are full of dramatic displays, but the price tags often match the drama. The good news is that you don’t need a big budget to create a stylish, elevated look. With a few DIY tricks and inexpensive materials, you can make your home feel festive and chic without crossing into clutter or kitsch.
These 15 easy indoor Halloween decorations strike that balance—they look high-end, but they’re completely budget-friendly.
DIY Ghost Wall Art That Looks Gallery-Ready
You’ve probably seen the viral ghost paintings making their way around social media. They look like something you’d find in a boutique décor store, but you can recreate them for under $30.
All you need is a blank canvas, a bit of spackle for texture, and a paint pen or brush to draw minimalist ghost figures. The result is modern art that feels playful and seasonal without being cheesy.
Hang a cluster of these canvases above a console or mantel, and you’ve got an instant conversation starter that blends in with upscale interiors.
Dramatic Window Silhouettes
One of the most impactful yet inexpensive projects is to use black poster board and colored cellophane to cut spooky monster or witch silhouettes. Tape them to the inside of your windows, and when the lights are on at night, the figures glow with eerie presence. It’s a DIY that costs only a few dollars but makes your home look professionally styled. If your windows are already part of your living room décor, this idea doubles as both indoor and outdoor decoration.
Luxe-Looking Discount Store Finds
Budget décor stores like Dollar Tree and Target are goldmines for Halloween basics—plastic skeletons, garlands, or witches. The trick to making them look high-end is how you style them. Spray paint a plastic skeleton matte black for a modern sculptural effect. Hang a bargain garland and weave it with dried eucalyptus or neutral-toned ribbon for a more curated look. The bones of the décor are inexpensive, but the finishing touches elevate them into something chic.
Elegant Mantel Moments
The fireplace mantel is one of the best spots to create a Halloween vignette. Keep it simple with monochrome pumpkins, black taper candles, and a few dried florals or branches. The key to keeping it high-end is restraint: choose a cohesive color palette and mix textures like ceramic, glass, and fabric. A mantel styled with moody neutrals feels far more sophisticated than one overcrowded with bright orange knick-knacks.
Goulish Glow-Ups
Ordinary glass jars or candleholders can easily transform into moody statement pieces. Coat them in matte spray paint, frost the glass for a cloudy effect, or fill them with dark floral stems. Place tea lights inside, and suddenly they look like designer pieces you might find at Anthropologie. The trick is to think of your existing glassware as a blank canvas that can be customized for the season.
Classy DIY Inspiration from Video
Sometimes it helps to actually see how these ideas come to life. This video, 5 Creepy but Classy Halloween Decorations (on a budget!), shows a handful of projects that perfectly complement the ideas in this list. The focus is on quick, affordable DIYs that feel elegant and stylish, not tacky. It’s worth a watch for visual inspiration alongside these written tips:
Cheesecloth-Draped Chandeliers
For a spooky yet subtle effect, drape cheesecloth across a chandelier or pendant light. When lit, the fabric creates a gauzy, ghostlike glow. You can distress the cloth with scissors for a tattered look or leave it clean and minimal for something softer. It’s an easy way to turn existing lighting into a statement without spending much at all.
Thrifted Frames Turned Eerie Portraits
Visit a thrift store and pick up a few old frames. Print black-and-white vintage portraits, then overlay them with translucent vellum on which you’ve sketched ghostly details—like hollow eyes or skeletal features. The finished result looks like art you found in a haunted estate. Group several together on a gallery wall for maximum impact.
Painted Book Stack Spell Books
Take a few hardcover books you no longer need and paint the spines matte black. Use a white or gold paint pen to add spooky titles like “Potions,” “Spells,” or “Herbal Hexes.” Stack them on a side table or shelf, and you’ve got décor that looks like it came from a high-end Halloween store but cost almost nothing.
Twine-Wrapped Pumpkins
Instead of carving, try wrapping faux pumpkins in natural twine. The texture makes them look artisan and modern, especially in neutral tones like cream, tan, or sage green. Group them in threes for an elevated tabletop arrangement. Bonus: they’ll last year after year.
Shadow-Cast Lamps
Swap the bulbs in a table lamp for orange or purple ones, then place a small cutout (like a bat or spider) on the inside of the lampshade. When lit, the shape casts a shadow onto the wall, creating instant atmosphere. It’s simple, inexpensive, and adds unexpected flair to your living room or hallway.
Framed Spiderwebs
Stretch twine across an empty frame to mimic the look of a spiderweb. Add a few faux spiders for detail, then hang the piece on the wall like artwork. It’s minimal, clever, and reads more high-end than store-bought webs draped across furniture.
Faux Taxidermy with Paper Bats
Cut out paper bats in various sizes and mount them above the fireplace or across a wall so they look like they’re flying upward. The repetition creates drama, while the black-on-neutral color scheme keeps it looking sharp. This project costs only a few cents in paper but adds designer-level impact.
Potion Bottle Display
Save old glass bottles and fill them with colored water or cheap food dye. Add labels like “Witch’s Brew” or “Dragon’s Blood,” then group them on a tray or shelf. Accent with candles and dried herbs for a display that feels curated and moody.
Shadow-Box of Mini Skulls
Craft stores often sell small plastic skulls in bulk. Place them inside a shadow box or glass cloche for a museum-inspired display. Painting them all matte white or black elevates the look from playful to polished.
Artful Tombstone Prints
Instead of large outdoor tombstones, print vintage illustrations of tombstones or skeletal diagrams and frame them. A gallery wall of prints brings a refined Halloween touch to hallways or dining rooms without feeling cluttered.
Styling Tips to Keep It High-End
With Halloween décor, the difference between kitschy and chic often comes down to styling. Stick to a moody, cohesive palette—black, white, metallics, and muted neutrals tend to look more elevated than bright orange and neon green. Use textures to your advantage: matte finishes, natural fibers, and layered fabrics read more expensive than glossy plastics. Finally, remember the rule of odd numbers. Arranging decorations in threes or fives feels balanced yet dynamic, and asymmetry often looks more editorial than perfect symmetry.
Conclusion
Halloween décor doesn’t have to be pricey to feel luxe. With a little creativity and a few affordable supplies, you can style your home to look like it came straight out of a magazine. From ghost wall art and window silhouettes to potion bottles and shadow-cast lamps, these projects prove that it’s all about imagination. Add your own personal spin, watch the video tutorial for more ideas, and enjoy creating an atmosphere that’s festive, stylish, and perfectly high-end—without the high-end price tag.
