As the leaves crisp up and the nights draw in, the next theme taking stores and social media accounts by storm up and down the UK is Halloween.
Having originated during the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween is a special time of the year when many believe that magic is at its most potent.
As children prepare to don their best costumes on 31 October for a night of trick or treating, many people like to embrace the spirit (pun intended) by decorating their front gardens and doors.
In case you’re in need of some inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of some ideas for pimping your porch. The best thing is they’re all designed to cause no damage to your existing fixtures and fittings.
Spooky squashes
Perhaps the most common of all decorations are jack-o-lanterns. Created by carving a creepy face into a vegetable – usually a pumpkin nowadays – and lighting it from inside using a candle, it’s thought that they are used to scare away a mythical spirit called Jack.
The more creative among us tend to be adventurous with their designs, carving elaborate scenes or animals, but a traditional freaky face works just as well.
At this time of year, pumpkins can be found in most supermarkets, but why not try picking your own at a nearby pumpkin patch and placing it outside your front door?
Awesome animatronics
Unsurprisingly, animatronics (mechatronic puppets) are especially effective at Halloween. They offer a particularly immersive experience, typically emitting sounds and other creepy effects.
If you place these by your entrance, you’re bound to get some good reactions. Even better if you can record them using your doorbell!
Popular choices tend to include talking skeletons, groaning zombies, and giggling clowns, and they are available to buy at most home interior stores where you can test them out.
Dastardly doorbells
Why not consider replacing your normal doorbell in favour of a themed one for Halloween?
Available to buy online, they are easy to install on a wall beside your door and are great for greeting all your visitors – including trick or treaters.
Petrifying projectors
Ideal for other holidays as well as Halloween, outdoor projectors are such a simple yet effective way of transforming the look of your entrance temporarily.
You can use the various sequences available to project scenes onto your door and house when it gets dark.
Devilish doormats
With a Halloween-themed doormat, you can challenge guests to cross the threshold of your home.
They take no effort to place at all and double up as a practical purchase for people to wipe their feet during the wet and windy month of October. What’s not to like?
Spooky stakes
Another really easy way of decorating the front of your house is to use stakes, which you can place in your lawn or free-standing plant pots.
There is so much choice when it comes to Halloween-themed stakes. Often, they’ll have creepy messages on like ‘keep out’ or ‘RIP’ and are super easy to find in store or online.
That said, why not try making your own out of some unused wood and paint? It would be a fun activity for the whole family to get involved in.
There are so many other ways you can prepare the outside of your home for Halloween, but we hope this blog has got your creative juices flowing.
For more inspiration, head to our Instagram @Solidor – and be sure to tag us in any photos you take of your decorated Solidor!
