Today: Our home-decor expert’s approach to Halloween. Plus …
Every October 1, a small, plush jack-o’-lantern emerges from hibernation in my basement, like an orange groundhog with a seasonal declaration. All month long, my husband and I take turns hiding it around the house — tucked inside a coat sleeve, squished in the medicine cabinet — for the other to discover. The pumpkin is just one piece of myriad Halloween miscellanea I’ve now spent a small fortune on in celebration of my favorite holiday. But storage space has become an issue, so last year, I made a resolution: Only buy something spooky if it doesn’t look out of place with the rest of my normal decor, which already leans gothic. (Albeit in a sophisticated way. I hope.) For instance, West Elm’s newest Halloween collection includes a nearly 10-inch, black iron trinket box shaped like a rhinoceros beetle. It will live permanently on the mantle as a receptacle for bricks of my favorite incense and as a naturalist nod to the massive copy of Taschen’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities on display across the room. Earlier this summer, though, Michael’s wrecked my resolution when they released a nearly 2-foot-tall jack-o’-lantern gumball machine. With its orange-and-black striped outfit and grinning, bow-tied pumpkin face, the loud-and-proud Halloween novelty is a gaudy violation of creep-chic. I had to have one. READ THE STORY My deranged pursuit of the gumball machine→
Still, the escapade was worth it. Despite the novelty dispenser looking far campier than I prefer, I know I’ll hold onto it, which is more than I can promise for the boxes of cheap big-box skeletons and styrofoam-and-polyester ghouls currently haunting my basement storage. I’m so in awe of its absurdity that I’m tempted to keep it out all year, perhaps by the backdoor for grab-and-go treats. And come next October 1, a slow reveal from within a pile of gumballs would make an epic hiding place for our little plush pumpkin. We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more ›
I like my tees to have a little flair. This boatneck T-shirt has a refined neckline that oozes elegance, and I appreciate that its silhouette is form-fitting without being constricting. I already own one in coral, but while they were on sale this week, I snagged three more — all in earth tones to complement my fall ’fits.
A few of the hiding spots Josh and his partner have found for the jack-o’-lantern plush — their running bit since 2015. Elf on the shelf: out. Plush pumpkin in a pot: in.
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