glazed

Halloween in my house was almost as big as Christmas and there was just as much excitement about the decorations going up as there would be on December 8th. My mother, although she wouldn’t admit it, has a slight addiction to acquiring horrifying Halloween trinkets and every year she adds to her creepy collection. There’s the motion-sensor door knocker that has the most disturbing cackle, her CD of Halloween sounds complete with bloodcurdling screams and her newest addition, a chained up skeleton in a striped prison jumpsuit that shrieks cries of help on a never-ending loop.  There’s no doubt about it, she really goes all out.

Her hellish habit is yet another reminder of how similar we are. Although my hoard isn’t as expansive, it is growing like a bat out of hell (I feel some more hideous Halloween puns coming). I’m not a big fan of cheery looking pumpkins with ridiculously oversized smiles, I prefer Gothic to the point of glam. Think Edgar Allan Poe but with a bit of glitter and gold.

With that it mind, I’ve gathered together some ghoulishy good pieces to give your home a touch of hocus-pocus.
A little pricey for a Halloween-only fixture, the Sanctuary Skull drinks cabinet by Mineheart (£3,749/€4,201, available at LimeLace.co.uk) is thankfully something that has year-round appeal. Designed by contemporary Chinese pop artist, Jacky Tsai, the man behind the late Alexander McQueen’s iconic floral skull image, this bewitching piece features detailed theologically inspired images in the surroundings of what could be Gothic cathedral architecture.

I came across the Coltrane pendant light from DelightFULL (POA) and it just reminded me of bats, like a light installation befitting of Bruce Wayne’s bachelor pad. I asked himself what he thought it looked like and he reckoned it was just a bunch of suspended plates (my fault for asking). Minimalist and modern, this suspended light is handmade in steel and comes in a number of combinations but my favourite has to be the black matte with gold trim.

Artwork is always a must and this vintage skull print by Istanbul illustrator Ali Gulec for Monde Mosaic is available at Notonthehighstreet.com for (£27/€30.25). It’s almost like a tattoo of florals, animals and for some strange reason, a Victoria Sponge.

 

 

Not something we have on our doorsteps but George at Asda’s Halloween range could almost be worth a journey. My favourites; glitter pumpkins (€4.95), and a zombie crow (€12.37) that has me quivering in fear as the few lines of ‘The Raven’ are recited in my head. Nevermore!

Next up – candles. You can’t have Halloween without the soft, dipped lighting of a flickering candle and the more candles you have, the more candholders you need to display them. Unsurprisingly, HomeSense has a number of otherworldy options including the Spider and Skull Candle Holders (£9.99/€11.20 and £4.99/€5.60) 

 

You need a vessel for all occasions and Halloween is no different. Thankfully Audenza.com has you covered with this spooky glass skull decanter (£18/€20.20). While it won’t hold a full bottle, a large glassful (or two) of your chosen poison should be more than accommodated.

And for something a bit different for the Halloween dinner party table, Lights4fun.co.uk have a bundle of themed lights including mottled pumpkins, led skulls and copper toned strings of lights. Mix in a few mini ornamental pumpkins in waxy greens and oranges and your guests will be spellbound.

Speaking of which, I’ll leave you with the one and only Bette Midler… enjoy!

 

 

*Prices converted using http://www.xe.com