Halloween Table Decor Ideas for a Murder Mystery Party
This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
5 Halloween table decor ideas with DIY crafts, styling tips, and place setting inspiration for a murder mystery party.
Any excuse to do some magic tricks with DIY Halloween decorating is a winner in my family’s book, especially if there is food involved.
Ever since Robert and I finished our breakfast nook makeover a few months ago, I’ve been dying to dress up our table for holidays.
Then, I got the idea to make some DIY Halloween wall decor from a thrifted picture frame this week, so it snowballed into a full blown gothic chic murder mystery party with our girls. (Remember playing Clue as a kid?)
I pulled together a few vintage inspired fall entertaining and home decor pieces from The Home Depot that could easily be used as everyday decor or in other seasons. They have so many beautiful dining pieces of all different styles for fall gatherings.
Growing up, my grandparents would light taper candles on the dining table occasionally so my brother and I could practice “fancy manners”. So now, in my own parenting years, I’ve continued the tradition by pulling out the “fancy” decor for my girls to practice table manners around holidays too.
If you want to host a Halloween theme dinner party, here are some Halloween table decor ideas you can try that feel chic and whimsical.
5 Halloween Table Decor Ideas to Try for a Gothic Chic Look
1. Fill a Vase With Sticks From Your Yard
Supplies
- Vase
- Floral foam
- Gathered sticks and twigs
- Faux spider webs or craft spiders (optional)
Gather up bare twigs and sticks from around your yard (or a friend’s yard since you’d probably be doing them a favor by picking up stray twigs anyway). Bundle them up to place in a vase, using floral foam if necessary to help them stand upright.
This amber glass tiered vase adds some fall color that I could definitely use at Thanksgiving too. Hot glue a few spiders to the sticks and stretch out some faux spider webbing to add extra spookiness or keep them bare if you wish.
2. Add Dry Ice to a Bowl for a Simple Halloween Centerpiece
Supplies
- Large decorative bowl
- Smaller plastic or Pyrex container to fit inside bowl
- 1/2 cup dry ice
- 4 cups hot water
Be sure your dining area is well ventilated before trying this and always handle dry ice using proper protection. Place a plastic or Pyrex container inside of a big decorative bowl first. This hammered steel bowl works beautifully for the gothic style look!
Scoop about 1/2 cup of dry ice into the plastic container. Pour about 1 liter (4 cups) of hot water into the bowl of dry ice. Then, watch the magic fog effect happen!
3. Suspend Battery Candles From the Ceiling
Supplies
- Battery operated taper candles
- Fishing line or clear thread
- Command light hooks
To make candles look like they’re floating in mid-air above your dinner table, tie a strand of fishing line around the top of the candle. These flickering taper candles look so convincing!
Press a Command light hook to the ceiling where you want the candle to suspend.
Then, tie the candle’s fishing line from the light hook suspended to the height you want. Repeat the process for as many candles as you desire.
I love using these flickering battery candles in candle holders throughout fall and on into the winter season to make our home feel extra cozy.
4. Use Old Books as Risers
You can make new decor look worn and old by elevating pieces with old books. I created a layered, staggered effect using a few books as risers underneath these hand forged iron taper holders.
Although, they definitely look antique despite the fact that they’re new. Their copper color would be beautiful on a Thanksgiving table later.
Tip: Drip a little hot wax from a candle or apply a dab of hot glue into the bottom of the candle holder to prevent candles from leaning.
5. Layer Vintage Inspired Dinnerware
Isn’t this black and white patterned porcelain dinnerware set like something out of an antique shop in Paris?!
It’s inspired by a 1770 toile pattern that looks timeless and refined, but unlike the real thing, the dishes themselves are chip-resistant and dishwasher/microwave safe. Even though they look high-end, they’re super practical for a family to use regularly.
The hammered detail on this black flatware set adds the same level of elegance and durability.
Because the details are so intricate, it only needs a little pop of fall color scheme with these fringed rust/brown napkins.
All together, it feels just gothic chic enough without being too overwhelmingly scary for the girls.
I think ol’ Vinny van Gogh in that DIY Halloween portrait approves, don’t ya think? Even though he does kind of give us the creepy crawlies and totally stares at us while we eat. Rude. 😉
You can see more entertaining pieces and dining decor from The Home Depot here.
If you’re in a rush to throw your own fall dinner party or Halloween celebration, you can get free shipping on orders over $45 with flexible delivery options like free in-store pick up or 2-day shipping to home, plus free returns to over 2,200 stores.
It’d be so fun to create this as a grown-up murder mystery party in a larger dining room complete with murder mystery games and dressing up in Clue character descriptions for a fun Halloween gathering.
Have you ever thrown a Halloween party at your house? Or hosted a murder mystery dinner party with your kiddos? I’m telling you, it’s a total blast and creates some of the best memories around the dinner table as a family.
