How to style your house for Halloween with ideas from Warehouse 405 Vintage Market
At the beginning of October a group of talented artisans, creators and collectors put their efforts into a pop-up fall market in an old warehouse on the river in New London, WI. The result was a cool venue filled with fall and Christmas decor, vintage items and refinished furniture pieces. I also enjoyed how a well merchandised event like this can make you rethink the purpose of some of the most mundane things. Here’s some unexpected inspiration for your fall decor!
Antiques that feel a little Spooky
This is a display that you can’t reproduce in your home but you can pair down to borrow the vibe that comes from a pleasing layering of textures and colors. The more I stood and looked the more enamored I became with the stripped woods, aging blacks and weathered grays. Copper colored metals mingle with warm woods and pops of white and pumpkin orange. I like that an old buggy and an umbrella are giving us Halloween. In this setting an innocent enough accessory, like a black and white class photo, takes on a bit of intrigue.
Old boots
Same with these old leather boots and framed picture. It is decidedly Halloween without any of the obvious cues. They look Victorian because of the laces and instantly provide a story when paired with a simple print of an iconic bird. I can immediately see a sepia toned path being walked in these shoes, bare trees on either side waving against a grey autumn sky, the hem of a long dress getting dusty from the road as you hear a single caw overhead and the rustle of feathers among the branches.
The other best bird for Halloween
Crows and ravens are the spooky black birds of Halloween, but owls are right up there. Owls have become such a trend in the past decade that they can be found in countless applications now. These white statues work perfectly as a way to infuse an ordinary shelf with a little more seasonal flair. The weathered books and vintage pottery are a perfect compliment and the black and white picture in the background further pulls you into investigating the cabinets contents.
Tin and taxidermy
Why is this wonderful? The colors! The warmth and patina of all the layers here. It is also great idea to back a nature mount with something woven or organic if you have it hung on a plain white wall. Find a way to add in a taller cabinet where you can lean some tin tiles or feature a fall floral and don’t forget an old lantern.
Signs
Enamel signs are a simple decoration and propping them up on a display with velvet pumpkins is about the easiest to replicate example of fall decor so far. The best part about a well chosen sign is they give you a pop of color, usually in a large scale, and are convenient to store when it is time to switch to the next holiday.
This little unexpected car art
This was a new piece with a weathered look. Of all the fall art featuring old trucks with beds full of pumpkins, I liked that this had a bit of a twist. The truck in black is sleeker and the big moon and black birds lead you to conclude that this is an October scene without it being obvious. To be honest, the first few times I looked at this I thought the birds were actually bats. Which sort of speaks to the whole spirit of this post- which is to show how subtle details can change the narrative around ordinary things.
A humble license plate
You might not associate a license plate with autumn or an appropriate accessory for a floral arrangement but I think the whole vintage pumpkin truck imagery I was referencing is so ingrained now that it makes sense. This license plate has it all- it boldly says “Americas Dairyland” which just gives you a cornstalks-in-fall sort of farm vibe, not to mention the rust and harvest gold color is phenomenal!
Welcome to Warehouse 405 Vintage Market
Well there you have it! My take on this unique event in a very cool warehouse space that has provided a perfect backdrop for a pop-up shop full of inspiration. If you missed it and want to get in on the fun- they will be rolling out their Christmas version of this shopping experience in November for Widow’s Weekend. For now I just want to celebrate our crisp mornings and changing trees with more hay bales and pumpkins in trucks- even the sleeker black ones- *cue the bats!*
For more Spooky Season Decorating:
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