Small Space, Big Halloween Energy: 5 Halloween Decor Hacks for Apartments

Spooky season is upon us, meaning it’s time to decorate to your heart’s content. That includes you, condo dwellers. Just because you don’t have a large front yard to fill with giant inflatables doesn’t mean you can’t add a spooky touch to your home. 

The trick to decorating any small space is to pick compact items that still pack a punch. Read on for more Halloween decor inspo for apartments (and some DIY options). 

1. Mini Pumpkins and Gourds

Keep it classy and dainty with apartment-sized pumpkins. Whether you want to add just two to your coffee table or dozens throughout your unit, these little ones are space-saving while still putting that Halloween spirit on full display. As the days get closer to October 31, get a Sharpie and draw a jack-o’-lantern face on your mini pumpkins. It turns your cozy additions into something a touch more spooky. Drawing on the face saves you the time and effort of carving out the pumpkins into traditional jack-o’-lanterns.

2. DIY Balcony Spider Web

Take advantage of all the room you have in a small living space, inside and out. If you have a balcony, consider stringing up some spider webs. To make the decorative spider web, get a bag of cobwebs, a few thumbtack hooks and a bag of small plastic spiders. Stretch the cobweb as thin as possible to make the web look more realistic. Secure one end of the web to your balcony using a thumbtack hook, then keep stretching as you attach another end of the web to another anchor point (another thumbtack hook). After your web is complete, add the plastic spiders (using craft glue if necessary). Expect lots of stares from your neighbours across the street.

3. Maximize Witchy Lighting

Lighting is vital in preparing for your spooky decorations, and plays a huge role in creating a creepy atmosphere. If you already have smart lighting (smart light bulbs or coloured-light lamps), you’re pretty much set. Turn off the big lights and turn on orange lighting in your smart bulbs. This will create a spooky, dim glow throughout your home. For those without smart lighting–not to worry–pick up a few LED candles from the dollar store for the same hocus-pocus vibe. 

4. Halloween Decal Stickers

This one is pretty self explanatory–find your favourite halloween window decals and decorate your windows with them. Your local dollar store is usually a great spot for bargain decal stickers that won’t break the bank. To make the decals visually appealing, start with a bigger sticker at the corner of the window, then place two smaller stickers on either side of it, angled slightly lower. The stickers will create a triangle, making for a visually balanced layout. 

5. DIY Hanging Ghosts

If you live in an apartment with high ceilings, make good use of the vertical space by adding hanging decor. One of our favourite Halloween decor hacks for apartments is hanging “mini ghosts,” which you can easily create with string, cotton balls, tissue and a Sharpie.

Start by wrapping a piece of string around the cotton ball securely, ensuring you leave a long enough piece of string unwrapped (this is for hanging the ghost to the ceiling). Create a small hole in the centre of the tissue, then thread the dangling string through the hole. At this point, you should be able to see the shape of a ghost when you hold the fixture up by the string. Add whatever face you’d like to the tissue using your Sharpie pen, and voila! You have a hanging ghost that you can attach to your ceiling using tape or a thumbtack hook.