3 Unexpected Colors To Use In Your Halloween Decor

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent approximately $3.17 billion on Halloween decorations in 2021. Halloween is supposed to be spooky and fun, but some of the traditional decorations can feel downright garish in your home. Cheap or bright orange jack-o-lanterns, green and purple banners, and neon purple skeletons can quickly clutter up a space. Considering how much money we spend on Halloween knick-knacks every year, it's important to weigh their value in your home. 

Luckily, you can still decorate for Halloween without looking like every other house on the block. Not so big on black, orange, and purple? Alternative Halloween color schemes are the perfect way to combine your personal style with the festive decorations of fall — you may even be tempted to keep your décor up all year! For inspiration, we've rounded up three unexpected colors that can take your Halloween home to the next level. 

You're wandering through the woods when you hear a twig snap behind you. Something moves in the dark, shadowy branches overhead, and you suddenly get the feeling you aren't alone. 

Lime green is a popular choice for Halloween décor, historically associated with monsters, witches, and aliens, according to King Halloween. However, lime green's cousin, hunter green, often goes overlooked. For a more unique and unexpected Halloween look this year, consider filling your home with dark hunter-green Halloween décor. By simply adding some darker elements to your home's color scheme, you can change the vibe from a bright, beachy summer to a dark, haunted fall.

Hunter green is an easy color to incorporate for people with a neutral or cottagecore aesthetic in their home. Transform your home into a haunted swamp or forbidden forest with old secondhand books, green candlesticks, taxidermy, and natural motifs like ferns and wood. Hunter green pieces are some of the best Halloween décor to pair with white, brown, black, or gold accent pieces. To create a scary, witchy woods aesthetic, pair your hunter-green décor with skulls and bones, insects, green LED lighting, and homemade forest fog. For a softer Halloween take, think fairy forest with mushrooms and string lights. 

It's a cold, stormy night, but you can spot a warm window in the distance. Laughter flows from the open castle door as you get closer. Should you go inside? 

If you want to host a spooky murder mystery party, don't forget the gold Halloween décor! Gold is a classic, romantic, and versatile Halloween color to use in your home. This metallic shade mimics falling yellow leaves and can be dressed up or dressed down depending on your personal home décor tastes. The right gold Halloween décor can even be re-used all year round!

This year, consider using gold Halloween décor to turn your home into a luxurious vampire mansion. Gold looks great when paired with black or red, and it catches the flicker of firelight perfectly. Enjoy a dark, romantic dinner date by setting the table with gold candleholders and flatware. Fill your home with velvet textures, antique objects, and mysterious wax-sealed letters. To complete your haunted mansion vibe, Entertainment Mesh brilliantly recommends posing life-size skeletons throughout the house and dressing them up in pearls and hats.  

Housesitting for your Grandma wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for her extensive doll collection. Didn't you leave little Susie on the shelf earlier? 

Halloween décor colors are usually dark and moody, so most people would never expect to see pink in the color palette. However, many modern Halloween decorations have adopted an adorable pastel goth twist. If Michael's recent Halloween collections are any indicator of trends, spooky pink décor is here to stay (via Popsugar). 

Using pink in your Halloween décor is a great idea if you want to achieve a more cutesy and feminine vibe, but pink can be scary too! Think antique dolls, lace accents, and childlike motifs combined with traditional ghouls and gore. The juxtaposition of soft pink and scary Halloween is certainly unique. If you love this idea but aren't sure where to start, Spooky Little Halloween suggests using pastel colors in your Halloween treats, like a cake or macarons. Let your sweets be a part of the décor, or invite friends and family over for an adorable pastry party!