For many of us, Halloween is the best time of year almost solely due to decorating. Designing your apartment to suit your spooky style is a fun way to get in the spirit of the season. Whether you go in-your-face scary or eerily subtle, here are some tips and ideas for decorating your Columbus apartment this season.

Light the Place Up

An easy way to give your place creepy vibes is to replace the regular lightbulbs in your unit with colored ones. Change to red bulbs or other Halloween-related hues and watch your apartment transform from bright to mystical with the flip of a switch.

You can also hang small string lights around your apartment. Drape them from the ceiling or twist them among your decorations for a trendy addition. And to really make those artificial lights pop, hang some black curtains to block out any natural light (except from the moon).

Scare the Halls

In addition to switching your lights, there are other ways to create a spooky atmosphere in your apartment. Try playing the soundtrack to your favorite scary movie whenever you’re feeling festive—adding ghostly music to your apartment will make the hair on the back of anyone’s neck stand up.

You can also stick to the classics and purchase a motion-triggered monster. These figures may look harmless at first—but get close enough and they jump out and scare you! Add a screaming monster or shaking ghost to your home and laugh as your guests jump in horror. But beware—they could scare you, too.

Deck Out Your Dining Table

Decorating your dining table is a creative way to celebrate Halloween. Try draping a paper cloth with a ghostly Halloween design over the table—then, scatter the top with creepy creatures like spiders, bats or even severed fingers! To add more flair, get some Halloween-themed cups and mix in some themed cocktails for a night you won’t forget.

Pumpkins Galore

If you want a simple way to spruce up your apartment for Halloween, add pumpkins! You can carve a festive jack-o-lantern with a creepy face, poke holes for a more contemporary look or simply paint it the colors of your favorite sports team. From small to large, painted to carved, pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes to spice up your unit.

Dress Your Pet

Decorating your apartment for Halloween doesn’t only mean the space itself—you can add extra oomph by dressing up your pet! Outfit your furry friend as a cute pumpkin or scary zombie and show them off to your neighbors. In fact, pet-friendly apartments in the Arena District and Grandview Yard have organized ‘Are You Afraid of the Bark’ pet costume contests for residents—check out the adorable furballs on Facebook and vote for the best dressed at Apartments at the Yard and the Arena District.

Subtle Halloween Décor

If you want to lift your spirits this Halloween, without going all-out, then subtle and functional decorations are always nice. Pull out a mason jar and fill it with candy corn for a trendy centerpiece or hang up some cobwebs and place fake spiders in them. You can also put sugar skulls on your windowsill or pick up a spooky wreath or doormat for your front door. Little accessories throughout your apartment might be just what you need to treat yourself this Halloween.