Entryway & MantelNo. 3497 · The 2026 edition
Spooky Halloween Table and Halloween Mantel
Transform your dining area and fireplace into a haunted haven with these chilling decor tips. Discover how to arrange skeleton candles, display skull-patterned plates, and create a bat-filled mirror d
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at betweennapsontheporch.net.
This guide provides instructions for creating a spooky Halloween table and mantel setup. It includes details on positioning skeleton-shaped candles, arranging plates with skull designs, and placing bats within a mirror to enhance the eerie ambiance.
About this
A Between Naps on the Porch post from October 2011 in which Susan tours and photographs her friend Bonnie's Halloween-decorated dining room table and family room mantel. The table mixes skeleton-themed linens, skull dinnerware, skeleton candles on orange candlesticks and a grinning skull centerpiece nicknamed 'Skelley', while the mantel features bats roosting in a mirror and a toothed pumpkin. The post closes with a full sourcing list of where every plate, glass, candle and charger came from, making it a practical guide to recreating a spooky Halloween tablescape and mantel.
The plan
- day before Halloween — Buy the Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters before the big day
- Have a tactic to keep from eating the candy before Halloween arrives
- before Halloween — Ready the home and dining room ahead of Halloween, as Bonnie does
- If you don't want to eat the candy yourself, buy varieties you don't like
- Those with a nut allergy can buy nut-containing candy to keep themselves out of it
Decoration ideas
- Skeleton-patterned tablecloth
- Orange candlesticks holding skeleton candles
- Skull bust centerpiece (nicknamed 'Skelley') propped up on faux books
- Dinnerware printed with the skull image
- Spider web-themed napkin rings holding the napkins in place
- Black goblet-style wine glasses
- Chargers, black plates and black-and-white checked salad plates layered together
- Votives for candlelight
- Dim, low lighting to build a spooky mood as the evening darkens
- Bats roosting in (and appearing to fly out of) the mirror above the mantel
- A pumpkin with teeth as a mantel accent
- Metal-and-wood dining room hutch styled for the season
Activities
- After dinner, move into the family room to view Bonnie's Halloween mantel
- Play scary music in the background during the Halloween dinner
More photos
Photos hosted by betweennapsontheporch.net.
