With Jenny Reimold

From pinks and checks to pirates and shipwrecks - Jenny Reimold shows us how to style your Halloween table in two fun and festive ways that are both beyond the traditional black and orange motif. Here are her creations for Sweet & Spooky and The Goonies themes.

Sweet & Spooky

We are the family that often runs from frightening outdoor Halloween displays. We are also the family whose children cover skeletons with blankets to make them less scary. In decorating my main living space for Halloween this year, I wanted to create a whimsical room that children run TOWARDS and not away from…so I added a bold pop of PINK and some sugary treats for a SWEET AND SPOOKY style sure to please! 

We are the family that often runs from frightening outdoor Halloween displays. We are also the family whose children cover skeletons with blankets to make them less scary. In decorating my main living space for Halloween this year, I wanted to create a whimsical room that children run TOWARDS and not away from…so I added a bold pop of PINK and some sugary treats for a SWEET AND SPOOKY style sure to please! 

As I do with many of my over-the-top tables, I created a festive, no-sew tablecloth from holiday fabric and layered that on top of a solid black tablecloth. After arranging Glitterville paper mache garland in the center of the table, I placed two MacKenzie-Childs pedestal platters on the table from their classic Courtly Check collection. Next, I styled the larger stand with a smiling pumpkin from Glitterville, a Knoxville-based décor and gift company started by costume designer Stephen Brown. (Brown has worked with Oprah Winfrey and Mariah Carey; his talent for creating one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted holiday décor is why I continue to add new pieces to my holiday collection each year.) Next, the local boutique bakery, Sugar Drop, created a gorgeous Halloween drip cake from their signature vanilla cake, watercolor buttercream and dark chocolate ganache. A buttercream crown and custom sprinkle mix added to the beauty of this custom confection. Almost too pretty to eat but one that my husband and children lined up to taste.

After layering brightly colored placemats and shiplap chargers on the table, I topped each one with checkered, black and white enamel dishes from MacKenzie-Childs. I turned their classic teapot and witch cauldron into serving pieces by styling color-coordinated cake pops and themed cookies by local baker Michelle Wilson @sipstosugars into each one. Finally, I crafted my own napkins by cutting two 16x16” squares from craft store fabric and then layered those with rhinestone, spider napkin rings 

For another twist on tablescape displays, I flipped MacKenzie-Childs’ coordinating everyday bowl upside down to highlight the hand-poured chocolate teacups filled with buttercream created by Sugar Drop. Fondant ice cream cones with fresh cotton candy and hot pink chocolate-dipped apples, displayed on vintage, upside-down bowls, add a playful touch to the table. Finding new ways to purpose traditional dishware adds a bit of whimsy to an otherwise ordinary table. Spooktacular Crows from MacKenzie-Child and a hand-carved “Sweet and Spooky” sign from Little Lulu Bee on Etsy welcomed little guests to our family table. 

For one last whimsical display for the season, I styled a small, coordinating Halloween tree in the corner of our kitchen lounge. Using my “shove and stuff” method, I simply layered craft store sprigs and picks, alternating ribbon colors, polka dot lantern lights and Grim Grinning Goodies’ garland throughout the tree. (You could also use pumpkin lantern lights.) I then stuffed wooden signs and festive felines from HomeGoods into empty spaces and fill in the remaining holes with fringed tissue paper that my children cut. 

Break out of the traditional orange and black Halloween theme by adding bold pops of color for a whimsical twist on the season’s spookiest holiday! 

The Goonies

One of my favorite childhood movies came to life this Halloween after spotting a $5.99 “Beware” plate on the bottom shelf of HomeGoods. Until this moment, I was unsure of what my theme this year would be, and then I heard Corey Feldman’s voice in my head saying, “YE INTRUDERS BEWARE.”

Fond memories of watching movies with my childhood friends then became the inspiration piece for the ‘80s, Goonies-themed tablescape! What started as an idea suggestion box on my Instagram quickly turned into a nostalgic movie night with my family and an over-the-top Halloween table in my dining room. 

To create these themed holiday moments, like last year’s Hocus Pocus table, I always start with a notepad and write down everything about the movie I can think of. I then make those items come to life using thematic dishware, seasonal decor, festive desserts and a few movie-specific references. 

I styled this table on four yards of inexpensive skeleton fabric that I found at a craft store and asked a handyman friend if he could build a table mast out of scrap wood. I then stapled black and white cheesecloth to the mast and draped fish netting over the tablecloth. Black placemats, galvanized chargers, and the DANGER/POISON plates made the perfect place setting for Sugar Drop’s chocolate-dipped, sugar-sprinkled, fondant skull apples. Finally, I created my napkins using a children’s pack of pirate bandanas, which cost less than $1 each to make, and added a jeweled, skull napkin ring for a bit of Goonies glam! 

I like to think outside of the box for serving pieces and created a cookie tray using a toy treasure chest. I put a child’s shoe box inside, covered that with fishnet, and displayed Sips to Sugar’s Goonies themed skull key, treasure map and pirate cookies on top. A marble-striped cakestand added height and dimension to the table and became the perfect spot for Sugar Drop’s hand-poured, chocolate skull Goonies cake. Their “Rocky Road” salted caramel “Mega Marshmallows” were hand-dipped in chocolate and topped with gold coins to add just the right touch of movie magic.

What Goonies-themed table would be complete without Sloth and One-Eyed Willie? So, I outfitted two skeletons with signature Goonies looks and pirate accessories to honor those signature characters using some inexpensive Amazon costumes. I then sprinkled gold coins, a vintage map and movie figurines throughout. More than 35 years later, this classic adventure movie lives on in our home….because “GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!” 

JENNY REIMOLD, Designer & Media Stylist

Writer and Franklin resident, Jenny Reimold, is a local designer who serves as HomeGoods’ “Style Expert.” Her work has been featured in House Beautiful, HGTV, People Magazine online, Property Brothers and Good Morning America. To follow her work, visit her Instagram @jennyreimold.