Decorating pumpkins and decorating with pumpkins are essential parts of fall, but carving jack-o-lanterns is just one option. We collected some of the best ideas for fall decorating with pumpkins, squash, and gourds.
Plenty of pumpkins are delicious, but even the most inedible winter squashes still make great seasonal decor. Whether you carve them up or leave them whole, there are lots of ways to make pumpkins pop—and make your space super festive, no matter what your style.
Pumpkin Centerpieces & The Natural Order
Since pumpkins (and squash, and gourds) come in so many fascinating shapes and shades, you don’t even need to do much to them if you don’t want to—great for both back-to-nature fans and lazy busy people.
They make quite an impact if you simply jumble various eye-catching specimens together, whether on a flat surface like a bookcase, sideboard, or down the center of your table. Or, pile them in whatever random containers you have around your house, from wicker baskets and metal buckets to bell jars and clear glass trifle dishes.
Naturally, they look good interspersed with other fall items, like leaves, acorns, gnarled branches, and the like, but try ornamental kale and cabbage for a frilly yet earthy change of pace—or fresh bay leaves, eucalyptus, or even sage (which will also scent your space)—especially with pale blue-green and white pumpkins.
It works equally well for Halloween or Thanksgiving, depending on the linens and tableware you add (and possibly a few plastic spiders in the mix for the former occasion).
Staggered Pumpkins for Your Stairs
A bunch of pumpkins staggered along the stairs works all fall too, whether you carve them, paint them, or leave them au naturel (or combine several styles)—and it looks just as good inside as out.
If carving, use LED lights for your indoor jack-o-lanterns, for atmospheric mood lighting that’s safer than candles.
Homemory Flickering LED Tea Lights, 12 for $9.42 on Amazon
A realistic candle effect for your jack-o-lantern without any actual flames.
Related Reading: All the Tools You Need to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
Architectural Pumpkin Stacks
If you like things a bit more structured, try stacking pumpkins of various sizes; in either case, you can mix and match colors, or keep it monochrome if you prefer.
Stand-alone stacks look great—again, inside or out—but you can also build them in decorative urns or pots. (As with any other piece of pumpkin decor, you can mix and match hues, pick all one color, or even paint these before you pile them up.)
Mini stacks can go on mantels, and mid-size stacks are cute on cake plates as part of a centerpiece.
Way to Celebrate Green and White Pumpkin Stack, $14.84 at Walmart
If you like the look but don't want to do the work, you can buy them ready-stacked.
Perfect Pumpkin Vases
Speaking of centerpieces, a pumpkin vase is a beautiful alternative to plain old glass (although it’s ideal if you can fit a glass one inside the squash itself). You can paint the pumpkin first if you prefer, or even carve it into a jack’o’lantern vase.
Mud Pie White Pumpkin Terracotta Vase, $25.95 on Amazon
If you want one that'll last, you can reuse this pumpkin vase every year.
Another option is to drill holes into the otherwise intact pumpkin and stud the whole surface with a flower sash, but it won’t last as long (unless, of course, you go faux).
Succulent Pumpkin Planters
If you’re more into desert flora, make a succulent pumpkin planter.
These sculptural forms look fabulous in bright orange pumpkins as well as in gray-green, buff, or even white pumpkins, with these quieter shades being especially well suited to more modern surroundings.
Faux Pumpkin Trimmed with Living Succulents, $65+ on Etsy
This gorgeous planter by Succulent Artworks on Etsy comes in three different color and size combos.
Try grouping them with less common autumnal items, like bleached antlers instead of multicolored leaves, to keep the palette pale. You can nest individual succulents into smaller pumpkins too.
Mini White Succulent Pumpkin, $19.99 each on Etsy
Queen of Succulents is selling minis—and you can replant the succulents in a pot once the pumpkin starts to fade.
Painted Pumpkins: Disguises, Metallics & More
No matter how you’re using your pumpkins, if you want to paint them, there are almost infinite ways to do it—you can go with simple solid colors, whether you like more muted colors or screamingly vibrant shades (maybe with glittery gold stems?), or even full-on metallic.
Pink and Gold Metal Pumpkin, $9.99 at Target
A mod look that lasts long past Halloween and requires no work on your part.
If you want to get a bit more elaborate, you can make them look like candy corn (even better if you pick an oblong pumpkin that tapers at the top), sprinkled doughnuts, buffalo plaid, or tie dye. With the addition of a few simple accessories, you can even make a unicorn pumpkin.
And if you’re wary of making a mess, simply dress up your squash with washi tape.
Send a Message
You can also use pumpkins to spell it out—in marquee lights if you like a project (but you can also just cut the letters out, or etch them with a paring knife or linoleum cutter, before popping candles inside).
Or paint on simple letter stencils for longer-lasting words, or glitter monograms if you’re more glam. Express a simple greeting like “Welcome” or “Happy Fall” (or “BOO!”), and arrange them on your porch or on your table.
Monogrammed Faux Pumpkin, $20+ on Etsy
Oh Livvy Creations will paint you a (faux) pumpkin with a personalized monogram you can use every year.
You can also go with numbers to make your house easier to find, a neat—and useful—party trick for sure. If you don’t care to carve them out or stencil them on, you can nail actual metal numbers into pumpkins, but if you use real produce (as opposed to foam), wait until just a few days before the shindig so they hold up.
Pretty Pumpkin Place Card Holders
On a smaller scale, mini pumpkins make great place card holders. Dipping the bottom half in glitter is totally optional (but super cute). If your pumpkins don’t have stems, you can insert simple paper clips or fancier place card holder picks into the pumpkin itself. You could also use black chalkboard paint to completely cover them, then write each name (and whatever else you want) right on the gourd with white chalk markers.
Kate Aspen Gold Pumpkin Place Card Holders, 6 for $9.78 on Amazon
Far tinier than the real thing, but also reusable!
Petite Pumpkin Candle Holders
If you like to use candles for flickering ambiance, you can make pumpkin candle holders too, for tapers or votives—or jumbo candles if you pick a bigger pumpkin. Try grouping various sizes together for extra interest, and/or placing them at different heights. Other gourds work just as well.
Fun Express Gold Glitter Pumpkin Votive Holders, 3 for $18.49 on Amazon
Or you can go for the gold with these reusable faux pumpkin candle holders.
Party-Ready Pumpkin Punch Bowls
When it comes to putting things inside pumpkins, you can further combine function and fashion by making an easy pumpkin ice bucket to hold your beer, wine, and/or champagne!
If you’ve got a lot of bottles, you’ll want a really big pumpkin—and if you’re simply chilling drinks, it’s not essential to have an inner bowl, so don’t worry if you don’t have one big enough to match your monster squash (the pumpkin might get waterlogged and even heavier than before, but you can deal with that later).
Pine and Paint Resin Pumpkin Drink Holder, $37.97 on Amazon
The perfect way to chill your Halloween party drinks.
Giant gourds can be turned into impressive pumpkin punch bowls too—especially if you add some dry ice in between the inner bowl and the squash shell (just don’t get any in your actual drink).
Large pumpkin bowls are great for serving soups, stews, and other dishes too—if you roast them, you can eat the flesh inside along with the filling, although they can be prone to splitting and collapsing when cooked, especially if you try to transfer them from a baking sheet to a serving platter, so use caution and your best judgment.
Tiny pumpkins can be hollowed out for individual bowls and cups, but can also be a little awkward to use (and annoying to make if you need a lot of them).
There’s nothing wrong with simply making a classic mini pumpkin wreath to hang on your door, or putting pumpkins in your window boxes, but if you want to branch out, there are clearly lots of ways to do it. And don’t forget to buy a few extra winter squashes while you’re stocking up, because once you’ve worked up an appetite with all this decorating, you can eat some pumpkins too!
Check out all the best of pumpkins on Chowhound.
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