Spooky Chic Neutral Black and White Halloween Mantel Idea
Inside: See how decorating with black and white can make your Halloween fireplace mantel stylishly sophisticated on a budget with a few inexpensive Halloween accessories!

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Sometimes a little spooky goes a long way.
Concentrating Halloween decor on one focal point like the fireplace creates maximum impact in less time. And because Halloween decor mostly comes in black and white, and it’s cheap, it’s easy to bring the Halloween happy to the hearth for not much money!
How to Decorate a Neutral Black and White Halloween Fireplace Mantel.
I created this entire Halloween mantel without spending a dime, using fall and Halloween items I already had.
Inspired by the wild, free flowing grapevine on the neutral fall mantel I’d already decorated for the season. I pilfered through my stash of Halloween decorations for anything black and white to change it up for the spooky season.
You can see the rest of this year’s fall decorations in the post “Fall Decorating Ideas With Moody Colors + My New House Tour“.


Here’s what I added to go from fall mantelscape to its new Halloween look:
White Pumpkins.
I left the same three white pumpkins in place. Using craft pumpkins guarantees they’ll last the full fall season.

Grapevine.
The grapevine garland I made from deconstructing a grapevine wreath was the inspiration to make my early fall mantle over for Halloween because its twisted snarl of branches is like a bare spooky tree. The random neutral fall leaves I attached even still work with the color scheme.

Black Crows.
I knew this tangle of branches would be the perfect place for a flock of ominous black crows to perch.

Skeletons.
Skeletons, skulls, and skeleton parts are so cheap and their color is just right for a black and white themed mantle!

I use these small skeletons (similar) every year because they’re the perfect size for the mantel and always put the humor into Halloween on my fireplace. This year they’re posing around black candlesticks with the help of a few zip ties. I love that skeletons always look like they’re smiling and having a good time (because with no lips what choice do they have, lol).

Last year this five foot skeleton was golfing in the front yard, but this year he’s taking it easy fireside with his bony pooch, a boucle pumpkin ottoman, and a cozy plaid blanket.
See tips on how to pose these skeletons in the post “How to Easily Pose Cheap Halloween Skeletons in the Yard“.
Spiders.
This giant spider made it from the front porch into the living room and has made a nest in the grapevine (you can spot one of its babies in the web).

Creepy Cloth.
To make the spider’s web, I draped black creepy cloth along the mantel and trailed it down the side to big momma.

I bought these gauzy creepy cloths years ago at the dollar store, and the more tattered they get the better they are!
Books.
Neutral books are perfect for creating levels in any mantlescape. I made this potion “guidebook” and the spell book with old hardback books and some free printable book covers:

Fairy String Lights.
The magical twinkle of little white lights isn’t just for the holiday season! I prefer the non scary version of Halloween that’s fun and whimsical, so I wound a long string of fairy lights around the grapevine. They have a remote that makes it easy to turn them on every night for a little cozy ambiance in the family room.

Candles.
Black and white Halloween mantel decor calls for candles and lots of them, so I loaded the mantel with battery-operated white candles. The glow of these along with the twinkle lights really bring this Halloween mantle to life at night—I don’t think pictures do it justice!

SH&H Tip: Change this neutral look up with a few pops of Halloween orange, which would be striking against a neutral fireplace of all black and white fall decor.
Black and White Mantel Decorating Ideas.
It’s so easy to come up with black and white decor accessories, I didn’t even use everything I had. The options seem endless!
More Black and White Halloween Mantel Decor Ideas:
- Bat cutouts to look like they’re flying out of the fireplace or over a mantle mirror
- Skulls
- Floating witch hats
- Floating white candles
- Tree branches from the yard
- Ornate empty frames with a coat of matte black spray paint
- Sepia tone or black and white photographs
- Black feather wreath
- Witches broom propped against the fireplace
- Rat silhouettes
- Cloches or apothecary jars filled with small skulls
- Candelabras with leaning black or white taper candles
- White spiderwebs from the craft store
- Small black haunted houses or thrifted Christmas village houses painted black
- Halloween sign or banner
- Black cat
- Black or white faux jack-o’-lanterns

If you create your own Halloween mantel inspired by this post or any of my Halloween posts, please share a photo and tag @southernhomeandhospitalityblog on Instagram so that we can all enjoy, and I can share your inspiration in my stories!

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Love it all! Those skeletons are cute…never thought I’d ever say that. LOL! Thanks for posting.
I always love your Halloween posts! So spooky!!!