The Ash Lawn floor plan features a spacious covered porch, so there’s plenty of room for you and your guests to sit back, hang out and watch the kids as they trick-or-treat. Bonus: A roomy porch means so many opportunities for fall decorations. Tara chose to adorn her porch with creepy witch hats, white pumpkins and potted mums.

“Our Drees home features the perfect layout for entertaining, so no matter where you are in the main living, dining or kitchen areas, you can always be part of the action. Since Halloween is more of an informal gathering, I do my best to keep things simple so guests can mingle, eat and head on their way around the neighborhood,” Tara shared.

Use your wet bar for a ‘Pick your poison’ drink station

The wet bar, located just off the Ash Lawn’s kitchen, makes for a perfect “Pick your poison” drink station. The wet bar is adjacent to the heart of the home so guests can stay close to the party happenings, but it is also tucked away just enough so people are out of the way as they make their drink.

“I decided to create a spooky hot cocoa bar for guests to help themselves to a warm beverage before or after trick-or-treating. The hot cocoa bar included milk chocolate cocoa bombs, witch’s caldron mugs, marshmallows and adorable vanilla mummy cakescicles,” Tara shared.

For this event, Tara chose to serve hot cocoa bombs, but the possibilities for this drink station are endless. If you prefer more boozy options, the wet bar has a wine fridge built right in for added convenience.

Make the kitchen island into a buffet line

Setting up a dinner buffet on your island is a win-win for both hosts and guests; guests are able to serve themselves, and hosts are able to mingle. As far as what type of food to serve, Tara recommends keeping it simple. She likes to do as much prep work as she can ahead of time so she can enjoy herself when it’s time for the party.

Halloween is the perfect time for warm, comfort food. A baked potato bar is simple, yet guests get to make their own delicious creation. An expansive kitchen island offers plenty of space for the spuds, cheese, chives, bacon and all of the fixings. Use the remaining space on the island for easy grab-and-go snacks and spreads that are more visually appealing (charbooterie board, anyone?)

“On a night like Halloween, it is helpful to have finger foods and appetizers set out for guests to eat at their leisure, especially when there is typically a set time window when the kids need to be out the door to go trick-or-treating. I decided to make a charcuterie board ahead of time, featuring many fresh and seasonal items from my local grocery store,” Tara said.

When it comes to decorating your kitchen for Halloween, stick with a color scheme and incorporate pops of that color throughout. Tara’s kitchen exudes spooky vibes and features a monochromatic look; her tablescape is mostly black, and she carries the color onto her range hood and cabinetry through the use of paper bats.

Ready to start designing your dream home?

From Instagram inspiration and Pinterest pins to your final floor plan, Drees makes it easy to bring it all together. We know your home is more than a dwelling. It’s an expression of who you are and what you value. Designing a custom home is a very personal endeavor, and we want to be here to help you every step of the way.