If you’re like me and totally delinquent on decorating for Halloween—with the big day only a week away!—then don’t despair! It’s never too late to incorporate some spooky touches around the house, and to do it in a chic and subtle way. Here’s a shelf I styled for a recent Instagram post, and it was too fun (and easy!) not to grab some extra shots and share them with you here. The whole thing took me about 30 minutes! The trick is to choose a neutral palette, because there’s nothing like some sophisticated black and white halloween decor to say, “I’m festive, but I’m classy too!” And

If you count the number of actual Halloween related items on there, you’ll see that it’s not that many. A couple of sculls, a couple of pumpkins, really that’s all it takes to give a nod to the day without feeling like you’re living in a haunted house for the next week. Oh, and then you get to transition into “general autumnal decor” by leaving the white pumpkins in place and just ditching the skulls. I also took care to use interesting textures and materials that feel on trend, such as burl and black marble, but of course you don’t have to run out and blow your budget on new stuff to get this easy look! After all, you’re saving those extra bucks for the Halloween costume you’ve been planning since July, right?! 

Images: Anne Sage.