15 Unique Estate Sale Finds For A Beautifully Haunted Home

ThriftingHalloween

Jun 2

Some people find estate sales a bit creepy. It can be unnerving to wander through the halls of someone’s home, pawing through a lifetime of their memories. While I don’t find them creepy, I DO think they’re the best place to find some wonderfully haunting decor.

My scouting work begins about a week before the sale even starts, because that’s when our local estate sale company posts photos of the upcoming sale. They usually sort items based on type, with a designated room for each category. There is typically a room for Christmas, Halloween and other holiday decor, a tech room, a craft room, etc. Of course this will vary depending on what kind of items the homeowner had.

THE BEST FINDS ARE IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

If you’re on the hunt for Halloween decor that isn’t just orange and black, don’t limit yourself to the holiday room. If you want truly unique decor that can’t be found at a store, you need to take a walk through the entire sale, and think outside the box.

Here are 15 unique estate sale finds to help you create a beautifully haunted home:

An ANTIQUE PHONE

Expecting a call from the great beyond? I found this gorgeous antique phone at a recent estate sale for $8! My husband snagged this for me on day 2 of the sale. I assume nobody wanted it due to its condition, but I knew it would be perfect for our entryway at Halloween.

A DOLLHOUSE

Is there anything more haunting than an antique dollhouse with a secret past? I found this one at a thrift store, but I see them all the time at estate sales too. They can be decorated for any holiday as a fun alternative to a Halloween or Christmas village.

VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS

Estate sales are the perfect place to adopt new ancestors, in the form of old photographs. There’s nothing like an antique photo to turn your home from somewhat normal to haunted mansion. I’m lucky enough to have inherited real antique photos of my actual ancestors. I leave them up year round, but there is something especially spooky about them around Halloween.

ANTIQUE CLOCKS

Vecna’s calling card from Stranger Things? Or perhaps you remember Goosebumps - The Cuckoo Clock Of Doom. Antique clocks, with their subtle tick-tick-tick are often featured in horror movies and tv shows as both a central theme and background noise. I was lucky enough to inherit this one when my grandparents cleaned out their house, but I also see them at estate sales all the time.

PICTURE FRAMES

You’ve got antique photos, and now you need picture frames to display them. Oval frames are one of my favourite thing to thrift at estate sales. In a world where everyone has boring minimalist rectangle frames, I crave the ornate round and oval frames of the past. They also add a wonderful “old victorian home” vibe for Halloween.

TAPER CANDLES & CANDLE HOLDERS

There’s nothing like a cluster of taper candles to make you feel like you’re dining at dracula’s castle. Estate sales almost always have a decent selection of taper candles, and candle holders. I like to keep a good selection of various colours on hand, to match any occasion. Also, don’t forget to look for a candle snuffer for that added touch.

MIRRORS

Mirrors have a long history of spooky connotations. In Victorian times, they viewed mirrors as portals to the spirit world. To prevent the recently deceased from becoming trapped in the mirror, they would cover mirrors after someone passed away. This was called “death draping.” Mirrors have also been the main topic of horror movies over the years. There’s just something creepy about looking into a mirror at night. Did you play “Bloody Mary” when you were a kid?

When it comes to modern Halloween decor, mirrors can be used to reflect candlelight, create shadows, and enhance the ambiance of any room. I like to look for vintage mirrors with interesting shapes and frames.

BIRD CAGES

There’s a lot you can do with a vintage bird cage for Halloween. Hang it from the ceiling, drape it in spider webs, put a fake skeleton bird in it, etc. Bird cages are a fun way to bring a little bit of mystery into your home for spooky season.

A RECORD PLAYER

“tiptoe through the window, by the window, that is where I’ll be..”

I believe every house should have a record player anyway, but it’s especially fun to play records this time of year. Estate sales are a great place to get record players at a decent rate. If you’re looking for something to play year-round, a turntable with seperate speakers is the best option, but all-in-ones are great for occasional use, or if you’re just starting out.

BOOKS

I love to decorate with books for any holiday, but Halloween is especially fun because there’s so much you can do. A stack of old horror novels, vintage books with fading cloth covers, a copy of Poe’s best works on your coffee table, or a campy selection of Fear Street and Christopher Pike on your bookshelf.

APOTHECARY BOTTLES

Apothecary bottles are really easy to customize using fun labels for any holiday. Think love potions for Valentine’s Day, poisons and witch’s brew for Halloween, etc. I love these for bringing a little bit of magic to our kitchen and bathroom counters.

DOLLS

With a little bit of paint and a new outfit, you can turn an adorable porcelain doll into Annabelle, or any other haunted doll of your choice. Zombie baby dolls are another popular option, and they look great on a front step.

WEIRD ANTIQUE FURNITURE

My love for weird antique furniture began when I started inheriting it. First, when my grandfather passed, I was given my great-great grandmother’s antique wheelchair, so we naturally bought a house skeleton for it. Then, when my nan moved, I was gifted an antique hall throne. Honerable mention goes to my great-grandmother’s hutch, that now doubles as my Christmas cupboard. All of these items have always felt slightly haunted to me, and they’re SO fun to decorate for Halloween.

Anything old can be made haunted for Halloween. Keep an eye out for antique baby strollers (zombie baby needs somewhere to rest,) old bar cabinets, barrister bookcases vanities, etc.

If you don’t have anywhere to store seasonal furniture, make sure you’re buying pieces that can fit seamlessly into your current home decor. I never expected to have a haunted antique wheelchair in my house full time, but here we are.

A TRINKET SHELF

This is currently on my wish list. I especially love the old letter press drawers that people have been turning into shelves. A trinket shelf is great for spooky season (or all year round), because you can fill it with crystals and other fun little items.

ODDITIES

Something to fill your trinket shelf with, perhaps? You can pick a theme for your shelf, as if it belonged to a fictional character (a victorian botonist, a kitchen witch, etc), or collect a mash up of various items. Artificial eyes from optometry displays, skeleton keys, tiny medicine bottles, tiny candles, pocket watches, science beakers, fossils, inkwells, tiny crystal balls, tarot cards, old board game pieces, Halloween village characters, etc.

These little items are so fun to thift for, and you can change up the theme every season!

Happy thrifting!

Special note: At Merrymake, we don’t believe in using AI for writing blog posts, so all of our posts are 100% written by the author. Yes, we really are just that witty.