'Head Witch In Charge' reads the email signature of Salem-based Erica Feldmann, the owner of witch-themed interior store and lifestyle brand HausWitch. It’s not every day you get to chat with a real-life sorceress — and I can’t say the designer-to-witchcraft crossover was on my radar until just recently. But with Halloween fast approaching, now seems like the perfect time to tackle a pressing issue: spooky table settings.
Halloween tablescapes often get a bad rap for being kitschy, but I think the key to avoiding that is authenticity, and what's more authentic than tips from an actual witch? "Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain — whatever you want to call it — was originally about honoring our dead ancestors," explains Erica. She leans into the season’s macabre mood with “things that are still beautiful, even when they’re considered ‘old’ or ‘dead.’” For her, chic Halloween decor means vintage or vintage-inspired items: dried flowers, antique books, and tableware with a history — anything that feels like it’s lived a past and storied life.
