Hallow-bling

If you prefer a contemporary d ©cor disabled, you aren t interested in rustic jack-o-lanterns or homespun stuffed witches when Halloween comes around. But fear not: This season, you ll find lots of ghoulish yet glamorous pieces to fete the occasion.

Modern Alchemy's Memento Mori collection includes a set of beautiful black porcelain plates etched with silver skulls. There also are sleek, ebony skull candles to provide drama on a beverage bar.

Send invites using their elegant skull-printed stationery, or check out websites such as Graphics Fairy (vintage clip art) and Living Locurto (bold, colorful designs) to make your own. (www.modernalchemyco.com four black porcelain skull plates, $175; skull stationery, $50; black skull candles, $40 to $85)

Z Gallerie has skull goods, too glitter-dusted in black or silver for display, plus glossy black mini-candles and little metallic spiders to scatter on a buffet. There's also a wonderful wood-finish, hinged skull made of resin that holds a wee clock; it has an antique look, but would be a great counterpoint to more modern decor. (www.zgallerie.com wood-finish, hinged, resin skull clock, $34.95; Metallic resin spiders, $9.95 each, glitter skulls, $9.95 each; shiny black skull mini-candles, six for $12.95)

Each Halloween, Pottery Barn presents a new wall mural, screen printed with a suitably ghoulish image. This year's version is a cool black-and-white photograph of an iron gate opening into a mist-filled graveyard. Resembling a horror movie still, it would really turn a party space into something unique. (www.potterybarn.com Haunted Gate wall mural, 72-by-48 inches, now $79)

You re well on the way to creating a super spooky room with a few of the retailer's black-feathered crows; add a set of life-size black-cat wall decals from Domestic and 5.5 Designers, and get out the fog machine.

Grandin Road has a fun Halloween collection that includes dancing brooms and life-size green or silver glittery skeletons. Thick velvety tasseled cords evoke the Opera, and phantoms seem to fill the eye sockets of shiny chrome skulls.

Get the festivities going with a set of vampire or poison-themed old-disabled beverage labels, dramatic black candlesticks and black flocked trees from Grandin Road, and some mini lights or ornaments. A blood red or inky black feathered wreath adds surprise as a centerpiece. (www.grandinroad.com Tinsel theater cord, $24; black flocked trees, $149 to $199; life-size glitter skeleton, $149; Gothic candlesticks, $39 to $49; vampire beverage labels, 18 for $18; chrome skulls, $29)

Set the table with Pier 1's purple spider-webbed table runner and fiercely fashionable animal-print serveware. (www.Pier1.com Spider web table runner, black or purple, $9.95; leopard print glass bowl, $69.95) Boris Karloff's Frankenstein visage is emblazoned on a set of beverage napkins from Z Gallerie perfect for a scary movie party theme. (www.zgallerie.com 20 Frankenstein paper napkins, $5.95)