By Carleton Varney- Special to the Palm Beach Daily News

It’s pumpkin time — and that, to me, means it’s time for pumpkin pie, one of my favorites.

I get mine at Upper Crust Bakery at 2015 S. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach. That pie is perfect for pumpkin lovers. Stop by the bakery and purchase one for the Halloween season — a nice treat in these stressful times.

Halloween is a favorite holiday of oh so many. My son, Nicholas, and his wife, Victoria, will be out walking down their road in upstate New York on the night itself, dressed this year as I know not what. But they will assuredly be taking Bowie, my soon-to-be-4-year-old grandson, to a friend’s house for a safely distanced trick-or-treat.

At Halloween, we see the return to the stores of candy corn, with its color scheme that says “autumn” — orange, butterscotch and cream. That’s the original version, although now you can find all sorts of candy corn variations including chocolate and caramel.

If you’d like to take decorating inspiration from candy corn — and I know most folks will not — I shall offer you this design treat.

Let’s begin by covering your living room walls with a soft-pumpkin striped wallpaper. There are many shades of such pumpkin stripes on the market in shops that carry wallcoverings and fabrics. And if you locate a pumpkin wall covering with a bit of texture, all the better.

Paint all the trim and doors in your living room a soft cream — think about the color of candy corn. On a dark chocolate-stained wood floor, place a Turkish rug woven in colors of cream, gold, pumpkin and coffee. The rug may have a touch of aqua in the design, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent.

To cover your sofa, go butter yellow — maybe a chenille fabric. Accent the upholstery with some throw pillows in a cream-and-pumpkin stripe. Have the pillows trimmed and fringed in a coffee color such as café au lait.

For club chairs, I definitely suggest the color of a Halloween pumpkin. You’ll want a sturdy fabric if there are young ones about. Window draperies can be sewn from a glamorous fabric — think soft velvet or rich satin — in a soft candy-corn yellow. Those draperies will add instant elegance, so top them with valances made of the same fabric.

Your lamps should be placed on traditional — yes, brown — wooden end tables. For the lamps, select an Asian-inspired design with cream shades and pay attention to their electric cords and finials. Lamp cords on brown tables should be brown, just white tables demand white cords. That’s one of my decorating musts.

As for finials, stop by Heath and Co. Lighting, 3707 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, just to marvel at the collection of finials. You’ll find every style with versions in crystal, porcelain, metal, glass, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pumpkin-shaped finial, but I’m sure you’ll find one or two designs in a pumpkin shade.

In your elegant pumpkin-colored living room, a glass or gold coffee table would be my choice. If the room needs a hanging light fixture, may I suggest a crystal one trimmed in amber crystals?

Planning a decorating scheme around a favorite seasonal candy is fun and whimsical, just as I think decorating should be.

And let me wish you an early “Happy Halloween!” Be sure to enjoy some candy corn for me.