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This is the latest chapter of the Unique Homes series, introduced here. Photos provided by Amber Simpson.

Appleton residents Amber Simpson and Ross Werner are a perfect example of two heads being better than one. Simpson is a lover of horror and fantasy, and Werner loves wiring projects and building things. Together, they have made their home truly one-of-a-kind.

What is really impressive is their collaboration. There are not many projects in their home that they didn’t both have a hand in creating.

Take their Halloween Village, for example. Simpson has been collecting Halloween versions of the traditional Christmas village for almost a decade. They recently decided to take a previously blank wall and make their own built-ins to display the village, with Werner fashioning an electrical system so that they wouldn’t have to see all the plugs and cords all over.

“He did it so it’s all wired into one electrical box. And there’s just one button to turn on. It took a full weekend to get the wiring done,” Simpson says.

In addition to home art installations, they also love to watch TV together – that is, each with their own TV in the living room. Added this year, Simpson says it’s been nice for her to watch movies on their second big screen while Werner plays video games or watches football on the other.

Simpson’s favorite films include Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, Return to Oz, and The NeverEnding Story, and this imagery finds its way into the decor along with the more traditional horror villains.

When asked what she’d change if she could, Simpson voices a variation of the familiar wish for a bigger space. “It’d be really nice to be able to decorate a dining room. The way the house is set up, it’s really hard to decorate for holidays… I’d love a nice big dining room table to set out settings.”

She’s managed to find space for several collections in other rooms, though. Besides the Halloween Village, Simpson collects preserved butterflies and moths, vintage weapons and uranium glass found while antiquing. The black light of Werner’s electrical shelf displays it at full vibrancy.

Werner has mostly followed Simpson’s design lead. Simpson says he hasn’t been too picky about anything, but that she’s had to tame her love of animal print for him; “otherwise the whole house would probably be safari.”

He is cool with the horror office, though.

The family cats, Hallow and Eve, don’t seem to mind it either.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Halloween!