Embrace Dark Florals
Incorporate darker tones to embrace the moody side of fall. This elegant table setting from Alicia Lund mixes soft pastel table linens, black plates and taper candles, brass candlesticks and gold-toned flatware, and a low-slung dark floral centerpiece that is perfect for a Friendsgiving or dinner party.
Use Simple Dried Flowers
Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Erin Kelly
Fall decor lends itself to using natural, eco-friendly elements like dried leaves and flowers that bring some of the outdoors in and be returned to the earth once the season is over. The farmhouse table in this all-white kitchen and dining space from Leanne Ford Interiors gets a minimalist dose of fall vibes with a pitcher full of dried flowers.
Dress Up an Outdoor Table
Taking the party outside doesn’t mean you have to skimp on decor. Interior designer Anita Yokota channeled fall vibes at her Los Angeles backyard dining table with a neutral table runner, black-and-white tableware, and burnt orange florals.
Try Muted Linens
Linen is a natural and sustainable material with an effortless quality that will dress up a fall table without looking overly formal. This simple fall table from Lobster and Swan has a beautifully rumpled natural linen tablecloth in a muted tone that puddles nonchalantly on the floor and looks right at home with the cocoa-colored walls, dark flooring, and bentwood chairs of the dining room.
Set a Table for Two
Ryann Miller for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Even if your fall table only seats one or two, show it some love with a bowl of seasonal fruit and a vase of early fall sunflowers, like this inviting table from Ryann Miller for Emily Henderson Design.
Try Faux Florals
Use faux flowers to create an eye-catching centerpiece that will stay fresh all season. This modern fall table from Craftberry Bush, a thrift store vase painted to look like pottery is filled with fluffy preserved flowers and grasses in soft shades of coral, white, and peach. Black plates, wooden chargers, and modern rustic earthenware create a fresh take on fall dining.
Play With Colors
When decorating a fall table, feel free to choose your own color palette rather than sticking with conventional autumn colors. This outdoor fall table from Most Lovelv Things features a polka dot tablecloth, pink plates, simple glassware, fresh flowers running down the middle of the table in the guise of a deconstructed centerpiece, and pale pumpkin placeholders for a fresh, personal take on seasonal decor.
Add Some Plaid
Avoid overwhelm by building your fall table setting around an anchor piece like a colorful tablecloth. Inspired by Charm took the color palette for this autumnal table setting from the orange, tan, and plum tones in the fall plaid tablecloth, then added shades of black, white, and gold to finish off the festive table.
Accent With Gold
Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
An easy way to decorate a table for fall is to add seasonal gold accents to a black-and-white table setting. Emily Henderson Design scattered shiny golden pumpkins down the center of this chic and simple fall table, while woven placemats and a dried wheat wreath on the wall above the buffet add a natural touch with a fall harvest feel.
Celebrate Fall Leaves
Make leaves the centerpiece of a fall table by layering natural branches with leaf-shaped decor objects. Inspired by Charm embellished this leaf-inspired fall table with clear vases of tall branches filled with fresh autumn leaves that are complemented by DIY leaf-shaped cork coasters and trivets on the table.
Hero Velvet Pumpkins
Choose a hero piece like a pile of store bought velvet pumpkins to create a quick and easy fall centerpiece and table setting. This modern farmhouse fall table from My 100 Year Old Home has mix-and-match tableware, simple glassware, faux greenery and apple blossoms in rustic tin containers, and a collection of multicolored velvet pumpkins that can be reused from year to year.
Pair Pink and Orange
Your fall table decor should fit your home’s decor style and sensibility. This cheerful autumn table from A Beautiful Mess features a colorful centerpiece that mixes pink and orange flowers in small vases with a pink table runner, amber glass, and a smattering of pumpkins for a bright, modern feel.
Use What You Have
Create a budget-friendly fall centerpiece using things you already own. This fall table from Most Lovely Things mixes amber bottles, votive candles in little pastry tins, dried flowers and grasses, vintage plates, and a mix of dishware to create a warm and homey fall table decorated with things from around the house.
Embrace Warm Tones
Bronte Athearn for Emily Henderson Design / Photos by Veronica Crawford
Pair warm metals and floral tones to create an inviting fall table. Bronte Athearn for Emily Henderson Design mixed orange and mustard flowers in brass-toned vases that energize the neutral table setting to create a vibrant ode to fall.
Dress the Kitchen Table
Decorate the kitchen table with a colorful tablecloth and seasonal pumpkins and fruit to elevate casual fall breakfasts or brunches. Inspired by Charm layered this fall table with flowers, fruit, and decorative fresh, ceramic, and edible muffin pumpkins.
Elevate Patio Dining
Elevate an outdoor fall table setting with a mix of materials and finishes and an understated color palette. Ajai Guyot for Emily Henderson Design set this weathered wood outdoor patio table with gold flatware, dried flowers, taper candles, white linens, and black tableware to create an outdoor fall table setting perfect for special occasions.
Make It Dynamic
Make your outdoor table setting more dynamic by varying the height of accessories like flower arrangements, centerpieces, and candlesticks. Inspired by Charm decorated this al fresco fall table with pumpkins, leaves, flowers, and candlesticks of varying heights to create a warm and festive outdoor backdrop for a meal amongst friends.
Add Some Farmhouse Romance
Surprise your better half by setting a fall table for two to celebrate a quiet holiday or simply another season together. My 100 Year Old Home set this simple, romantic modern farmhouse table with vintage-style tableware, clear glasses, and a vase of fall leaves.
Accent with Copper
Copper accents bring instant fall vibes to a seasonal table. Inspired by Charm chose warm and shiny copper accents from the goblets to the pumpkin that complement the natural wood table and trivets and colorful vases full of berries and flowers.
Add Moroccan Flair
Use global decor accents to brighten up a non-traditional fall table. Casa Watkins Living decorated this lively and colorful fall table with bright orange Moroccan drinking glasses that add a global twist on the seasonal theme.
Try a Maximalist Garland
Dress up an off-duty dining table with a fall centerpiece vignette to make your home feel more festive as you ease into the holiday season. Thistlewood Farms decorated this farmhouse dining room table with a voluminous repurposed door garland layered over a table runner and embellished with scattered pumpkins.
Add Boho Style
There are no rules when it comes to decorating a fall table. This boho-style fall table from Casa Watkins Living is anything but traditional, with its colorful mix-and-match glassware, plates, flowers, and candles that create a personal take on fall entertaining.
Light a Faux Pumpkin
Pumpkins are an all-season player that can dress up your table for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and everything in between. Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona decorated her fall table with two oversized two-tone pumpkin votives lit with LED candles that add a warm and festive glow.
Use Foraged Pine Cones
Foraged pine cones add a rustic natural feel to a fall table and can be repurposed once Christmas and winter decor season comes around. This plant-based fall table from Casa Watkins Living mixes it up with green apples and glassware, foraged pine cones, white pillar candles, and a centerpiece of greens and roses.
Make It Last
For a fall centerpiece that will last all season long, swap fresh pumpkins and flowers for the faux and dried variety. Modern Glam created a durable centerpiece using a ceramic pumpkin pot filled with dried flowers and preserved branches. Flower foam keeps eucalyptus, baby’s breath, hydrangeas, ferns, pampas grass, and bunny tails in place.
Create a Cottage Feel
Create a simple DIY fall centerpiece with a cottage feel using terracotta pots filled with fruit and dried flowers. Most Lovely Things made this easy fall centerpiece using dried hydrangeas and fresh apples secured with chopsticks. The centerpiece can be scaled up or down depending on your table size or crowd, perfect for everyday meals or casual entertaining.
Mix Pumpkins and Candles
For a quick and easy make-ahead Thanksgiving table centerpiece, mix pumpkins and candles. Modern Glam laid a 7-foot table with a mix of pillar and votive candles and an assortment of white and orange pumpkins to create a simple and festive centerpiece that anyone can pull off. Colorful orange-and-white placemats complement the seasonal color scheme.
Paint Papier Mâché Pumpkins
Add a personal touch to your fall table with DIY fall decor. Finding Lovely made inexpensive DIY painted papier mâché pumpkin centerpieces using store-bought pumpkins and acrylic paints in muted shades to decorate a neutral outdoor fall table.
Celebrate Sunflowers
Decorate an early fall table with the last of late summer’s sunflowers. The House That Lars Built made this golden DIY fall table centerpiece from foraged fall sunflowers, filling it out with sagebrush, dried thistle, mums, chamomile centers, and golden rod. The vibrant flower arrangement is the center of a fall table paired with amber glassware, natural wood accents, and a yellow linen tablecloth, but would work just as well on its own on a mantel, kitchen island, or entryway console table.
Wrap Some Wheat Stalks
Decorating with dried wheat stalks is a simple and affordable way to bring fall vibes to a neutral space. Inspired By Charm added color to a bunch of wheat stalks by wrapping them with embroidery floss and placing them in a clear glass vase to create a simple Thanksgiving table centerpiece.
Add Brass Notes
A Thanksgiving table doesn’t have to be complicated to feel special and welcoming. Maison de Cinq pulled this easy Thanksgiving table together in a flash with brass lanterns and candlesticks, a neutral table runner, and eucalyptus greens,
Make Some Napkin Rings
Decorating your fall table with DIY touches will make your guests feel extra special. Inspired By Charm made DIY dried flower napkin rings to dress up an outdoor fall table setting, using fresh strawflowers, pink and purple gomphrena, and
craspedia that had been harvested from the backyard and dried for three
weeks. If you don’t have a flower garden of your own, substitute store-bought dried flowers of your choosing for a similar effect.
Pick a Theme
Embrace the spookiness of Halloween with a ghost-themed table setting that will appeal to kids and adults alike. Sugar and Charm created a black-and-white Halloween ghost-themed table setting for a Halloween party that is fun and sophisticated, with everything from DIY ghost pumpkins and leaf place cards to ghost-shaped candle holders and a black-and-white bouquet.
Make Edible Place Cards
Place cards are an old-school touch that makes Thanksgiving feel nostalgic and warm. The Merrythought greeted guests with dessert in the form of mini pies embellished with simple DIY wood stick place cards.
DIY a Foraged Centerpiece
Fall is a perfect time to take a walk in the backyard or the woods and forage for seasonal decor along the way. Most Lovely Things made simple DIY wood stem stands from foraged tree limbs gathered on a walk in the Maine woods that are decorated with foraged flowers and leaves for a natural, minimalist fall table centerpiece.
Decorate the Coffee Table
If you live in a small space and don’t have a dining table, decorate your coffee table with a festive DIY centerpiece that celebrates fall. The Merrythought used a craft pumpkin to make this DIY pumpkin vase to show off an arrangement of fall flowers in shades of white and burgundy.
Decorate a Cheeseboard
Bring the party outdoors with festive decor that feels considered to make entertaining feel more elevated. Most Lovely Things made a DIY farm table cheese board for entertaining indoors and out and paired it with orange glasses and serving dishes that make it perfect for late summer or fall entertaining. Feel free to sub in a store-bought board to create your fall spread.
Hack a Grocery Bouquet
Elevate grocery store or bodega flowers with a little creativity to make a festive fall centerpiece. Craftberry Bush deconstructed a pre-arranged bouquet and used the plastic to line a copper vessel scored at a thrift shop, adding water and rearranging the flowers before filling them in with an inexpensive pot of mums as well as some smaller hydrangeas and ivy from my garden. If you don’t have a garden, fill in with faux flowers or eucalyptus leaves.
Stay Neutral
If you are looking to decorate your Thanksgiving table with the same neutral aesthetic as your interior, stick to pale tones for an understated feel. Maison de Cinq chose pale white pumpkins, candles, and soft eucalyptus greens to complement this neutral fall table decorated with vintage style pieces for a soothing feel that quietly celebrates the season.
DIY Pumpkin Place Cards
The faces at your Thanksgiving table may vary from year to year, but your place card holders can be forever. The Merrythought made simple DIY place cards for a Thanksgiving table with mini craft pumpkins, creating a slit for a hand-written place card using an x-acto knife.
Try a Bud Vase Centerpiece
An easy way to create an affordable centerpiece for a large Thanksgiving table is by using a collection of inexpensive mismatched bud vases filled with clippings from the outside or simple flowers. Sugar and Charm ran a line of bud vases down the center of the table and filled out the centerpiece with seasonal pine cones to add a rustic note.
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