Fall Gathering Tablescape

I don’t know about you, but I especially love to gather friends and family together in the fall. It’s the quintessential time of year for soup & apple crisp, warm colors indoors matching the foliage outdoors, and a roaring fire to gather around. With that in mind, I recently created a fall gathering tablescape in our dining room to honor the season and welcome guests.

Come see how I put it all together with these ideas in mind…

Idea 1 – Start with an anchor piece

Since our dining room is styled with a farmhouse look, I wanted to create a casual table setting for a fall lunch or brunch. And although I adore the wood tone of our farmhouse dining table, I brought in my favorite fall plaid tablecloth for this scene. I used it as a starting point (‘anchor’) for my colors and other pieces in the arrangement.

The white base color of the tablecloth fits well with the lightened look of our dining room. I used the colors in the complimentary plaid design to bring in other pieces.

Idea 2 – Bring in natural elements

Fall is the time for ripe apples and late-blooming flowers such as Dahlias. I incorporated fresh Cafe Au Lait dahlias from our garden for the centerpiece, as well as Honeycrisp apples piled in my handmade crochet harvest basket. (find the pattern for it here)

It’s certainly okay to mix the real stuff with faux, too! I grabbed some faux leaves from my fall stems and tucked them in with the dahlias and white roses. They provide just the pop I was looking for to compliment the plaid colors in the tablecloth.

Idea 3 – Add handmade pieces

One of my favorite ways to ensure a tablescape looks unique is to add handmade touches. Since I’m especially fond of yarn creations, I added my mini pumpkin cozies to the centerpiece. The pattern for those can be found here.

Each place setting also received distinct napkin rings. To give my simple white napkins some farmhouse flair, I wrapped a narrow piece of ticking fabric around the middle. Then I secured it with these leather napkin rings I created not long ago.

The hand-crocheted harvest basket is a nice alternative to a boring fruit bowl for holding apples.

Idea 4 – Showcase your vintage pieces

In my mind a table setting isn’t complete without vintage pieces included. My absolute favorite go-to vintage addition is an ironstone pitcher (which I have many to choose from!). They’re simple, classic, and practical.

Another favorite vintage addition is a worn bread board or cutting board to anchor the centerpiece.

Idea 5 – Sprinkle with accessories

This last idea is a fun last step for your tablescape and completely optional, depending on how simple you’d like your table to be. Just as you may enjoy accessorizing your wardrobe for dining out with friends, your table could use accessorizing as well!

Be creative with this step and just ‘sprinkle’ your table with little pieces here and there. For my table, I gathered a few faux leaves and wine corks in small groupings. They speak to the season and to good cheer. Just be warned – try not to go overboard with the sprinkles or your guests may not be able to find the table!

This fall gathering tablescape was a delight to put together and didn’t take much time, considering I used what I already owned. That brings me to the best idea to conclude with – don’t run out and buy tons of stuff you may not use again just to create a spectacular table setting. It’s okay to purchase one or two pieces a year that have staying power (like these velvet fabric pumpkins I scored at JoAnn’s several years ago), but allow yourself to play with what you own or make.

Your guests will be most impressed by your warmth and welcome embrace, and that is what matters most.