7 Easy and Pretty Fall Tablescape Ideas

The same way you get your front porch ready for Halloween, you can prepare your dining room for autumn by designing a beautiful fall tablescape. Now, if that sounds a little bit daunting, don’t worry, we’re here to help. 

With the seven easy, DIY tips included in this guide, you can get your fall table ready for every dinner party you host this spooky season. 

The best part? If you put time and effort into crafting a beautiful tablescape now, your Thanksgiving table settings and decor will be ready when that time rolls around and you’ll have one less thing on your Turkey Day to-do list. 

1. Incorporate Natural Elements

First things first, when it comes to designing your fall tablescape, you’ll want to make sure to include some of the most iconic natural fall elements. We’re talking pumpkins, gourds, cranberries, fall leaves, pine cones, acorns, and all of your favorite things from the fall harvest. 

If you want to go for a more minimalist approach to the fall table, go for white pumpkins and gourds. They’re classic fall staples that will allow you to use a more limited color palette. 

2. Neutral-Toned Accents

The color schedule for an autumn tablescape should be earth tones and neutral tones, with a few jewel-colored pieces to tie everything together. When you’re picking out napkins, placemats to put at each place setting, tablecloths, and table runners, keep the colors of fall in mind. 

For a more vibrant tablescape, you can lean into the brighter fall foliage colors like red, orange, and purple. A more subtle take on a fall-themed tablescape would draw on brown, white, oatmeal, and sage green. 

3. Mix Candle Types

So that your table feels as inviting and cozy as the season itself, you can incorporate a mixture of tall candlesticks with statement candleholders and also a few traditional-sized candles. 

At Snif, we have a stellar lineup of candles that can serve as great statement pieces and will instantly turn any room into a dreamy, autumnal space. 

For your fall tablescape, we recommend: 

• Instant Karma: This cardamom candle blends cardamom with cedarwood, black tea, black plum, and vetiver for a dark and dreamy scent that sets the mood. 
• Pumpkin Smash: A classic fall favorite, this pumpkin candle features a mouth-watering combination of pumpkin spice, cinnamon stick, salted maple, and whiskey.
• Apple Cider Smash: This apple candle is a smashing burn with sparkling apple cider, honeycrisp apple, warm donut accord, cinnamon sugar, caramel glaze, and Madagascar vanilla for an inviting scent that’s sure to be your top pick.

4. Add Floral Arrangements

No dining room table is completely without a floral arrangement (or two!). Keep an eye out for fall-colored florals and flowers that are associated with fall like chrysanthemums, violets, and hydrangeas. 

It can also be fun to place a few floral arrangements around your house when you’re hosting a fall dinner party that contain the same florals found in your tablescape design. This will create a sense of cohesion in your home decor and take your autumn decorating to the next level. 

This tip also applies to candles! Don’t be afraid to light a few fall-themed candles in the bathroom and other spaces guests will be in to keep the cozy, fall vibes going all over your home. 

5. Choose Your Dinner Plates Wisely

When it comes to the actual plates in your tablescape, you have a few different options. You can choose plates and cutlery palettes that fit into your larger theme. These would be plates that have an obvious fall theme.

Another option is to go for salad plates, dinner plates, bowles, and glassware that have more subtle patterns or simply fit into your color palette. Regardless of your choice, you don’t have to break the bank on fall-themed plates. Grab some friends and hit your local thrift stores to find pre-loved autumnal plates and glassware. 

6. Add Greenery

Along with florals, you can also add some greenery to your table to act as accent pieces. Take your greenery of choice and intersperse it with the elements in your tablescape that contain the more traditional reds, oranges, yellows, and browns that are found in the fall color palette. 

You can use holly, eucalyptus, lemon leaf, and different types of ferns to bring a little bit of the freshness of nature to your table this fall. 

7. Choose a Statement Centerpiece

Last but certainly not least, we have the fall centerpiece. Your centerpiece is the focal point of your fall or Thanksgiving tablescape, and it’s arguably the most important element. 

A great centerpiece should draw your guests’ attention to it immediately but still complement all the other elements and your overall theme. When it comes to a fall centerpiece, you have the opportunity to let your creativity loose. We recommend combining faux and natural elements to get the ideal balance of textures and colors. 

Although your autumn centerpiece is ultimately going to be a completely unique creation, some ideas you can use for inspo include:

• A basket of pumpkins surrounded by leaves
• Statements candles wrapped in fall foliage
• A bowl overflowing with colorful fall fruit 
• Large ceramic vases filled with sunflowers 

Take the Season in Style

You’re officially ready to gather all the seasonal decor you can find and make the beautiful table of your dreams this fall. 

Autumn is the time of year when the weather cools down which draws everyone indoors, and, this year, your friends and family are going to be blown away by your fall tablescape. 

With these seven fall table decor ideas, you can prepare for the season in style and make your dining room the fall-themed wonderland you’ve been dreaming about all summer long!

Sources:

(PDF) Cedar Wood Oil — Analyses and Propertie | ResearchGate

Honeycrisp genome will help scientists breed better apples | Cornell Chronicle

The Science of Fall Foliage and Climate Change | UVM Expert

Eucalyptus Information | Mount Sinai - New York