An Unexpected Fall Color Palette for a Beautiful Autumn Tablescape

Oh I’m so in love with this autumn tablescape! It was so unexpected in so many ways, and I’m so excited about how it turned out! (That’s a lot of SO’s, so let’s move right along and I’ll tell you all about it!)

If you’ve been following along recently, you’ll know that Decor Mantra reached out to me a while back and asked if I’d like to set some tables with one of their tablecloths! I researched the company and decided that yes, I would – for lots of reasons!

They gifted me this gorgeous green and white floral pattern and off we went! You can read about my earlier tables with this lovely tablecloth, as well as what some of those reasons were, at these posts: How to Create a Beautiful Pink and Green Tablescape and A Beautiful Green and White Tablecloth For a Beautiful Table.

I still have another tablescape to post using this cloth – it’s a beautiful blue with the green. But the other day I got an email from Decor Mantra asking if I was planning to do a fall tablescape. And since a fall tablescape would be lovely, and it’s already the end of October, I figured I’d better do that one first while it was still autumn!

I knew I was going to use the tablecloth obviously, but beyond that I didn’t really have a plan.

Setting The Autumn Tablescape With What I Already Had

SInce I didn’t want to waste any time, I thought it would be best if I just used pieces I already had. I didn’t end up buying a single new thing for this entire table.

That included the flowers. I wanted something fall-ish, of course, so I delved into my faux flower stash. These deep maroon hydrangeas and the dusty rose-colored blooms were kind of hiding in the back, but they caught my eye as soon as I found them.

I actually got these quite a while ago and had never used them. But their gorgeous deep colors reminded me why I bought them in the first place.

I laid them on the tablecloth and immediately loved the color combination!

The Inspiration for a Fuller Lusher Table

Another inspiration for the autumn tablescape was a table designer I found on Instagram – Deborah at @Addicted to China! Her photos were just stunning, and I studied them for quite a while trying to decide exactly what it was that made them feel so different from my own tables. I wanted to see if I could borrow her technique.

I realized that I don’t often use purely decorative pieces on my tables. She had pretty serving pieces as well as just plain decoration. Of course, I’ve seen lots of tables over the years with just plain decoration on them. But I’ve never really stopped to figure out why the tables look so much fuller,and didn’t have as much of what you might call “empty space” as mine.

Now, I’m not dissing empty space. Sometimes all I want is a fresh open airy look to my table. But in this case, I was loving her lush cozy style. I also realized her place settings were closer together than I often set mine. So instead of putting one at each end and two on each side, for this table I set three on each side. I also put them a little closer together than I otherwise would have. I really love the fuller, lusher, and cozier look!

Adding Copper and Warm Color to Our Autumn Tablescape

After I’d decided to put the place settings closer together, I went scavenging through my various shelves and cupboards looking for small pieces to fill the open spaces. That’s when I found the copper pumpkins. I love those little guys! They have that metallic glint to them that makes them just a bit more unique and fun than a regular pumpkin.

From there, I decided to carry copper throughout the table. I tracked down my copper chargers, copper flatware, and the copper pitcher for the flowers.

I didn’t have any substantial copper candleholders, so I went with my old standby gold mercury glass holders. But I figured the gold was subtle enough not to fight with the copper. They usually go together pretty well.

Choosing the China

Since I was setting an autumn tablescape plus trying something different, I thought I’d try using some darling little painted pumpkin plates! I put them on our everyday white plates. And on their own, they were adorable.

But what with their distinctive pattern, the pattern of the tablecloth, and the flowers, it just wasn’t working for me. Too uncohesive and busy for the eye to look at all at once, maybe.

So I went back to one of my favorite things in the world – vintage bone china. My husband brought this lovely set into our home years ago, and it’s such an elegant, understated pattern. The basic cream didn’t fight with anything that was already on the table, and the thin gold edge matched the candleholders too.

And in keeping with my inspiration idea, I added the bread and butter plates. That immediately made the table feel fuller.

Keeping the Autumn Tablescape Colors Cohesive

The plates did add a bit more light-colored real estate than I had in mind, but I solved that problem by putting the napkins over the tops. I chose those lovely deep brown ones because they worked so well with the copper. And I wanted the deep maroon, dusty rose, brown, copper, cream, and green to feel like one palette.

Some colored glassware like in my inspiration photo would have been perfect! But the only colored glassware I have is a trio of bright red martini glasses, and some cobalt blue wine glasses. Neither of which was going to do the job for this table!

So it was back to my clear glassware. But you know I always love some sparkle, and it worked out well anyway. I got the sparkle without any other competing color, so I got to keep my cohesive color palette.

(Although, I think maybe a trip to the Goodwill is in order to see if I can’t add some color to my collection for next time!)

Building the Centerpiece

Another thing I might want to look for at Goodwill is a low copper vase! I have some little cup-sized copper vases, and a big copper-ish pot with some permanant patina on it. (Which I’m not crazy about, truth be told.) This pitcher is the only real table-sized copper vase I have, so that dictated the height and shape of my centerpiece.

I liked the height, but honestly, when I had the flowers in there and fluffed out a little, it still looked like one fat column of centerpiece! So since I was setting an autumn tablescape and it actually was autumn, I went out into the yard with the clippers.

I found not only the usual maple leaves, but pear and dogwood leaves too. Those leaves are so gorgeous, and kind of suprising. They have unique shapes and little berries or bracts on them at this time of year, so they’re a bit more interesting than plain old leaves.

I like putting in branches that extend the arrangements sideways. It gives them a relaxed and organic look, and it spreads the arrangement over more table area too.

Filling the Table Without Overdoing It

I use candles almost every night, and I almost always put one on either side of my centerpiece. So I didn’t have to think about where those went. But since I don’t use purely decorative pieces very often, I played around a little with my copper pumpkins.

I tried more, and larger groupings, but in the end I stuck with just a few spread across the table. I was going for abundance without it looking cluttered. There was probably still room to add more, but I didn’t want to do anything too drastic right away – you never know what might happen!

I had some larger pumpkins too, so I put those in other places to carry my autumn tablescape vibe around the rest of the room. I like the table to feel connected to the rest of the decor – or vice versa. The two pumpkins on the buffet looked good with some other gold candlesticks.

And I put the last one over on the china cabinet with a couple other candleholders. They were silver, but oh well!

What Surprised Me About the Finished Autumn Tablescape

I have to admit, I was really surprised when I finished it all and stepped back to see the full view. I LOVED the deep brown and copper with the maroon and dusty rose flowers, and both of them on the green and white background of the tablecloth!

It’s a color combination I never would have thought of if I’d planned in advance. Sometimes it’s so much fun just to see what you’ve got and put it all together.

Plus, I really love filling more of the empty space on the table. It’s so cozy and feels luxurious and fun! I’ll definitly keep experimenting with the idea. Thank you Decor Mantra and Addicted to China!

An Autumn Tablescape for Thanksgiving Friendsgiving or Just Dinner

This is obviously a fall tablescape – and it would be perfect for a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving tablescape, not to mention a fall birthday, an elegant fall dinner party tablescape, or even Halloween. I’d probably add some place cards if I were going to set it for a celebration.

But it doesn’t need a holiday. I love setting a beautiful table for just my husband and me. It makes a regular night feel extra special.

Just Starting Somewhere

One of the most fun things about this table was that I didn’t have any kind of plan. I just started with one thing – the tablecloth – and the rest of the table just happened piece by piece. I tried things that didn’t work, added and subtracted as I went along, and just went with whatever suggested itself next.

And I ended up loving it! What do you think – could I have added more? Let me know in the Comments!

Barbara’s Boutique

Click on the pictures of the pieces I used in this post. If the exact item isn’t available any more, I chose a similar option.

* This post includes affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you click on a link and buy anything from that site during your visit, I get a small commission and there’s no extra charge for you! It really helps toward the cost of publishing Mantel and Table, and I seriously appreciate it. (You can read the whole disclosure policy here.) Thanks so much for shopping with me!

And remember, a portion of anything you buy from MANTELandTABLE.com goes to Habitat for Humanity and Proud Ground. With our purchases, we get to help people build homes for their own mantels and tables!

Pin the Autumn Tablescape Post for Later

Shared With