Fall Table Setting: 7 Ways to Bring Early Fall to Your Tabletop
In this post: Looking for inspiration for a pretty fall table setting? This elegant apple centerpiece will add seasonal flavor to your dining room table.⇒
Fall Table Setting
One of the easiest ways to add seasonal decor to your home is via your tabletop. Setting a transitional table is a natural way to bring changes to your home without spending a fortune and committing to expensive pieces. I often approach my tablescapes the way one would a monthly calendar, so for September I’m showing 7 ways to bring early Fall to your tabletop.
1. Apples
Probably the single most identifying visual of September is apples. On this table, I’ve incorporated apples and pears in a perky centerpiece, nestled into a large serving bowl. Scattered at the foot of the bowl are bits of apple potpourri, adding an early fall aroma to the room.
2. Root vegetables
These Farmer’s Market salad plates bring a touch of fall color to your table while forecasting the coming harvest. Imagery of beets, carrots, kale and onions dance playfully across the dishes. If these are not available, the same effect can be achieved with any imagery of market vegetables that celebrate the season’s bounty.
3. Rattan chargers
Woodsy elements are a great way to transition into fall. These rattan chargers provide the perfect backdrop for a harvest theme. They are reminiscent of a basket of apples or other fruit.
4. Fall floral
Every table needs fresh flowers and for early fall, the addition of cabbage leaves and berries brings just the right note to a colorful arrangement. Because this table is decidedly transitional, I’ve opted for reds and greens, rather than a full-on fall palette of oranges and golds.
5. Tortoise shell patterned glasses
In keeping with the woodsy feeling introduced by the chargers, tumblers in a tortoise shell pattern complement the tableau.
6. Leafy-toned candles
The pillars used here are in two shades of green, both channeling the feeling of the not-yet-turned foliage.
7. Hint of copper
For napkins I’ve layered a translucent pear green over a berry red, then punctuated the color mix with a lovely copper napkin ring. For underpinnings, my base cloth is a white paisley jacquard tablecloth and the natural linen runner is set on top. These are classic essentials that I use over and over.
For the floral arrangements I’ve used my favorite white tuscan vases, which are rustic enough for this fun tableau.
In the coming months, these colors will be replaced by the brilliant and broad range of a classic fall palette, but will be revisited come December. For now, I’m enjoying the transition into fall and the celebration of the harvest it brings.
More Fall Entertaining
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Love this table…the vegetable plates are so pretty and whimsical. Love the layered napkins, the centerpiece, all of it…
Thanks, Bev! This one was a lot of fun. The more thematic I can get, the easier the table is to dress… 🙂 It always starts with one visual and how it relates to the concept. Thanks for visiting!
Very pretty! At first I thought your glasses were the votive holders at Pottery Barn. Lovely table and makes me feel like fall.
Thank you, Barbara! The votives actually sound like a great idea. I also saw the huge hurricanes at Pottery Barn, so those would be fun too… 🙂
What a beautiful table!! Esp. love the plates…….the florals are wonderful…….sophisticated, but not overdone!!!
Thanks so much, Cleo! I do love patterned plates… 🙂
Just gorgeous, Lori. So glad to see someone else include apples for September. You create the prettiest tables.
Thanks, Kim! Apples are a natural for me, for two reasons. First, I just love Fall apple picking, so when I think September, that’s what I think of. But also, this table was actually a setting for our Rosh Hashanah dinner, which is the Jewish New Year celebration, and apples and honey are a traditional element because they represent the sweetness of a new year… 🙂
I would love to sit down to a meal at this table, it is beautiful and inviting. I love everything about it! It goes so well with your curtains. And the centerpieces are perfect! You have inspired me to try something new. Instead of jumping straight from summer to fall I will try transitioning.
Thank you, Kimberly! It’s funny – in our new house, I actually have to be careful what will go with our draperies since our old dining room just had white panels. I always think of my home as very pale, nearly white colors, but we actually have a good bit of color here… 🙂 I’m glad this table inspired you!
Your table setting is so pretty! I love the rich beautiful colors.
Thanks so much, Stacey! Fall has that ability to offer rich colors, doesn’t it? 🙂
Wow! The word that sprang to mind when I opened this was abundance! Beautifully executed and I have some fruit plates that I need to get out and use.
Thanks, Pamela! So glad abundance is what came to mind, because I do love to celebrate the bounty of the Fall harvest… 🙂 I enjoy seasonal decoration because there’s something to celebrate unique to each month.
Just beautiful, love the gorgeous flowers you chose for your beautiful fall table setting…..
Thank you, Maritza! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment… 🙂
Absolutely beautiful!
Thanks so much, Ellie! Always love when you stop by… 🙂
I love everything about this tablescape it is gorgeous. Love the veggie salad plates they are so adorable, and love
how you complimented them with the color scheme, and your florals are beautiful…….
Great job as always,
Blessings, Nellie
Thanks, Nellie!! I was actually a little afraid that the red and green would look too much like Christmas, but the apples and pears are so specific to September, that I hoped it would work. The plates just sealed the deal… 🙂
Gorgeous Lori, Love the floral arrangements with your plate mix~ nothing says early fall better than apples~
Thanks, Jenna! What was really fun was that the potpourri added the wonderful smell of apples too!! This was a fun one to work on… 🙂
Stunning tablescape. Are the Tuscan vases the small or medium size?
I love this setting.
Thanks, Mary! They are the small double handed urn.
As always, very classy! I enjoy your style.
Thanks, Diane! Such a nice thing to say… 🙂 Thanks for visiting!!
Lory: This is one of the most interesting floral arrangements I’ve seen in a while. Cabbage leaves and red roses. Who would’ve thunk? The bowl with apples and pears is great! I have to tell you that my son, who is into feng shui, has asked me not to being potpourri into the house. He says it’s bad feng shui because it’s made from dead leaves and decaying fruit. He doesn’t have a problem with diffusers, so that’s what I use now. It’s funny when your children grow up and develop opinions. Lol!
Lovely table, Lory. A perfect transitional table!
Thanks, Maria! Yes, I like to dress the table first and then bring a photo of it with me to the flower shop and go from there. When you have a unique color feeling, it helps drive the arrangement in an unusual direction. As for the feng shui, I’d stopped using dried flowers years ago for the same reason, but feel differently about potpourri (probably because it’s temporary and only stays out for a short period of time). I guess it would be interesting to ask your son this question – isn’t furniture also made from dead trees? Likewise, the food on the table? Still, diffusers are a nice option, (except they lack the visual appeal of potpourri). Interesting concept to ponder… 🙂
Boy, these were such interesting questions you posed that I asked him. He says that you are correct. Furniture is made up of dead wood and cooked food is also dead. They all lack the circulating life energy called chi. The goal is to minimize the amount of dead chi that surrounds us in order to maximize health and happiness. It makes sense, I suppose, but I’m not getting rid of my furniture. ?
Ha ha, I’m with you… 🙂 Unless you’re going to live outdoors, there’s really no choice, so you may as well enjoy nice furniture!
Lori, this table is beautiful! I love the colors and would love everything exactly as you have it set. I wouldn’t change a thing! Color is so uplifting and I really love seeing it used in such a pretty way.
Thank you, Jan! I really value that coming from you… 🙂
GORGEOUS table!!
Thanks!!
This is gorgeous Lori!
Thanks so much!!
Hi, Lory. I love this transitional table. With the hot weather we are still getting, this table is perfect for celebrating what feels like an extended summer, even if the calendar says it should be fall. Your color palette is perfect for this in-between time. I love your linens, plates and centerpiece florals. And your glasses are wonderful! Thanks for sharing this. Rosie @ The Magic Hutch
Thanks, Rosie! This one was really fun to play with… 🙂
I agree that tabletops are an easy way to decorate for a season. Your fall table is quite lovely, just full of beautiful things.
Thanks, Linda!!
I love fresh flowers, greenery and fresh fruit. It spells classy with real natural elements. So elegant. Love your root veggie dishes and the whole tablescape gets an
A+ from me.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! I do find it fun to decorate with food and I have a tendency to be thematic, particularly for the seasons. So glad you enjoyed… 🙂
I love this transition time – and your lovely table setting! Great ideas for which colors take us into fall, and the apples and potpourri are fabulous! Thanks as always for the inspiration! 🙂
Now that is a table setting – sophisticated and very inviting! I would definitely
try and re-create this table! Love, Love, Love!
I love your tablescape! The beautiful floral and fruit are all perfect together! I am in love with your checked dining chairs! so pretty and they go with everything. Where did you get those? Would love to have them in my dining room!
The floral arrangements are just gorgeous !! What a beautiful Fall table! Not ready for fall yet.
Thank you! I actually think of this as more of a transitional table – no pumpkins or fall colors – but definitely headed in that direction… 🙂
These were some the the best tablescapes that I have ever seen! They made me smile just looking at them. 🙂 I plan to do my best to copy them. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you so much!!
Lory, thanks for linking the green organza napkins, which I will layer over my existing cranberry-red cloth napkins. Copper twist adds wow factor to our love of mixed metals. Autumn is calling….
My pleasure! And yes, it is… 🙂
GORGEOUS. I love your plates and those beautiful bouquets.
Those Tuscan vases are my favorite! Lovely table!