Apple Decor: Celebrating the Fall Harvest with a Colorful Table Setting

In this post: For a fun and colorful fall table setting, think beyond pumpkins and try setting an upbeat autumn tablescape using apple decor.⇒

I don’t usually do red.

I tend to lean toward soft colors all year long and red is about as bold as it gets.

But then again, it’s fall and there’s apple picking and the harvest season, and well, red is feeling kind of appropriate right now.

When I set this table, I had apples on my mind and everything evolved from there. I wanted something that would read like autumn without going full-on pumpkin and once I had my apple theme I followed my intuition and a good bit of trial and error ensued.

I started with the plate stack and at first I thought I would use a full set of floral china. But my preference for mix and match got the best of me and once again, out came the various patterns I own.

These are all sets I’ve inherited, with my mom’s on the bottom in the dinner plates.  The salad plates came from my mother-in-law and the little dessert bowls came from the hubby’s grandmother. 

I just love the idea of mixing them all together, not only for the visual interest but also for the way it represents the past generations and hence gathers the family together.

I changed my mind several times when building this tablescape as to the direction to go with the glassware. I bought these stunning hand painted gold trimmed flutes on a recent trip to Italy (more on that in an upcoming post!) and I was excited to pull them out to be used for the first time on a table at home.

But the assorted colors of the glasses make them tricky to use with certain decor. When I first set them down, I felt they stood out too much against the soft colored plate stack. If they were all red, they would have looked great with the apples but the color variations made me rethink that.

So I replaced them with a cut crystal glass and felt the look was more cohesive.

It wasn’t until I had gone to the flower market and came back with a bouquet of brightly colored fall flowers that the entire direction of the table took a turn. 

Out came the Italian glasses again and I was delighted by the intermingling of colors. It always amazes me how one single element can make all the difference when decorating. This would have been a completely different table with the crystal glasses and a pale pink and white floral centerpiece.

Rounding out the supporting pieces I went with my favorite silver chargers, along with a vintage set of silver flatware and an assortment of antique silver napkin rings.

I used a white linen tablecloth paired with natural linen napkins for their quiet elegance in order to let the more colorful pieces take center stage. 

I find the importance of flowers in a tablescape to be so significant as to often define the nature of the entire table. While I almost never start with the centerpiece, instead setting my table first, I typically take a photo of the table with me when I head out to shop the flower market. But sometimes that’s where the magic happens as an inspiring assortment of blooms might strike my fancy.

In this case I placed the richly colored fall blossoms in my vintage rust-dusted garden urn and that when things started to meld properly. 

In fact, stepping back from the table, one can see it’s comprised of almost entirely vintage pieces (including my favorite French empire chandy), but for the 3 colorful elements including the apples, the floral and the glassware.

What I love so much about setting tables is the opportunity to play with patterns and colors you don’t often use. You can create a bit of fantasy and when the evening is done you can go back to your typical style. 

So while I don’t do red and bold on the regular, I sure enjoyed playing with the colorful palette for this autumn table!