Get set for a season of entertaining with my top tips for creating a stunning autumn tablescape
Aim for balance
No matter the occasion, for me, building a tablescape is one of the best things about entertaining. You can really let your creativity run wild, get playful and showcase your personality while also reflecting the season. However, there is one rule I always follow: find balance. The most impressive tablescapes delicately balance florals, decorative items, and free space, incorporating pieces of different heights and sizes that allow conversation to flow across the table while also providing visual intrigue. That’s why I often use our rustic footed bowl for my centrepiece displays, with chicken wire providing a base of support.
Embrace textures and textiles
Every tablescape I create starts with textiles. Personally, I don’t often reach for tablecloths, even in the colder months, but I do like to introduce texture with runners and placemats. At this time of year, why not experiment with darker colours and heavier fabrics? Consider swapping out your while linens with dark moss green, add napkins with rustic frayed edges, or use a rattan ottoman tray to hold your condiments and extra crockery.
Choose autumnal florals
When it comes to integrating florals into your tablescape, it all starts with the centrepiece. I recommend embracing the shades of the season with faux florals. I often start my autumn arrangements with our Preserved Autumn Beech stems. These have wonderfully full leaves in golden tones that contrast beautifully with their dark stems. With the Beech providing structure, I then mix in some softer shades from our Preserved Eucalyptus Cinerea alongside Café au Lait Dahlias and Linda’s Baby Dahlias.
Go foraging
One of our favourite free family activities at any time of year is to go out foraging. Autumn can be especially bountiful with sculptural branches falling in the woods, hedgerows filled with berries, and foliage that captures the colours of the season in shades of amber, orange, burgundy, and brown. For an autumnal tablescape, I love to use branches foraged from our garden including Panicum Grass, Dark Pink Sedum, Deep Burgundy Foliage, and red berries.
Add candles
With the nights drawing in, evening dinner parties offer the perfect opportunity to dine by candlelight. If you have candlesticks, tall taper candles can be particularly effective when placed at set intervals along the length of your table. Choose a neutral shade or lean into the autumnal theme with verdant green or deep red candles. I tend to save my scented candles until the meal is over so that the fragrances don’t interfere with the flavours but lighting our Jasmine and Mandarin candles after dessert has been served is a perfect palate cleanser.
Showcase pumpkins and seasonal fruits
To add personality to your tablescape, consider placing playful seasonal motifs throughout your set-up. I can’t get enough of ceramic pumpkins; we have several variations in different sizes that can be displayed alongside a vase as part of your centrepiece, along the table runner, or within your place settings. You could also include real fruits and miniature pumpkins; white and apricot-toned pumpkins, berries, and figs can all add colour and texture to your table.
