Bring Fall to the Table With These Centerpieces
By Kerrie Kelly, Zillow Blog Contributor
Fall encourages us to spend more time at home with friends and family — which undoubtedly leads to gatherings around the table. Luckily, a little fall foliage can make it easy to update your table’s centerpiece without investing in new dishes and linens.
Look to nature and items you may already have on hand. Here are some simple elements to create a standout seasonal centerpiece.
Collected
Shop in your own backyard or even on your next nature walk. Look for leaves, branches and acorns. Bare branches can be accented with small votives or air plants, as a more sculptural centerpiece for a rectangular table. Collected feathers can look striking in a simple glass vase while providing texture and interest to the tablescape, too.
Feathers are striking in a milk glass vase. Source: The White Buffalo Styling Co.
Local
Visit your weekly local farmers market and look for more substantial items like persimmons, pomegranates, berries, squash and interesting foliage for an arrangement that will last for weeks. For a more modern aesthetic, grab a few pumpkins, spray paint them white and line them up down the center of the table. Fresh flowers are an expected centerpiece and last only a week, where these finds can last anywhere from one month to a whole season.
Natural items, like berries or nuts, are beautiful in glass vases. Source: HomeSpot HQ
Unexpected:
Embrace the season by making your seating the center of the show. Consider painting a single bench or the wooden head chairs of your table red, persimmon orange or yellow. If you have fabric chairs, consider a patterned slipcover or throw pillow reflecting a harvest palette. It’s easy to swap these items out at the end of the season.
Bright red metal chairs and collected greenery create a subtle fall tablescape. Source: Stephanie Dyer.
In-house
Think beyond standard vases and planters for centerpieces. Pitchers, plate stands, mason jars, teacups, coffee mugs, serving platters, trays and soup terrines can all make wonderful containers for seasonal flowers, fruit and candles. You may even wrap some in burlap for a textural effect. Have some pretty herbs or flowers growing at home? Grab those, too.
Functional
Display silverware and monogrammed napkins in a galvanized bucket for a more functional and approachable centerpiece. Keep ready-to-eat fruit on a pedestal or cake stand when guests are visiting and kids are between activities. If the containers you choose don’t coordinate, give them a fresh look with a coat of seasonal paint to complement your decor.
See dining room designs for all seasons on Zillow Digs.
Related:
Kerrie Kelly is a Northern California interior designer and the founder of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. She is an award-winning interior designer, multimedia consultant and an author of two books: “Home Décor: A Sunset Design Guide” and “My Interior Design Kit,” with Pearson Professional and Career Education.
