Entertaining + Holiday
Celebrate the Season With These 35 Fall Table Decor Ideas
Fall is an exciting time of year to decorate your home. As the leaves change color and the weather cools down, friends and family often gather inside for dinner and drinks. Creating a festive atmosphere with fall table decor can spread seasonal joy as you celebrate the time of harvest.
1. Treat your guests with gold
Fall colors include an array of orange and brown tones to match the changing leaves outside. When choosing fall table decor, try to play off these colors while adding your own unique touch. Gold accents work well with a fall color palette but they can also add a glamorous feel.
2. Tell stories over tea
Take advantage of the cozy feelings fall brings by telling stories around the dinner table. Using quirky dinnerware can spark conversation between your guests. Colorful accents can complement many linens and decor pieces, so you can easily create a full table setting with a bold look.
3. Add a natural touch
Natural pieces are great for fall table decor because the season has a close connection to nature. Wooden accents have neutral tones that you can pair with deep oranges or reds. Try wooden placemats or a wooden centerpiece to inspire the rest of your table setting, from serveware to linens.
4. Use patterns for contrast
It’s fun to get creative with your table setting so you’re not repeating the same decor each year. Using patterns in your fall table decor creates elegant contrast and will make specific items stand out. Try pairing a striped napkin with a geometric patterned plate or coordinate a plaid tablecloth with different plaid patterned placemats.
5. Don’t forget the details
Details make a difference when putting together a cohesive fall table setting. Some people may leave out napkin holders or placemats because they aren’t necessary items, but your guests will appreciate the effort you make to include them. Making sure these items blend with your aesthetic is even better.
6. Add color to a neutral palette
When you choose a neutral palette for your fall table decor, it can be exciting to make one item on the table colorful. This pop of color will stand out among the more muted tones and make a bold statement. Colored wine glasses are a beautiful addition to any table with their unique iridescence.
7. Stack treats front and center
There are many fall table decor ideas for centerpieces, and these range from sculptures to vases and beyond. An interesting centerpiece idea involves stacking trivets and placing appetizers or desserts on them for guests to enjoy. This idea makes your centerpiece useful instead of purely decorative.
8. Make food part of your aesthetic
Another way to include food in the aesthetic of your table setting is by using wooden serving planks. When you properly display food on these planks, it becomes a beautiful addition to your fall decor. Fall is a time of harvest, so it makes sense to include food in your presentation.
9. Anchor your place setting
Placemats are the perfect addition to your table decor for fall. Like napkin rings, placemats aren’t necessary, but they can help anchor each place setting and make your table look cohesive. Your guests will surely appreciate this extra detail.
10. Create a layered look
Creating layers with your linens is an expert tip you can use when decorating tables and bedrooms. Layers give your fall table texture and keep it from looking bland. To achieve a layered look, start with a tablecloth. Add a table runner down the middle and use placemats and napkins for each place setting.
11. Serve guests in style
Your fall table decor can go beyond place settings and centerpieces. A salad bowl, butter tray and serveware may stay on the table through the meal, so make sure these items are part of your decor.
12. Eat by candlelight
A candlelit meal instantly changes the atmosphere in the room. When turning down the lights above and lighting candles, your meal becomes more intimate and can put your guests in the fall spirit. Use candle holders that sit above your place settings and position them evenly across the table so everyone can enjoy the light.
13. Center the table with produce
Fall is the season when many crops are ready for picking, so if you want to bring an authentic fall feeling to your table decor, put fresh produce and veggies in the center of your table. A natural wooden bowl is a great way to hold produce, such as corn cobs, gourds, or carrots.
14. Get festive with fresh flowers
You can’t go wrong when including fresh flowers in your fall table decor. Flowers make it easy to incorporate fall colors in your table setting. Placing your flowers in handmade clay vases will give your table a farmhouse feel.
15. Use bowls and vases as centerpieces
Creating a fall table setting doesn’t require a long list of materials. You can use bowls and vases as centerpieces and repurpose them for everyday use after dinner. To make your table feel festive, stick to a fall color palette or bring in natural elements, like faux grasses and greenery.
16. Set the mood with intimate lighting
Lighting goes a long way when setting the mood of the evening. Depending on where you live, an outdoor dinner party may be possible in the fall. Hurricanes can be a great alternative to candle holders when dining outdoors. These glass-covered candles provide intimate lighting with added protection from wind.
17. Make a statement with your centerpiece
A statement centerpiece makes decorating your table for fall a breeze. With one large item, you can impress your guests and use smaller decorations around it. Your statement piece may be a sculpture, a unique light source, or a flower arrangement. This is a great way to welcome your guests into your entryway as well.
18. Let your snack spread speak for itself
Everyone loves appetizers before a meal, and you can keep your guests happy by providing a variety of snacks to choose from. With a serving tower on the table, the appetizers will look great with your fall decor and appeal to diners as they wait for the main course.
19. Keep it neutral and natural
If you’re struggling to come up with fall table decor ideas, the best thing to do is keep things neutral. While a neutral color palette may seem bland at first, using wooden accents will create variation in textures and make your table decor interesting.
20. Draw attention to the table
With the right centerpiece, you’ll draw the attention of your guests from anywhere in the room. Live plants are eye-catching and bring in the outside world. A one-of-a-kind art piece that functions as a planter can mesh well with any seasonal decor.
21. Add a touch of shimmer
Winter comes so quickly after fall and it can be challenging to redecorate between the two. Thankfully, there are some fall table decor ideas that blend fall and winter together. A touch of shimmer adds a hint of winter to your fall table without going overboard and helps you transition seamlessly into Christmas decor.
22. Invite your guests to gather and grab
Dinner parties are great during fall, but with too many people at the table, you may have trouble passing food around. When food is easily accessible to everyone, guests can focus on each other instead of food logistics. A lazy susan serving tray spins around so guests can easily grab what they need.
23. Embrace the fireplace feel
Gathering around the fireplace is one of the best ways to spend a crisp fall night. Because the fire is an integral part of fall and winter, why not incorporate that theme into your fall table decor? You can use wooden logs in your centerpiece and light candles to bring a sense of warmth. Don’t forget to coordinate with your mantel for a cohesive look.
24. Keep the decor maintenance-free
The scent of natural pine trees is lovely during the fall, but using actual trees in your fall decor can be a hassle. Pine needles are notorious for going everywhere and no one wants to find pine needles in their food. To get the look of pine on your table without the maintenance, try using faux garland.
25. Repurpose a wreath for the table
There are hundreds of wreath options for hanging on doors or mantels, but you can also use a wreath in your table decor for fall. A wreath made of fall flowers can serve as your table’s centerpiece so your setup will feel festive and fresh.
26. Branch out
An eye-catching centerpiece can inspire the rest of your fall table decor. Use a natural element like a twisted branch and build off this piece with fresh flowers, garland or ferns. The seasonal atmosphere in your home will come to life when you blend these items together.
27. Add angled pieces to catch light
You can use light to showcase your table decor and make it shine. Objects with angles will catch the light and add an extra dimension to your display. Vases, candleholders and bowls are items you can find with unique angles and edges.
28. Try something modern and sleek
Many fall table decor ideas include a natural theme, but you can also create a fall table setting that’s modern and sleek. Gold will bring the feeling of fall when paired with neutral place settings and orange or brown accents. A candelabra can light up the table and also serve as a centerpiece.
29. Choose flatware that blends in
You may not think much about flatware when setting up your table, but providing forks and knives that blend in with your decor can improve your overall aesthetic. Silver flatware works well with most table settings, but when you want a sleeker feel, opt for black.
30. Pick fall flowers for the table
Adding a personal touch to each place setting can make your guests feel special. A great fall table decor idea involves picking fall flowers and placing them in mini vases near each place setting. Your guests will feel like you picked these flowers just for them and their seasonal spirit will come alive.
31. Go for a classy vibe
Some dinner parties are fancier than others, and your fall table decor will show guests the vibe you’re going for. A classy evening setup might include gold flatware, name tags for guests, and beautiful dinnerware. With a well-decorated table, you can dine in style and pretend your home is a five-star restaurant.
32. Pick neutral tones that go with everything
It’s challenging to decide on dinnerware for your table when you aren’t sure what decor you’ll use for each season. When you want dinnerware that you can use year-round, opt for neutral tones because they go with everything. They’ll work particularly well in the fall when nature inspires your decor.
33. Include fall colors to set the tone
Once you have neutral dinnerware, you can decorate your table for fall by incorporating hues of amber, brown, orange and red. Colored glassware or a painted vase in the middle of the table is just the spark you need to ignite your design and make it pop.
34. Protect your table in style
Tablecloths are a great way to protect your table from food that goes astray, but if you want added protection from drinks, coasters can do the trick. Coasters come in many styles, shapes, and materials and they can blend in with your fall table decor.
35. Use seasonal accent pieces
You may decorate your entire table for fall and then realize you’ve included nothing seasonal in your setup. While you don’t need to tell guests explicitly that it’s fall, adding seasonal accent pieces featuring leaf, crop or bird designs can emphasize the harvest season.
Fall is a special time of year that brings families and friends together. As you cozy up with your loved ones, these fall table decor ideas will make it easier to gather around the table and enjoy a meal. If you’re looking for more seasonal decorating ideas, check out our go-to apartment Christmas decorations.
