The Five Best Table Setting Tips for Fall
Fall tables are my favorite. Today, I am sharing five of my best table-setting tips. Are you ready for some great tips?
I love fall colors such as burnt oranges, golden yellows, and deep ruby reds. Mix them with the season’s natural elements, like leaves, pine cones, and acorns, and you have the perfect backdrop for a gorgeous farmhouse table setting and cozy dinners with family and friends.
Five Table-Setting Tips
Setting a table can be intimidating, and I often get messages from all of you asking for table-setting tips. Since fall is here and I am styling a lot of fall tables, I thought it might be fun to share five of my favorite farmhouse table-setting tips with you.
It’s not hard to set a table, especially when you are like me and don’t follow many rules. Don’t laugh, but my dining room table is often set for dinner. My husband always asks, “Is that for your blog, or are we having another party?”
Unfortunately for him, it’s often set for an upcoming blog post!
Here are my five farmhouse table styling tips.
#1 Mix it Up
When I first started styling tables, I often mixed glassware, silver, plates, chargers, and placemats. I didn’t do this because I was clever – rather, I did it because I didn’t own enough matching pieces!
Over the years, I have collected a lot (and I mean a lot!) of china, silver, and glassware. Now, when I set a table, I constantly mix it up and don’t even look to see if I have enough matching pieces. That’s because I don’t want it to match.
Mixing it up is not only a great idea, but it also creates a more inviting table for your guests. It’s unexpected and not perfect, but it’s a table your guests are curious about.
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Mixing plates, placemats, glassware, and silverware makes for a fun table. It is different. I love my tables that way.
If you look at the table pictured above, nothing matches! Well, the napkins and glasses match. But nothing else does! The chargers, placemats, silver, and china are all different.
#2 Set a Fun Table
I love adding a “fun element” to my tables.
Can you tell how much fun I had creating the fall table pictured below?
One year, I used these fantastic wood cutouts for Thanksgiving.
We had many teenagers at our table, which was the end result! But the fun they enjoyed during dinner was well worth it. (I have lots of glue guns!)
#3 Don’t Just Use the Dining Room
One of my favorite table-setting tips is to get out of the dining room! Getting into a rut and always entertaining in the dining room is easy. So why not move your table to another room? Or even outside?
I always try to push myself and think of new places to host a dinner. I have served dinner on the beach (in the sand) many times, all over our backyard and at the park. The more creative you are, the more fun your guests will have! Fall is such a great time to host outdoors.
If you are curious, I found these metal trays at a flea market. I also love cloth napkins that have words on them!
Sometimes serving dinner in the living room can be fun and different!
#4 Fit Everyone at the Table
Nothing is more frustrating at a dinner party than splitting up your group into more than one table. We hosted fifty at my son’s rehearsal dinner, and I wanted everyone to be at the same table! This was simply amazing!
Of course, I realize that sometimes it is not possible to seat everyone at the same table. But I always try as hard as I can. A few years ago, we had twenty-two at our home for Thanksgiving, and I was determined to fit them all at one table in our dining room.
Somehow, it worked, and it was so much fun! If I end up hosting everyone again this year, I will have to figure out how to sit everyone together. I might set the table in the living room, but I don’t know. I will figure it out and share it with you for sure.
#5 Reuse Last Year’s Fall Decor
Don’t tell anyone, but I recycle fall decor every year! Two years ago, I added copper foil to the green pumpkins I had used the year before. Another time, I added copper and pink foil, and this year, I ripped off the fabric of a pumpkin to make a eucalyptus leaf pumpkin. Don’t be intimidated and think you need to buy all new decor. Shop your own home and get out some paint or craft supplies!
All of the faux florals on this table were purchased years ago!
Gorgeous Outdoor Fall Decor
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I think you will like my live show titled Fall Table Decor Ideas in the Dining Room.
I hope these tips have helped and will make setting your fall table easier.
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Leslie,
We did 40 for Thanksgiving, use the same layout of the U from last year, just bigger and we are in So Cal, so outside my friend,your backyard would be perfect for Thanksgiving. xx
My mom moved in with me and we have lots of vintage fall decor. I would like to use some of it but do you think it would be ok to mix modern decor with it?
Thanks,
Jana J.
Here’s my decorating question – I live in a city – and, sadly, I feel like I have to be careful about what decor I put out on the porch, because things have a habit of disappearing. : ( I am always looking for super low cost porch decor ideas……
If you were looking for an indoor decorating question, I’ve got this one – I’m looking for some window treatments that will keep both my husband and I happy – I love to let in light, he likes them drawn all the time – so I suppose we are looking for some kind of layered, easily open and closed options?
I just found your blog and love it! Looking forward to following along as we too enjoy calling a 100 year old home “home”.
What a relief that I don’t have to match everything because I like to mix and match. Sometimes I do match but most times I don’t . These are beautiful tables.
40 for Thanksgiving, wow.
Cindy
Love this!
Is it best to transition into seasonal decorating or observe each season individually?
I just don’t know how to make my summer decorating blend seamlessly into Autumn…
Love using another room. We use our sun porch a lot
We have an oddly shaped front porch (double doors with no room on either side of the door and one wall) and in the 28 years we’ve lived in this house I’ve never been able to figure out the best way to decorate it without it looking awkward. Can you suggest any resources that would give suggestions for sprucing up front porches? Thanks! I love the ideas for table decorating and how to recycle older themed items.
I love the wooden words at each place setting! Such a neutral and easy way to add interest & if you can find different words then maybe that’s what they could share at dinner, ie what they’re grateful for etc
What is the best way to display a collection? I inherited a small but lovely collection of bells from my mother.
Love LOVE the little words – WHERE did you find those?
Where did you buy the small square tobacco baskets? Your table looks great and the apple stems are the perfect touch!
Great ideas!
Is there a limit to how many gallery walls you have in your home? I think I would be able to make a gallery wall in every room, is that overkill? Thanks for a chance at this fabulous giveaway!
These are all lovely tables Leslie, and all five of your tips are really useful! I think your son’s rehearsal dinner is one of my favorite tables ever! 💗 I hope all those gorgeous flowers found good homes! 😉
Happy thanksgiving.. wow.. . Thanks for posting as I am sooooo not ready for Fall.. will you be posting a menu for all your guests? that would be great to see…. thanks
Hi. Is it a rule you have to use dark, heavy, curtains for winter? Btw,I live in ohio.
I have an old farmhouse but sadly its rooms are small and there is little old charm left to it. The question I struggle with right now is weather to build a new bookshelf in the living room for storage or find antiques (hutches, etc.) to bring in charm and storage. I know its difficult not being able to see the space but I’m really torn.
Just love all your table decorations and party planning ideas! How do you deal with family photos? Do you display them in private areas of your home?
Great ideas!