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
Watch My Amazon Live
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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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Soooo beautiful! I can imagine it smells like fall, too. I love the way you put this together, not the usual. Great ideas!
Love your blog and all tha table settings. Great decorating ideas for Fall.
Thanks for the ideas!
As usual, a wonderful table setting. I also liked the ideas for other places to dine besides the dining room!
Oh I love this post! so many great ideas- thank you
I love all of the texture you get from mixing different items on the tables you set!
I , too, like to have everyone at the same table but it can be a challenge sometimes. Love the burgundy tablescape.
Always the best ideas!
Beautiful table settings! Leslie you are inspiring, creative and a true gem. Thank you for all that you share!
I love your settings. I live I’m Scotland in a cottage villa style house built in 1893, we’re lucky the two main rooms still have the original ceiling roses, cornice and picture rails. The down stairs rooms all have ceilings, whilst upstairs they are similar to a newer built property, but what we don’t have is porch. The most we’ve been able to cater for at sit down meal is 18. I love the fact you celebrate fall in the USA and each time we visit I try to bring something back I can use to bring a fall look to my home. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas.
I’m curious to know why you don’t use many tablecloths? For me, it adds another dimension to the table scape. Especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love your creativity and ideas!
I so love your fall colors Leslie! And the photo of your son’s rehearsal table is probably my favorite table anywhere – a dream dinner! As always, thanks for all your tips and inspiration – Happy Saturday!
Oh you are so kind, Barbara! Thank you!
Hi Leslie, love all your wonderful ideas. We don’t really celebrate/decorate for Fall in Australia, although I really want to next year. It’s spring here now but I’m still going to decorate with some pumpkins! Just wondering did you make the wooden cut out words with your Cricut? If so would love to see a tutorial on how you do it.
Love the blog, would have loved to see the table settings but ads kept covering them. Especially a blue and yellow ad for some healthcare company. Are you aware that some of your pop up ads are covering your content?
Hi, looks wonderful.
Where can I find thé flocked pumpkins please?
Thanks
Jela
Stunning tables, as usual.
Do you have a good source for gold flatware? I can’t find any with good reviews. Most say the flatware tarnishes almost immediately when washed.
Thank you! Yes I found this one: https://amzn.to/3BARLU6 it looks like a good option!
I love this… especially “mix it up”! When I was a little girl we always had mix it up. I told my mom when I grew up all of my dishes were going to match. Guess what?… I have lots of dishes but most of all I love mixing them up! You always inspire me!
I love that! Thanks Kathy!