Simple Fall Tablescape Decorating Ideas

Do you need fall tablescape ideas? I'm sharing my colorful fall table and showing you how to keep it simple with several ideas that you can easily replicate!

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Hey friend, are you looking for some Fall decorating inspiration? Oh good, you are in the right place! Today I'm joining Angie of Postcards From the Ridge and a whole bunch of decor loving bloggers for our annual Fall Ideas Tour! We're sharing fall mantels and fall porches, fall tables and fall DIYs! There's so much inspiration that is going to wow you! You'll find all the links at the end of my fall tablescape.

Simple Fall tablescape with color

Want to know a secret? Sometimes even veteran home decor bloggers get stumped! That's what happened to me this year when it came time to put together my fall tablescape.

It's not like I've never decorated a fall table before! I've done this neutral fall table with copper accents and this fall table with dollar store pumpkins, and this neutral fall table with Rae Dunn accents and soft colors. The one thing my fall tables all have in common is that they're mainly neutral.

But this year I was craving rich autumn colors for my fall table. Maybe that's what threw me off?! I tried a few different things but realized they were getting too elaborate and that was just taking the fun right out of what should be a FUN thing...decorating should be fun, not stressful!

So I gave myself a stern talking to, took everything off the table, and started over. Keeping my fall tablescape simple was the way to go!

Fall table inspiration

Sometimes when you're decorating, it helps to have an inspiration piece, something that sets the mood and tone for whatever you're decorating.

My inspiration this year came from a set of beautiful salad dishes that I found at Walmart. They're by Better Homes and Gardens and are the Autumn Botanical plate set of 4. They're currently out of stock, but hopefully they'll get more soon! The rich colors in these salad plates really stole my heart. Two of the plates feature pumpkins and two feature fall leaves.

Frugal decorating tip: purchasing seasonal salad plates is a great way to keep your decorating costs low while still giving your table an updated look!

Set the table with layers

I love layers on a table because it creates interest and depth. I started with a woven table runner that I got for 60% off at Hobby Lobby. You can find similar neutral runners here.

Each place was set with a white charger, then a neutral fringed cotton napkin, a white ironstone dinner plate and then one of the new salad plates. Those new plates took my place settings from neutral to wow with one simple step! Look at that beautiful color!

I really wanted to purchase some matte gold or copper utensils for this fall table, but I couldn't find any in stores that I liked, and couldn't really justify the expense. But wouldn't that have looked beautiful?

Shop the attic

While I was rooting around in the attic, pulling out all my Fall decor, I discovered a set of 12 punch cups that I'd forgotten I had, so I brought those down and washed them. I thought they'd look cute on the table and be perfect for sparkling cider or wine. The glasses don't have handles, they're shaped like small goblets. They were a wedding gift 28 years ago, and I think I packed them away when the punch bowl broke...and then forgot all about them!

Do you have something hiding in the attic that would be perfect for your tablescape this fall?

Simple fall centerpiece

For the table centerpiece, I started with a large black lantern that I placed in the middle. I wouldn't go any taller than this because you don't want to impede conversation across the table!

On either side of the lantern I tucked in various pumpkins, fall leaves, wood slices and votives as well as some dried magnolia leaves because the velvety brown backsides work so well with these rich colors! I used what I had, and bought just a few things from the dollar store.

The pieces are just scattered down the table on either side of the lantern. It's meant to look random, but I tried to keep the sides balanced.

It's definitely more color than I'm used to decorating with for Fall, but I am really enjoying the cheerful feel! We all need a little extra JOY this year, don't we? And for me, that meant rich autumn colors.

Of course I had to carry the fall theme into all the corners of my dining room! A package of baby boo white pumpkins added to the black hutch make it feel like fall.

This easy burlap leaf garland on my large chalkboard was created with a package or two of wired burlap leaves from the dollar store. I simply tucked the wire ends into the leaf above to create a cascading garland.

In this corner, a birch pumpkin on a stack of blue and white thrifted dishes is just right.

Here's something I haven't shown you yet, it's brand new to my dining room. I'm calling it a dining hutch but you want to know a secret? It's just a cheap bookcase that was hanging out in the garage holding tools and lots of spider webs and dust! I cleaned it up and painted it with white chalk paint. It provides an extra surface to display items!

A mix of old and new

I think the trick to creating a simple collected look is decorating with a mix of old and new! Dollar store pieces mixed in with family heirlooms. It keeps it interesting, fun, affordable and do-able!

I hope you found some inspiration in my simple fall tablescape! I'd love to know which ideas you want to incorporate into your own home! Drop me a comment!