My Formula for a Pretty Autumn Table with Chintz
It's time to host a fall dinner for friends and family! Press the pretty linens; pull out your favorite seasonal china; and whip up a hearty meal with luscious wine. Set a pretty autumn table with these tips!
As soon as I laid eyes on this charming autumnal hued vintage chintz from P. Kaufmann I knew it would create the prettiest fall table. The olive green, wine, mauve, and peachy tones are just too perfect for the season. Most of my tablescapes start this way...with a captivating floral linen. I just can't resist a pretty chintz!
The rest of the table flowed from the fabric with maple leaf patterned china from Hutschenreuther, cabbageware chargers layered on rattan, copper lanterns tied with velvet bows, lush brown glassware, and eye popping plaid napkins. The color palette really creates the fall feel of this tablescape, echoing the changing foliage outside.
For the autumn table centerpiece I used a green pumpkin tureen filled with beautiful florals straight from the grocery. I mixed white hydrangea, orange spray roses, peach roses, and purple mums with eucalyptus. It is a lush look that feels playful and vibrant. On either side of the floral centerpiece sit copper lanterns tied up with velvet bows in a beautiful coral tone. I love how warm and inviting they make this table feel.
Decorating a tablescape becomes so much easier when you think about it as a basic formula of essential ingredients:
No. 1 Pretty linens - don't be afraid to think out of the box
No. 2 Eye catching centerpiece - make it seasonally or theme appropriate
No. 3 Soft lighting - candlelight is always necessary for festive dinners
No. 4 Charming dishware - food just looks better surrounded by a pretty pattern
No. 5 Unique glassware - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be interesting
Of course the variety for these essentials is endless, but that curation of choices is where the magic for creativity lives. Like I said above, my starting piece is usually the patterned linen either a runner, cloth, or placemats then I pull in the other essentials to match or further a specific theme.
For fall tables, earthy warm tones are a must and a few seasonal motifs like pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and mums go a long way.
Your china pattern is also an excellent jumping off point for a tablescape. You can embrace the motifs or play off the colors. Don't get bogged down by trying to match everything exactly. Think in terms of a color range and use the same undertones that way the tablescape feels more organic.
Always include some grounding neutral elements. Here the notes of rich brown from the Fostoria glasses, rattan chargers, and copper lanterns root the vibrant colors of the florals.
This vintage chintz fabric is available in the shop here as are the maple leaf dishes from Hutschenreuther.
I hope this autumn table inspires you to invite loved ones in for a special fall gathering!
Kathrine,
I just LOVE your Fall table! I LOVE the idea of mixing in what you like normally and adding in SOME Fall! EVERYTHING does not have to be ORANGE and BLACK and Jack-O -Lanterns! My Gazebo room in my pool yard is all very “vintage-like” (I tried “vintagy” but not sure THAT is an actual word!) Anyway, it is quite cottage-like with many blues and pinks and in former years I have put away some of that in order to do all the brown, orange and black and it makes me sad 🙁
I enjoy the chintz and pastels so this year I just added a big, plump, white ceramic pumpkin on the wicker, coffee table trunk and some pastel glass pumpkins on the table and a green wreath at the door with faux white pumpkins ( by Martha you kno who!) Loving so much more than other years! I just love your comment about the Perfect couple movie! I do that (evaluating the decorating and rooms) ALL the time and sometimes can’t remember the plot! Looking at and figuring out the decor-OFTEN enough for me! Happens in any Nancy Meyers movie and others TOO and I can only imagine in the perfect couple! Hildebrand is so descriptive in her books that I mark pages to go back and reread descriptions of rooms and Nantucket! Love it and trust me; after spending many summers on Nantucket, she is RIGHT ON!! Does not seem like any other writer has her gift for describing! Now, although Elin H. is best, and Nancy M. too, I do this with Hallmark Movies too! I will call a daughter and say “did you see that staircase in that new Hallmark?”
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL baby BTW!
Thanks so much! Yes, I totally think you can make fall colors and motifs work with your style and decor. I’m all for pastel pumpkins, and the heirloom varieties do come in such lovely shades these days. Your gazebo room sounds lovely.
You know I haven’t read the book, so now you’ve inspired me to go do so. I love Nantucket and spent a whole summer there in college working at the preservation institute. Definitely itching to return.
Thank you! He is a doll. Cheers,
K