Beautiful Autumn Tablescape Made Easy

Beautiful autumn tablescape made easy with a gorgeous fall cheese board, flowers and candles – steal this fall entertaining idea for your dinner party or family get-together.

 

My girlfriends are amazing. They all work hard and do so much for others constantly – some are caretakers, some are business owners, and all have huge hearts. They never have the opportunity to be spoiled. They are always too busy running around.. so I decided to do something special for them. It wasn’t the best day for me..  I was extremely busy but wanted to have them over for drinks and appetizers.  It was important to me that the dining table looked elegant without taking hours to decorate. (because who has time for that?!)

If you know anything about me..  you would know that I love to entertain but hate to cook. How does that work you ask? I became a master of the appetizer. ;) Hence, the very special autumn themed cheese board shown below… which is really just a bunch of nuts, cheese, and fruit thrown together! 

Let’s dive in, shall we? If you watched my Instagram stories the other day.. you may have seen me providing tips for arranging flowers. Flowers are the first thing that I add to every tablescape.. not only do they fill the table but they also set the color palette and mood. I threw these beauties together in no time because I found a beautiful grouping already combined from Whole Foods! Once I brought them home, I added a few other florals and voila! I’m living for the color combo with some natural greens from my garden, peach and blush roses, and yellow sunflowers. The vases are gorgeous – unfortunately they are from Monique Lhuillier’s line with Pottery Barn and are scarcely in stock anymore. They don’t even have them online right now. (Sorry!) 

Of course because it’s October – I wanted to make this table “fall beautiful”. While I was at Whole Foods, I picked up a few large butternut squash and other bountiful fruits and vegetables. Pumpkins, pears, and squash weave in between candles, the table runner, and vases.

Table Runner

I wanted a textured feel so I rumpled my table runner in a casual manner down the middle of the table. I love this look because it’s a little more interesting and warm for an autumn look and style. I picked up my classic table runner at Williams-Sonoma. I’m sure it will be a staple that I will use for many years. The off-white color complimented my table and chairs perfectly. If you order the runner online, you can get it monogrammed as well which I love! Great gift idea for someone who likes to entertain. Click here for the runner.

Candles

Next up.. candles. I think candles may be the most important aspect to every table. They set the mood, ambiance, and offer light! What more can a girl ask for? My favorite candles for fall are from my friends over at Hazel Candle Co.. Some of my favorite fall scents include Flannel Season, Hot Apple Cider, and Pumpkin Spice. They smell DELICIOUS (I’ve been burning them nonstop over the last month) and they don’t give me headaches! Hooray. You can get 10% off your order by using the code KRISTY10 – their prices are already great too. Click here to shop. Along with the amber scented jars, I like to add unscented white pillar candles to mix it up – they bright height and a bright white color that I love to see on the table. Click here for the best clean-burning white pillars.. I always keep these in stock, and they are on sale constantly!

Place Settings

I chose to use my favorite Juliska Berry and Thread place setting. This design rides between simple yet elegant and beautiful. I use them as my everyday plates but they also work in a fine-dining situation. Click here to shop my plates, click here to shop the scalloped salad plates and click here to shop the chargers. 

The place mats I found years ago at Homegoods I think.. (I’m not entirely sure!)  I love Homegoods as a resource for inexpensive table linens.

I just bought new linen napkins from Williams-Sonoma – they will go with everything year round and I love the texture.  Linen is a favorite of mine. Click here to shop the napkins – I have them in the color “flax”. 

The napkin rings are an oldie but goodie staple from PB that they still carry. I flip the saying from “friends to family” depending on who is coming for dinner. Click here to shop the napkin rings.

Glassware

Recently I picked up the most gorgeous blush stemless wine glasses and they flow perfectly on my table. I love the size and warm color tones. Blushes, oranges and yellows all compliment one another. Click here to shop the blush wine glasses. 

I found the clear goblets from Homegoods a couple of years ago.. they were a great find and super inexpensive. I recently found similar goblets that you can order online and for the same price! Yay! Click here to shop the clear goblets.

Appetizers & Harvest Board 

Like I said before, I am not a cook, and don’t pretend to be. ;)  Thankfully, I have Jeff the Chef in my life. However I don’t want to be a rude host and keep my guests starving.. so I always try and put together something simple yet delicious for them to munch on! I am queen of snacks and finger foods. 

Emma helped me design a stunning autumn themed cheese board on a wood board we found at Homegoods. It was the best size and we filled it to the brim with some of the yummiest and healthiest snacks. This included a trailmix blend of nuts & raisins, figs, grapes, cheese, crackers, pomegranates, apples, fig jam, and honey! The entire board only took about 15-20 mins to create – such an easy option if you aren’t a cook like me or if you simply want a beautiful presentation for your guests. 

While I was at Whole Foods, I picked up a couple of freshly baked breads.. one was a banana bread, and the other was a lemon poppyseed. I happen to love both. Emma usually makes her banana bread when we have a little more time, but this was a busy week. Click here for her banana bread recipe.. it’s delicious! I placed both of the breads on top of my marble/wooden pedestal stand – another great find from Homegoods, and I added a little bit of maple pumpkin butter in a small bowl alongside the bread. 

 

Wine & Drinks

One of my favorite wineries is Cakebread Cellars from Rutherford, CA (next to Napa!) and I was so excited when they sent me a few of their bottles. I’ll be heading up to their winery next month so I thought it would be fun for my girlfriends and I to do a little wine tasting. We loved all, but most of my friends are Chardonnay drinkers – so of course that bottle was the first to go! I’ll share more about my upcoming Napa trip soon – stay tuned. :)

For a fun non-alcoholic option, I offered everyone a taste of the popular Martinelli’s Apple Cider. This is always a go-to for everyone during the holiday season – kids especially. Now they have a million different flavors but I usually stick to the classic and add a cinnamon stick in the glass for fun.

 

The last piece is something that I’ve never done before.. which is simmering a pot of apple cider and mulling spices to make the home smell welcoming and amazing. This is something that many do each holiday and Emma does this frequently in her apartment during the holiday season. She inspired me to try this with my girlfriends and it was a hit with everyone!

First of all – it’s so easy to make. All you need is apple cider and the mulling spices mix from Williams-Sonoma. You just pour 4 cups of apple cider into a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons of mulling spices, then let simmer for 20 mins or so. My entire home smelt SO good and fall-like.. everyone loved it!

There is also an option to put the mulling spices in a tea infuser inside the pot so that you can drink it after!

This white pumpkin pot was a new purchase this year – I found mine at Homegoods! But Williams-Sonoma carries it in multiple color options and it’s currently on-sale. Definitely my favorite find of the season thus far. Click here to shop the pumpkin shaped pot.

Hopefully my autumn table has inspired the Martha Stewart in you! From start to finish this tablescape probably took around 40 mins to create, and it had a lasting affect on my friends. Other than the cheese board, I’m keeping everything else on the table for the next week or so.. simply because it looks beautiful and it makes me happy. :)

Let me know what you think – do you have a easy autumn decorating tip that you’d like to share? Comment below.

xo,
Kristy

 

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