Boy am I loving this cooler weather.  It has really gotten me in the spirit of FALL and all the decorating that comes with the season.  Last week I showed you a sneak peak of my fall dining table and shared a few creative ideas of decorating your table with dinner napkins.  Well, I’m glad to say that I’ve finished up my table and can’t wait to share it with you. I really love the way it turned out.

The inspiration for my fall table came from Sarah at Upscale Downhome and her use of wool plaid blankets on the dining table of screen porch.  I loved the look she created and just when I thought I’d have to hit the thrift stores looking for blankets, I remembered I had one of my dad’s in the back of my car. 

When it comes to decorating my dining table I usually opt for table runners versus tablecloths so I folded my plaid blanket and placed it across the center of the table.  It provided the perfect pop of pattern and color I needed for the rest of my decor.

Once the blanket was in place I created my centerpiece using items I had stored, sitting around the house or had found thrifting.  The centerpiece consists of a brass urn I found thrifting for $5.00, faux pumpkins and gourds, leaf branches and flower stems from the craft store and pinecones from my home state of Washington.

I collected the pinecones in Seattle  and brought them to Atlanta when we moved here 12 years ago.    The pinecones in Washington are typically larger than the ones you can find here in Atlanta so they provide lots of impact when you use them to decorate. They have traveled across the country still look great.

 I nestled all the pieces together on the center of the blanket and then added votive candles around the edges.  The flower filled urn is sitting on top of a stack of vintage books to give it more height.

 There are a few DIY velvet pumpkins with real stems added in giving the entire arrangement more texture and depth.

I used a pair of tall ceramic candlesticks to flank  each end of the centerpiece arrangement.

 To create my place settings I used the brown alligator textured chargers I bought at Hobby Lobby in April, on sale for $1.59 each.  I love the texture they add!

  I then layered my white china on top. The dinner plate is the china from my wedding and the smaller plate is my moms wedding china which she gave me a few years ago. Her pattern has an embossed flower detail on it while mine is plain.  I love that they work together.

Next I added gold-plated silverware that has been in our family and was given to me by my mom a few months ago.  The mix of silver and gold adds another layer of visual interest. 

Then as a whimsical touch to the table, I pulled out a vintage scrabble set I found thrifting and created a different sentiment to sit at the head of each plate. 

The napkin was the finishing touch.

 Here’s my creative touch with dinner napkins.  I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with my napkins and then it came to me late last night (ok, about 2:30 this morning when I couldn’t sleep)…a   simple napkin fold and the addition of vintage pins!

Seems that I’ve amassed a collection of vintage leaf pins so I thought why not use them on my fall table.  

I folded the opposite ends of the napkin towards the center and attached a different pin to each napkin. Again, I made it a point to mix gold silver and even threw in a bronze pin for more color.

 Here’s a close-up of the dinner plates and the leaf bowl I placed in the center.  The leaf bowls are from Creative Co-op and are just darling! Those acorns are from my weekend walks in Piedmont Park.

  A little touch of nature never hurts!

{p.s.  the leaf bowls would also be great to hold dessert or condiments, or even make a cute soap dish in the powder room}

 So there you have it,  my Fall 2012 Tablescape!!! 

If you are planning your fall table decor, here are a few tips for creating a dynamic tablescape:

*  Find one item that can serve as the jumping off point for your table decor.  Use it to pull your color story together and to decide the style of your table.  In my case, the blanket was the inspiration piece and all the colors and textures I used played against the wool of the blanket.

*  Create a focal point with your centerpiece and then let the rest of your decor flow out from there.  It is always a good idea to create height with your centerpiece either with the height being the middle elements or the outer element.

*  Make sure your tablescape has depth vertically and horizontally…layer from the bottom up and from side to side.  My centerpiece provided the vertical depth and layering and the blanket and  place setting provided the horizontal impact.

*  Candles are a must…they add ambience and everyone looks great under candlelight!

*  Personalize your place settings.  Use place cards, napkins or decorative element in the center of the plate to add the personality to your table.

*  Mix and Match to make the table come to life.  While most of my table decor is on the casual side I loved mixing in some refined china and silverware and using a combination of silver and gold finishes.  The perfect mix of rough luxe!

and finally,

*  Layer, Layer, Layer!  I’ve mentioned this before in several post but can’t stress enough how much layering will enhance your tablescape. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying FALL as much as I am! 

 If you’d like help creating a home you absolutely love, CONTACT ME about my design services or check-our my Door-to-Door e-design service for those living outside Atlanta.