Creating a Simple Stylish Autumn Atmosphere & Pushing Past Your Fears
Our friends came for dinner last weekend and I challenged myself to dig through my box of autumn decorations and use what I already had in setting my table. And also add some little autumn touches around the house.
How many times do we entertain and run to the store to buy something new?
It doesn’t have to be that way.
One less trip to the store gives me more peace of mind when I’m entertaining.
– Find a tablecloth that works well for the season
– Pull out your entertaining dishes
– Iron up the cloth napkins
– Set the table early using what you have
– Keep the centerpiece simple
– Light the candle and take a picture before your guests come
Many of you know my philosophy of using standard white dishes year round, and adding seasonal accents to make every gathering in our home special and unique.
Along with pumpkins on the porch and autumn wreaths around the house, it’s sometimes the “little touches” that remind us of the season.
Pillar candle on the kitchen counter.
Simple leaf in a tiny vase.
Small black napkins in various places.
Fall-ish pictures of kids from “the old days”.
Touch of fall greenery.
Seasonal pictures of your own food, framed.
Do I ever worry about what people will think? Yes.
Did I worry about my tablecloth not being long enough on the ends (I bought this for my old table which was smaller)? Yes.
Did I think about my menu and second-guess myself? All the time.
But what I’ve learned to do, and what I want to encourage RE readers to do, is to push past your fears and remember this:
The heart of hospitality is wherever people feel loved, cherished, and valued.
(-The RE)
A stylish table can add to the evening, for sure, but it’s not everything.
What little reminders help you keep entertaining simple?
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
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You can see any picture, but until you actually look at it is so breath taking. Nice thought and will for sure +1 your site. Thanks for the thought.
KIDS!!!!! :) They always find a way to humble me!
Your little pumpkins are so cute and I love that photo of your son! I’ve been printing off the free downloads on Dear Lillie for each month this fall and putting them in a frame on the buffet- something new, classy, interesting, and totally free!
Ha! I looked at that tablecloth and never thought “too short”. I thought, WOW. Look at the pretty striped borders. Look at the colors that were put together for that. I had lust in my heart. Still do. That’s a beautiful table setting and a verra fine post. Cheers!
I’ve been living under a rock and just recently discovered your blog – love it!
I’ve always been a sucker for holidays and decorating, but this year I have focused on simplifying EVERYTHING. One of the things that I have learned over the years – both from watching my mom entertain, literally, thousands of people throughout their 51 years of marriage, as well as from my own personal experience – is that people don’t really care about how it looks. The art of entertaining, the gift of opening up your home and sitting down around a table to share your lives over food (even if it’s a simple as opening a can of Campbells soup), is really something that has slowly been lost. The fact that you make the effort to invite people to your home speaks volumns to them, and while I might be worried about how the table looks or the fact that the biscuits are darker than I wanted, my guests never seem to notice or mind. They simply want to enjoy talking and catching up and spending time with us. Once I realized that people don’t expect a show place or a Martha Stewart meal, I relaxed a lot – and that way we ALL have a better time! :-)
We also have white dishes, but last year I bought, turkey dinner ware, yep they have wild turkeys on them and I love them!!!! I have actually wanted to buy Thanksgiving dishes, since I saw a Martha Stewart show several years ago, and she had some beautiful ones. So I got mine too!!! We started with a linen table clothe in a neurtal beige color, put on a charger we already had, gold and I toned them down with some burnt umber paint, added my turkey plates, used our dollar store glasses, clear, and our yard sale glasses, olive green, used some turkeys we have collected over the years, and pumpkins for a center piece. and a wonderful Thanksgiving table scape. Thank you for reminding us to shop our homes because we are usually surprised at what we already have!!! We shop garage and yard sales all year long and I keep an eye out for seasonal decorations I can rework into something new and fresh for the season!!!
Blessings ~~~~
Curtis & Sherrie
I too have white dishes. Love them. And your fall decorating ideas are great. I love simple. Your simple is very beautiful.