68 Beautiful Fall Centerpieces To Bring the Season to Your Dining Table
Gather those pumpkins and leafy branches for the prettiest—and easiest—seasonal table ideas ever!
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If you're like us, no matter what the temperature outside, as soon as the calendar says September (okay, maybe even earlier!), it's time to break out that pumpkin spice everything and go into full-on fall mode. Up first is a pretty wreath for the front door (check out these 50+ DIY fall wreath ideas), then onto to other fall porch decorating ideas for maximum curb appeal. Once the outside of your house is all "falled up" (yes, that's a thing!), it's time to move inside and get your mantel and the rest of your home ready for the season with fun and creative pumpkin decorating ideas.
Fall is also a great time to gather friends and family around the table for a casual soup dinner alfresco or an elegant Thanksgiving feast in the dining room. One easy way to instantly elevate your dining table—both indoors and out— is with a DIY fall centerpiece. Of course pumpkins and gourds of every size, shape, and color make an appearance here, but you'll be surprised by the other creative ideas you'll discover that include flint corn, colorful flowers, fall foliage, branches of berries, and even snips from your own yard.
Whether you're looking for an elegant, statement-making fall arrangement for a special gathering or something on the casual side for everyday decor, you are sure to find something here to suit your style, budget, and patience level (there so many simple 5-minute ideas here—we promise!). If you're a collector, you'll love the centerpieces that use vintage items as unique vases and vessels. And, if you're feeling especially crafty, try making candle holders from apples or hollowing out a pumpkin instead of using a vase. Whatever look you are going for, these budget-friendly fall table decor ideas are the way to get there. Happy Fall, Y'all!
Copper Vessel Centerpiece
The warm tone of copper makes it the perfect material for a cozy fall table. Complement the metallic hue with a seasonal arrangement of red and yellow fall foliage and flowers. For a long table, add a few smaller bouquets in copper cups or brown glass vases.
RELATED: Our Best Fall Dinner Party Menu Ideas to Delight All Your Guests
Dahlia Centerpiece
Native to Mexico, sun-loving dahlias grow in a warm shades, including the maroon ‘Night Butterfly’ and orange ‘Melody Dora,’ pictured here. It's no wonder they are a preferred pick for fall tablescapes, especially when displayed in an interesting vase or vessel such as the antique English wood biscuit barrel shown here.
Tiered Colanders Centerpiece
Build a tiered centerpiece with a trio of colanders (pictured here are vintage punched six-point star aluminum colanders). To make, cut floral foam to fit into the bowls of the bottom and middle colanders. Create your stack by pushing the two top colanders (footed work best) into the foam. Use mini pumpkins and bittersweet sprigs to fill the top tier and the spaces between.
RELATED: 100+ Pumpkin Decorating Ideas You Need to Try This Fall
Trophy Arrangement Centerpiece
Gather bouquets of seasonal blooms in a collection of silver loving cup trophies for a winning table setting. For a round or small table, group three of varying sizes in the middle, and for a long table, scatter them in a jig-jag center row down the length. Mix in tall taper candles to add a magical glow.
Rustic Fall Centerpiece
Abundant bundles of fall flowers, such as ranunculus, dahlias, and Queen Anne's lace, nestled in baskets and wood buckets lend a casual rustic touch to a table.
Kids's Table Centerpiece
When it comes to pint-size partygoers, embrace the butcher paper. It evokes a rustic feel, doubles as a coloring surface, and makes for quick cleanup. A garland of paper leaves (plus some store-bought turkey hats) adds seasonal color and decoration. Add to the Thanksgiving festivities by adding an "I'm thankful for: fill-in-the-blank activity at each placesetting.
Back-to-School Centerpiece
Give your table a little back-to-school nod with this idea from Melanie of Vintage Charm House. Top a stack of vintage school books with a simple arrangement of late season black-eyed Susans and chamomile—or even store-bought daisies—gathered in a glass peanut butter jar.
Elegant Floral Centerpiece
Prized for their unique shape and medicinal properties, perennial Chinese Lanterns grow with vigor and take on an orange hue come autumn. For an elegant arrangement that celebrates the season, combine the stems with leafy branches and fluffy marigolds in an antique pewter pitcher.
Family Photo Centerpiece
Use old family photographs to create a sentimental centerpiece that will have everyone talking and remembering family members past and present. To make, use vintage flower frog to hold the photos upright, then place beneath glass cloches and bell jars (you can use wood rounds, silver pedestals, and dessert stands as bases). If you frog doesn't have tines, fashion a holder by wrapping craft wire around a 3/4-inch dowel a few times, leaving a 1-2-inch tail that you insert into a hole of the flower frog. For a more organic feel, incorporate earthy elements such as moss, rocks, and pine cones.
Fiery Flowers Centerpiece
Go for bold red and yellow blooms instead of the usual muted fall tones. In a vintage pudding tin or other favorite vessel, add flowers first, then mix in fall leaves, berries, magnolia leaves.
TIP: Start with the stiff/branchy pieces to make a strong base, then move to softer, delicate materials. Finish it off with a ribbon tied with dried gourds.
Fabric Pumpkin Centerpiece
Craft your own personal pumpkin patch using old quilt pieces and fabric scraps. To make, start with a round piece of fabric and a ball of batting (about the size you want your finished pumpkin to be). Gather the fabric up around the batting and hot glue it together in the center. Collect dried stems, or purchase faux stems, and attach with hot glue for a realistic touch. Line the middle of a long farmhouse table with a runner, then pile on your creations and other seasonal greenery. These would be an adorable accent to a mantel or buffet as well.
Formal Alfresco Centerpiece
If the weather's right, take your holiday dinners outdoors, including a to-die-for flower arrangement that sets the tone for the special meal to come.
Pumpkin Vase Centerpiece
To make this fall favorite, remove the top quarter of a small pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and fill with floral foam and flowers (here, dahlias, scabiosa, strawflowers, zinnias, forget-me-nots, and nigella). Surround your centerpiece with acorns, squash, and other seasonal elements.
Mini Pumpkin Topiaries
Gather a grouping of these tabletop topiaries down the middle of the table or on a buffet. To make, remove stems, except for the top pieces. Stack two pumpkins and secure using small wooden skewers or toothpicks. Skewer the bottom piece and place into crocks filled with floral foam. Cover foam with Spanish moss, and finish with grapevine accents.
SHOP SPANISH MOSS
Golden Branches Centerpiece
In this rustic New Hampshire lake house, an oversize vase holds clipped tree branches filled with golden fall leaves. The setting informed the just-right centerpiece for the New England retreat.
Turkey Candleholders Centerpiece
Add a little Thanksgiving flair to any table arrangement with vintage ceramic turkey candleholders. Display as a pair or scatter several different ones along the center of your table.
Metallic Maize Centerpiece
Everyone will be asking you how you made this clever corn vase! Here's how: Coat roughly 14 cobs of dried corn with metallic gold and copper spray paint. Once dry, hot-glue cobs to the perimeter of a 6-inch round vase. Tie it all together with gold raffia. Then fill vase with a piece of floral foam and add seasonal flowers as desired. (This sampling includes dahlias, zinnias, and mountain ash berries.)
Mini Nut Topiaries
Gather your silver candlesticks to make these clever DIY nut topiaries. To craft, spray styrofoam craft balls with brown paint. Once dry, hot glue nuts to the styrofoam balls in an orderly pattern, as shown. For the walnut topiary, start with a middle equator row and add rows up and down from there. Add hazelnuts to fill any gaps. For the raw almond topiary, start at the top and work your way down, gluing horizontal rows around the perimeter and overlapping slightly for full coverage. Leave space at bottom to rest on top of candlestick bases. Attach with hot glue, as needed.
Crisp, White Centerpiece
Picking a palette and sticking to it will make table decor decision-making easy. Here, black and white with mossy green accents—from the linens to furniture—inform a simple and sophisticated centerpiece of hydrangeas in the same colorway.
Charcuterie Board Centerpiece
A centerpiece that doubles as an appetizer? Yes, please! New York-based Shawn Lang and Kristofer Prepelica of the popular lifestyle blog The Farmhouse Project follow their “Rule of Threes”: choose cheeses with three different flavor profiles, three nibbles, and three bready options. Get the step-by-step instructions here.
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