Art de la Table : comment dresser une table d'automne
There is no season like autumn. Even though I love winter and the whole Christmas season, I feel like you can express your creativity more during the season of mists. There are plenty of DIY projects you can do such as beautiful wreaths and garlands that give a cosy feeling to the house. You can walk in the forest without being too cold to gather home decor (like pinecones, branches) and Nature gives us also many good reasons to cook: chestnuts, pears, apples, mushrooms, pumpkins…
I love making the house cosy. When I was living abroad for my studies, it was important to me to create a « homey » feeling where I was living. It really prevented me from becoming homesick. I also think it is important to live with the seasons and enjoy every one of them. People who live in cities often say they do not really see the change in the seasons, which is true. I spend most of the week in Paris and apart from the change in temperature and light, it is not always obvious to spot autumn when it comes.
So, when I am in the countryside, I love taking walks mainly in the forest, appreciating the mist in the morning and the beautiful fallen leaves on the ground. I can even spot a few wild animals but they run away too quickly! I also take this opportunity to gather little treasures: pine cones, a few branches covered with moss, leaves… which look really nice on an autumn table.
The theme of this post is how to set a simple autumn table (there will be more coming in November…). And it is actually pretty simple. You do not need to live nearby a forest to find things you need to decorate the table. If you have a park nearby, a garden centre or even a florist, you can find nice things too. Let your imagination inspire you!
I usually start with two things when I am setting the table. First, I choose the tableware and the napkin or table sets first. I am always working on building my collection. For example, this year I have beautiful placemats that I actually found last September that are perfect for the season. At the beginning of the year, I bought Belgian plates that feel very autumn-like in a furniture shop! Do not hesitate to buy a few things here and there all year long even if you do not use them right away.
The placemats I am using here have a very country rustic feeling (this gingham pattern looks definitely quite French too) and are a perfect orange color. That is another thing to take into account: in autumn, you can really play with color and there are so many choices! You can use, orange, deep red, cranberry red, brown, green, yellow… all those colors match beautifully and make the house cosier too.
I have added seasonal napkin rings with deers, flowers and leaves. The glassware I have chosen is very rustic and robust too. Perfect for a countryside table. As everything is already quite colorful, I have decided not to add too many decorations on the table except for pinecones, berry candleholders and tall candleholders with red candles. The latter add a touch of strong color (I already had yellow and orange) on the table, which would be missing otherwise. I love playing with multiple candleholders, they are really nice in the evening light. The more, the better!
To be honest, I also wanted to add a few mini pumpkins, which would have looked really nice, but I forgot to buy them at the market!
