Easy Early Fall Centerpiece
The calendar’s turning and it’s time to welcome in a new season! Here in the north, the coolness has breezed in and the Pumpkin Spice Latte season has begun! Fall is all about texture, and today’s Easy Early Fall Centerpiece combines a wonderful variety. Hope your coffee table is ready for a new look!
Today’s decorating project is part of our monthly Pinterest Challenge, hosted by Cindy of County Road 407. If you’ve just come from there, I’m sure you enjoyed her end of summer coffee table vignette, full of fresh farmhouse style! The inspiration photo we are all styling from today is from Yvonne at Stone Gable (find the full post HERE). I’ve been following Stone Gable for awhile and thoroughly enjoy all of Yvonne’s styling and decorating tips!
Whenever we do these Pinterest Challenges, my hope is that you will learn how to see the potential pretty you can create, and have the confidence to add your own unique style!
Let’s begin with analyzing Stone Gable’s inspirational pic, so we can know what to gather around our homes (or purchase).
Yvonne is an amazing stylist and is so good at explaining what she does, decoratively. She’s also got the photography skills to show off all that beauty! I hope my take on her centerpiece inspires you as much as she does me!
Easy Early Fall Centerpiece
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Begin With a Character-Rich Wood Tray/Base
My centerpiece began with a divided tray I refreshed last year. It had the essential vintage graphics on the side to replicate Stone Gable’s awesome tray. Rather than my items setting inside a tray, they’ll have to straddle the dividers. No problem; I can make it work! First I had to wipe the dust off, though!
Arrange Fresh, Round Blooms in a Pottery Container
Stone Gable’s pic features big white blooms, but I’m going to substitute my now-green Annabelle hydrangea blooms. They’ll dry perfectly in the vase as we enjoy them. Instead of her white pottery vessel, I’m using a chunky vintage Brown Drip Pitcher. Since we’re diving into fall, I want this vignette to have the subtle colors of fall. I love mossy greens and browns this time of year!
Find a Metal Sphere
I didn’t own a metal sphere like Stone Gable’s, but luckily scored one on clearance at Pier 1! {You can find one HERE} I think it will be a great accessory in many future vignettes. Just a touch of black is like an outline that sets everything off. And adding a little metal to a vignette brings great texture, too.
Grab a Stack of Books
Vintage books are a decorating staple, {“Decorating with Books 101 and Beyond“, “Decorating with Vintage Books: On the Hunt for Tabs”} and I have quite the stash! I know Stone Gable loves to cover her books with burlap, but I prefer to enjoy the vintage graphics on these old beauties, so I’m going to simply stack mine. I chose 3 books with subtle-toned covers, but had to feature a cute new one with a little aqua on top. Make sure you add your personal style to your centerpiece! {You can get your own stash of vintage decorative books HERE}
Continue the Round Theme
In the photo, there’s a sphere of green foliage in a white container on top of the stack of books. There’s also a white pineapple at the base. Rather than using a lot of white, I wanted my centerpiece to be more fall-ish looking. One of my cream-colored fabric pumpkins filled in for the pineapple {“Fabric Pumpkin How-To”}.
Rather than use white vessels, I chose more rustic, brown-textured footed ones. I placed the pumpkin in one and had some gold-toned foliage in another. My foliage on top of the books wasn’t round shaped, but I wanted to use what I had.
Add Interest to the Foundation of Your Centerpiece
Stone Gable’s tray is lined with a patterned burlap which adds a nice background that sets off all the other elements. Since my tray is divided, I came up with the idea to fill the spaces with various round fall shapes. Last year I styled the whole tray this way {“Vintage Divided Tray”}. This year I’m taking it to a whole new level, I guess!
I placed mini apples, faux acorns and seeded spheres in the divided drawer’s spaces. They add interest and some pretty fall colors to the scene. {You can find mini apples HERE ,faux acorns HERE}
Arrange Your Centerpiece
This centerpiece is basically made up of 4 quadrants, so it’s easy to arrange! Once you get the pitcher of hydrangeas, the black metal sphere, the stack of books with foliage, and your last round element (the pumpkin), you’re all set! Go ahead and tweak the angles a little to fit your tray. I like things a little wonky, not all straight, so I angled my books a little for fun.
I’m loving all this subtle fall texture and color together! Can you see all the textures, just like Stone Gable’s, yet a little more color saturated? Wood, metal, fabric, fresh flowers, faux foliage, pottery, paper, plus some seedy goodness at the base.
Now for the reveal pic! I even have a brass lamp in the background and a topiary! It’s all in the details, right? Of course my version is a little more vintage and a little more fall-ish:
My goal is to someday have the photography and editing skills that Yvonne has! I’ve come a long way, but still have a lot to learn!
Shop the Look!
Can you see the similarities and the differences between Stone Gable’s and my version? All you need is an inspirational pic from Pinterest or somewhere else to launch your next decorating adventure! I hope seeing this styling process gives you the confidence to create your own unique Easy Early Fall Centerpiece! Be sure to check French Ethereal’s post next if you’re hopping in order! Barbara always gives such a romantic touch to these challenges. And I’d love for you to become a Lora B Insider (down below) if you enjoyed this post!
Please Pin and Share, and Enjoy the Rest of the Inspiration!
Late Summer/Early Fall Centerpiece Pinterest Challenge
Sharing at these lovely parties:
Great project, Pinned
Thanks, Anita!
This is lovely, Lora! I love how you broke down the design plan and showed us your creation!
It’s the first bit of fall decor I have, Linda! I’ve got to get busy!
Lora, I love the vintage look to your coffee table decor. The tray is a great element on its own. The vintage piece add great warmth, perfect for this traditional time of year. Thanks for explaining your thoughts as you designed your coffee table.
Thanks for the positive feedback, Carol!
I love your tray, Lora! Having the divided tray is such a great idea, especially with the filler options you have. I need to get my hands on more vintage books, too. I’m a fan of bringing in more color, especially with fall around the corner, and books are a great way to do that. Happy to be on this tour with you!
Vintage books are definitely a decorating staple, Crissy. Good luck finding some, otherwise they even have them on Amazon now!
Lora you know I am loving all of your vintage touches! That crate is awesome. I especially love how you filled it with various fall goodies. The pumpkin on the urn is my favorite part!
I have Annabelle Hydrangeas too, and I noticed a couple today that the deer hadn’t gotten to so I would like to dry them. You said that yours will dry in the vase, but mine always wilt so I have to hang them upside down to dry. Any tips on getting them to dry in a vase so I can keep them on display through the drying process?
So happy to join you on this fun challenge!
Amber, My Annabelles wilt in the vase when they’re white, but when they turn green they dry well. Ironic, but think Yvonne (Stone Gable) has a post about keeping cut hydrangeas nice. Think it really depends on what kind you have. Yes, the pumpkin on the urn is a classic touch; right up your ally!
Lora,
I just love the layering using the divided box! So very clever of you and adds so much interest!
Thanks, Christy! I am definitely a layering girl;)
Lovely job on adding your own twists… I need to get more ‘fillers’ for my decor.. I always forget about those! 🙂 Pinned! Love doing this hop with you, Lora!
Thanks, Julie! I pick up a lot of fillers for cheap at church sales and garage sales, especially if they’re nicer ones.
I love this break down of how you did your cute coffee table centerpiece; it looks amazing and colorful, just like Fall. Thanks Lora, love watching what you come up with.
Thanks, Marlene! Now to get some more fall going around here!
Hey Blogging Bestie! 😉 Adore your new tablescape with that vintage tray. You always do such an amazing job at showing readers the elements to look for when trying to duplicate the look. I didn’t even catch the theme of round shapes! And I see that suitcase over there used as a side table… so stinkin’ cute! Thanks so much for joining in this month.
I hope it encourages readers to try for themselves, Cindy! I just enjoy Yvonne’s styling eye so much, and know she thinks about shape, etc, too. Yes, I have the 2 sizes of some awesome green suitcases together as a side table. Their tapered, so it’s hard to use them flat. I’m kind of a vintage suitcase hoarder (amongst other things;)
I love the “tray” you used & how you analyzed Yvonne’s vignette first and then explained the similarities and differences in yours. Great ideas!
So glad you enjoyed the walk-through, Katie! I try to get what’s going on in my brain and explain it so it will encourage others!
I loved the colors in your vignette. I’m afraid that gray, beige, greige, and khaki are NEVER gonna be in my color pallette. Fall has such lovely colors here in Maine; swamp maples are already turning red in places! That said, my house has pale gray vinyl siding with white trim and black shutters. That’s as farmhouse as this girl is getting. No, that’s not true. I’m a romantic country cottage person with touches of farmhouse. BUT too much clutter for style–for now!
I love beautiful fall colors too, Kathy! Here in MN, we have vibrantly colored falls.Then once the leaves drop, everything goes brown and the more subtle colors and textures are soothing before winter and snow hits.
Lora, what a great base tray you used. How neat!! I love everything you shared on your table. Breaking down the process does help a lot. Very pretty coffee table decorations.
Thanks, Terrie! Yes, that divided drawer was a great score at a church sale last year. I love all the little sections and the graphics on the end!
Your vignette is so pretty, Lora! I love the items that you used for filling the base of your crate. The colors and textures that you used for this display are perfect for fall. In the background I spy a suitcase used as a coffee table. Love that idea!
We’ve had a nice cool wave here, Paula, so the fall juices are definitely kicking in! Love all those wonderful fall foliage textures!
Lora, I love how this centerpiece came together! Very clever to fill your compartments with fall-inspired pieces! Those hydrangeas are gorgeous and the color is a great contrast to the other pieces! Hugs!
Thanks, Benita! I love how my hydrangeas turn that pretty color of olive green in the fall, and they dry so nicely. I use them everywhere-indoors and out!