5 Fall Arrangements: Step By Step Instructions And Tips

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Craft stunning fall arrangements with our Ultimate Guide! It includes easy step-by-step instructions for five different fall centerpieces, helpful tips, and seasonal decor inspiration to bring autumn’s warmth and charm into your home.

Fall Arrangement- tall vase filled with rust leaves

Decorating for fall is simpler than you might think. All it takes is choosing one flat surface in a room and adding a beautiful fall arrangement, vignette, or centerpiece. Most rooms only need a few key elements, a couple of seasonal pillows, a cozy chunky throw, and a few well-chosen fall-inspired accessories to come to life. It’s really that easy!

When decorating for fall, the flat surfaces in our homes are the perfect place for creating warm, inviting fall arrangements that capture the season’s beauty. Whether a dining table, coffee table, or entryway console, a beautifully styled fall centerpiece can transform a space and set the tone for the entire room.

In this Ultimate Guide, I’m excited to share ideas and step-by-step tutorials to help you craft six stunning and easy-to-style fall arrangements that will bring seasonal charm to your home.

And don’t forget, you can take these simple table ideas and tweak them just a bit to create a centerpiece for any holiday! It’s all about using seasonal decor to its fullest potential. You’ll want to read every bit of this post because I’ve tucked in great tips for creating arrangements and setting pretty fall tables. With decades and decades of experience in creating centerpieces, I’m pouring everything I know into this post!

Let’s Create Beautiful Fall Centerpieces

Our dining or kitchen tables are often the focal points of our homes, so it only makes sense to dress them up for fall.

Collect Arrangement Accessories

candlesticks and fall arrangement

Having a few curated accessories for a centerpiece is a good idea. Then, add organic and natural items to these essentials, and you can create stunning tables without breaking the bank or purchasing decor limited to just one season.

Here’s a list of items you can use in a centerpiece:

  • Large Vase
  • Ginger Jars
  • Dough Bowl
  • Candlestick and Candles
  • Lanterns
  • Pedestal Bowl
  • Decorative Tray
  • Hurricane Candleholder
  • Mason Jars
  • Wooden Crate
  • Glass Cloche
  • Tiered Stand
  • Basket
  • Seasonal Candle Rings
  • Fruit Bowl
  • Vintage Pitcher
  • Burlap Runner

These items can be mixed and matched to create a centerpiece that suits any style or season!

Collect Natural And Faux Organics

One of the simplest and most beautiful ways to decorate for fall is by incorporating natural and faux organics into your home. Fall offers an abundance of items from nature that can become part of a charming fall arrangement.

Whether you bring in freshly fallen leaves, acorns, and pinecones from your yard or add faux pumpkins and berries, these elements can instantly warm up your space and make it feel cozy and inviting. The best part? Decorating with these natural treasures is as easy as walking outside or visiting your local craft store!

Here are some ideas for adding fall natural and faux organics to your decor:

  • Fall Leaves, Real or Faux
  • Acorns and Pinecones
  • Real or Faux Pumpkins and Gourds
  • Dried Corn Husks
  • Wheat Stalks
  • Preserved Eucalyptus
  • Branches and Twigs
  • Faux Berries
  • Dried Hydrangeas
  • Cotton Stems
  • Faux Fall Garlands
  • Indian Corn
  • Dried Orange Slices
  • Cinnamon Sticks
  • Birch Logs
  • Faux Sunflowers
  • Real or Faux Apples and Pears- Dried Ones Too
  • Dried Lavender
  • Faux Magnolia Leaves
  • Moss
  • Mums
  • Sedum

Using these natural and faux organic items brings the beauty of the outdoors inside, making it easy to make a one-of-a-kind fall decoration.

Here are 5 Simple Fall Arrangement Ideas you can recreate for your home.

Fall Dough Bowl Centerpiece

Fall Arrangement in dough bowl

A dough bowl is a must-have home decor essential. It can be used in countless ways in any season!

I kept the fall decor tucked down into the bowl for this dough bowl centerpiece and not piled high. I love how all the natural elements peek over the top of the bowl! This centerpiece is perfect for almost any table in your home.

What You Will Need

Fall Arrangement in a dough bowl

To make this dough bowl centerpiece, you will need…

  • a dough bowl or big shallow bowl
  • real or faux flowering fall cabbage or kale
  • small real or faux mini white pumpkins
  • fall stems and greens
  • pinecones
  • small candleholder and candle

How To Make The Fall Dough Bowl Centerpiece

  1. Start by adding the flowering cabbage or kale to the bowl first. I chose smaller plants to match the size of my dough bowl.
  2. Next, fill in any spaces between the cabbage with pinecones. Pinecones are my filler of choice—they add volume, keep the decor from sliding around, and provide a stable base for layering the rest.
  3. After the pinecones are in place, add the mini white pumpkins and finish with fall leaves, berries, or bittersweet.
Fall Arrangement in a dough bowl- close up

Here’s a little tip to keep your berries, twigs, or leaves in place: use floral wire or clear tape to secure them where you want them. If you have extra room on your table, consider adding candles or votives, and don’t forget a mini pumpkin or two! This arrangement is especially nice for dinner parties because it’s low and doesn’t obstruct conversation.

Fall Branches Centerpiece

A CENTERPICE WITH BURNT ORANGE BRANCES OF LEAVES FLANKED BY CANDLESTICKS

This table centerpiece is quintessentially fall. It is very traditional, symmetrical, pretty, and simple to create!

Our eyes love symmetry, so this table will always look pretty! Every home decorator should know how to use symmetry in their home! This post will help you with The Decor Element Of Balance And How To Use Symmetry.

What You Will Need

  • Faux or real branches with colorful leaves or fall foliage
  • Vase, urn, or pitcher
  • Candlesticks and candles
  • Table runner

I recommend using a large vase for this centerpiece. I’m not a fan of small vases in the center of a dining table, so I chose a chalky vase from a local decor shop. And I found these faux branches with stunning burnt orange leaves at a local shop. I scooped them up because I thought they would be a statement piece on our dining room table.

A fall arrangement like this can be used on a buffet, a kitchen island, or any place where something tall is called for.

How To Style This Fall Centerpiece

fall centerpiece of fall leaves
  1. Put the vase where you will use it and add one stem at a time, fluffing the leaves and ensuring the arrangement looks balanced.
  2. Then, flank the centerpiece with thin candlesticks and tall taper candles. I chose honey-colored tapers to bring out the lighter orange tones in the leaves.

Here is another version of the centerpiece without candles on our white buffet.

fall arrangement on a white buffet

This centerpiece would also work well with real or faux flowers. Use blooms associated with the fall season, such as chrysanthemums, dahlias, and drying hydrangeas. Zinnias would also look pretty in early fall floral arrangements.

So so easy! This centerpiece will always look attractive and eye-catching!

Fall Vignette In A Basket

fall arrangement in a basket

With its tight color palette, this attractive fall vignette truly speaks to my sense of creativity and is delightfully easy to put together!

Each element in this vignette nods to the season, celebrating fall’s rich textures and warm colors. It’s a perfect example of how a few well-chosen items, when thoughtfully arranged, can create a stunning centerpiece that draws the eye and brings a touch of autumn to any room.

What You Need

Use your imagination and choose three thoughtful items for this pretty fall arrangement.

  • Low Sided- Basket
  • Vase or Container For Organics
  • Fall Inspired Organics
  • A Fall Element- Gourd, Pumpkin
  • Candle In a Coordinated Color

How To Make This Centerpiece

FALL VIGNETTE ON A COFFEE TABLE

Create this vignette using a low-sided basket. It adds texture and warmth to your space and gives the arrangement a defined boundary, making it feel organized and cohesive.

Texture is the secret of interior designers’ success. You can use it, too! Read HOW TO USE TEXTURE LIKE A DESIGNER.

In this fall vignette, I’ve used the rule of three to create a simple and visually pleasing look. Using The Rule Of Three.

  1. Start with a low-sided basket that comfortably fits all the items in your vignette.
  2. Then, add a container of fall organics to the vignette to add height and a touch of autumn’s hues.
  3. Next, add a pumpkin or gourd. Make sure it is large enough to be seen over the side of the basket. If you need to give it a little height, you can perch it on a stack of books (I used one burlap book) or a wood round.
  4. Then, add a candle that works with the vignette’s color palette.

Another was to use a basket is to fill it with hydrangeas.

basket of dried hydrangeas

Pampas grass would look very pretty in this arrangement, too.

Grouped Fall Centerpiece

BEAUTIFUL FALL ARRANGEMENT WITH GOURDS AND A PUMPKIN ON A COFFEE TABLE

This is one of my favorite fall arrangements. It will work on a coffee table, a dining table, or any flat surface. I love the color palette and the almost tossed-together look. I made the natural centerpiece with bits and pieces of faux fall stems, berries, and dried flowers.

If you choose this look for a dining table, I would forge the books and scatter a few more pumpkins, gourds, and votive candles.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Here is what you will need to make this pretty fall arrangement…

How To Make This Arrangement

Fall Arrangement- White vase filled with neutral faux berries and faux stems.
  1. Craft or buy a pretty fall-inspired centerpiece.
  2. Scatter a few baby boos and mini-dried gourds to one side of the arrangement. If desired, put a pumpkin and a dried gourd on a book for a bit of height.

The secret to this arrangement is the color! A tight color palette instantly makes an arrangement look more upscale and cohesive.

FALL ARRANGEMENTS USING 8 ITEMS will guide you through creating 7 beautiful and simple variations of the above arrangement.

Simple Apple Centerpiece

Fall Arrangement in a white shallow bowl

All of these fall arrangement ideas are simple. But, this fall table centerpiece is the simplest of all—a big, beautiful bowl of apples (or any other fruit) with a few greens and candles. It’s a perfect example of how less can be more, creating an elegant, understated look with minimal effort.

Think about using real or faux fruit (my apples are faux today). Pears would look so pretty in this pedestal bowl. You can also use pumpkins or gourds to create a fall look!

What You Will Need

You may already have what you need right in your kitchen!

  • Large shallow pedestal bowl
  • Fruit or pumpkins- real or faux
  • A bit of real or faux leaves or berries
  • Candleholder and candles

How To Make This Arrangement

Fall Arrangement of apples in a shallow bowl

What could be easier than dumping a bag of apples into an attractive bowl?

  1. Start by filling the bowl with apples.
  2. Add a bit of greenery or berries to one side so it spills over slightly.
  3. Choose chunky, showy candleholders to balance the arrangement’s simplicity. This keeps the entire centerpiece low and perfect for a dining table or buffet.

Because this centerpiece is simple, I think adding chunky candle holders that are a bit showy and not too tall is essential. These gold hurricanes are so pretty and keep the whole fall table centerpiece low! Another excellent dinner arrangement!

This centerpiece could also work on a buffet or countertop!

I hope this Ultimate Guide has inspired you to create beautiful fall centerpieces that bring the season’s beauty into your home. Happy decorating!

FAQs about Simple Fall Centerpiece Ideas

The best time to decorate for fall is typically in early to mid-September, just as the weather starts to cool and the first signs of autumn appear. This timing allows you to enjoy your fall decor throughout the entire season. However, it’s up to you decide the right time.

The best fall items to decorate with include pumpkins, gourds, autumn leaves, pinecones, acorns, candles, and cozy throws.

The best flowers for a fall arrangement are mums, sunflowers, dahlias, asters, and marigolds.

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Happy Fall Decorating, Friends!

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12 Comments

  1. Beautiful arrangements for sure! Honest question- do you remove the various items on the runners to accommodate the place sittings for 4?

    1. When I set the table for company I take everything off and set a fresh table and rearrange what I have on the table to accommodate dinner conversation. Hope this helps.

  2. you are always the best at inspiring me to get busy! and you know neutrals ! nobody does it better! which is great for someone who fears ORANGE! thank you! HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

  3. Laura Lander says:

    These are lovely but how embarrassed you must have been by the too-tall centerpiece! Surprised the guest didn’t ask you to move it—just doing so seems rude even if she couldn’t see around it. (Sounds like something my evil sister would do!)

    I have a small collection of ironstone and other old gravy boats and cream pitchers that I often use. Gravy boats work especially well when I open out the table. A little oasis or a wire frog and it’s surprising how wide an arrangement you can make, right?

    Always enjoy your posts.

    1. HI Laura, I was not embarrassed at all. The arrangement was not that tall. I thought my guest was a bit presumptuous! The ironstone pitchers sound lovely to use in a fall centerpiece.

  4. Stunning arrangements and great tips! I was just reminding a friend to clip some hydrangea stems to bring in and dry. They last for years.

    1. Our hydrangeas are gorgeous this year! I’ve been clipping for a couple of weeks.

  5. Vicki Bray says:

    Ok – am I the only one who has problems with bringing outside items inside? I did the berry thing once, but soon realized the darn things had worms coming out of them. Yuk! just so disgusting and disappointing. I’ve never done it again. Is there something you spray on outside items before bringing them indoors?

    1. Hi Vicki, we all have stories about a decor ‘fail’. Don’t let that discourage you! Remember, you are brings nature indoors! Try bringing pumpkins or bittersweet or mums. Give it another go!

  6. Today’s blog post is the best of the internet! All of your ideas are easy to copy and can be achieved with things that most of us have in our fall stash! Thanks for showing me how to use the “old stuff” in new ways. 🙂