A Cheery Table Setting Inspired by the Colors of Coastal Maine Fall

Warm orange, bright yellow, and, of course, ocean blue are the colors outside my windows these days. Today I am sharing a cheery table setting inspired by the colors of fall!

The Colors of Coastal Maine Fall

Fall has certainly come on fast here on the coast of Maine.

As I type this blog post, seated at the table in the far corner of the living room, I pause occasionally to find my words.

And to look out the window at the view.

Sunshine sparkling on blue water.

Limelights along the deck faded to deep rose.

Marsh grasses and cattails edging the waterfront turning from green to brown.

And on the opposite shoreline of our little harbor — trees a mix of lingering summer greens, warm oranges, bright yellows, and fiery reds.

Inspired by the view out my windows, I set a table using these glorious colors of fall.

Let me show you how I pulled it all together!

A Cheery Fall Table

The family will all be gathering here for Thanksgiving.

Yay!

As you know, I look forward to and plan for these times we spend together well in advance.

I have learned, though, that, with two little ones now, we need to simplify. The schedule. The menu. And definitely the table setting.

No fancy table linens or elaborate centerpieces.

Of course I still want things to feel special and be pretty.

So I created a table setting I can enjoy now, through the fall, and until Thanksgiving day.

And then for the holiday meal I will do an easy switcheroo. I have already started to make plans for this and will share with you closer to the date!

For now, here are the details on my fall table!

Table runner

As is often the case, my design started with the table runner.

I saw it at a local store earlier this year and immediately fell in love with both the pattern and colors.

It is made by the French company Couleur Nature.

There are plenty of lovely block print table linens out there. But the ones from Couleur Nature are particularly special and definitely unique. They are designed in Paris exclusively by founder Bruno Lamy and then hand-printed by skilled artisans in Jaipur, India.

The Avignon Dijon and Blue, with a floral pattern in yellow, orange, and blue perfectly reflects the autumn colors here on the coast.

And it is a little different than the typical “fall” table linens. Perfect!

You can shop my table runner, the coordinating napkins and tablecloth below. Plus two other tablecloths also from Couleur Nature (one that I have) that would also be good for the fall/Thanksgiving.

SHOPPING LINKS:

Napkins

I decided to sew my own napkins to go with the table runner.

Yes, Couleur Nature does have lovely coordinating napkins.

But if you have even basic sewing skills, making your own napkins is such a great way to get a one-of-a-kind look.

It allows me to indulge my love for “mix and match” — emphasis on the mix!

I also like an oversized 20″ cloth napkin.

And I make them double-sided so that they have good drape and no “back side”. If you use two different fabrics, they can be reversible!

Plus, I always have fun picking out fabrics!

So off I went to Fiddlehead Artisan Supply in Belfast. They have such an amazing selection!

I chose fabrics to pick up on the colors in the runner — an orange, a yellow, a blue, and one that has a mix of all the colors. One has a small-ish pattern, and the others are medium-sized.

When selecting fabrics to mix and match, I always group them together, then step back to have a look. I also “sit” with them a bit as I continue to look around the store. There is no set formula. Choose what pleases your eye, but don’t be afraid to go with fabrics that are more mix than match! That is where the fun happens.

These are the fabrics I used, with links to purchase them from Fiddlehead. I love to support small Maine businesses!

Rosehip in Delightful – On A Fall Day – Loes van Oosten

Curved Floral in Gold – Flower Press – MODA

Scallop Story in Sky – Folk & Lore

I can’t seem to find the orange fabric on their website. It is: Canyon Srpings – Cotton + Steel Pondersoa Coral Glow (# 749396)

For details on how I sew my napkins, see my blog post Easy Sewing Projects to Warm Your Kitchen and Table for Winter.

Placemats

I love pattern, but sometimes it can be best NOT to use it!

The placemats, from Ballard Design, are solid blue, quilted with a lovely scalloped edge.

They add some texture and depth to the table. The pop of color is nice against the wood table.

They come in other colors and also a round shape, A great basic to have on hand!

Centerpiece

I always have a centerpiece, even when I don’t have the table set.

My mother always had something, and I think it is nice spot for a seasonal display.

Since it is out all the time, I keep it super simple. Usually just a stack of bowls, the top one filled with something natural. And then some kind of intimate light source — candles (real or battery-powered flameless), or this summer I had a pair of cordless lamps.

For this table I went with a stack of bowls. Three sponge-patterned, a yellowware bowl to pull in another color, and a blue striped bowl to top things off. I like to stack them topsy turvy, so you get to see more of the bowl.

Read all about my spongeware collection and other pottery in my blog post Collecting and Displaying Antique Pottery and Dishes.

For illumination, I used a pair of fun Walmart “bubble” pillar candles in simple Simon Pearce Norwich Hurricanes.

I still wanted to add something natural and seasonal, but I felt my stack of bowls was making enough of a statement.

When I was at HomeGoods one day, though, I saw a pair of small wheat sheafs tied with brown bows in little white pots. I thought they would be perfect after a quick custom redo. More on that in a bit!

Place setting

When my family is here, I will keep the place setting simple:

Blue and white striped Casafina Nantucket dishes always look great with the spongeware.

Trusty Caskata Quinn tumblers are good for wine and make a non-alcoholic beverages feel festive.

And my vintage everyday silverplate cutlery are pretty and suitable for any occasion.

Easy peasy and done!

SHOPPING LINKS

An Easy Custom Redo of a HomeGoods Find

The wheat sheafs I got from HomeGoods were perfectly fine.

I wanted something that tied in more closely to other elements on the table, though. Something with a custom look.

Specifically, what I had in mind was to paint the pots to mimic the spongeware bowls in the centerpiece.

Time to get crafty!

Fortunately this was totally within the narrow range of my painting skills.

Using leftover craft paint, I started by giving the pots, which had subtle gold accents, a solid white base coat.

Once the white paint had dried, I created the sponge design with a small piece of sea sponge and blue paint. Do not use a regular sponge for this. You want the uneven pattern that the big holes in a sea sponge create. Also, be sparing with the paint — a little goes a long way!

When I was done, I realized the blue paint was too dark and there was too much contrast with the white base. I wanted something with a soft finish more like my antique spongeware pieces. So, I created a wash by adding water to some white paint. It should be quite watery. Working in small sections, brush the wash on and then immediately wipe with a paper towel, removing most of the white. Don’t stress about it looking “perfect”. Just as with my spongeware pieces, it is the imperfections that give them charm!

Lastly, I replaced the brown bows with simple bands of velvet ribbon the color of the wheat. A much more tailored look.

I love how they turned out!

The Hutch

My final touch in decorating the dining area for fall was to tuck colorful gourds into my Cornishware in the hutch.

There are so many unusual varieties of gourds these days!

Their yellows, oranges, and greens, in combination with the blue of the pottery, coordinate beautifully with the table setting.

And they add some seasonal cheer to the space.

You can also read about my fall mantel decor in last week’s blog post Welcoming October with Nature-Inspired Fall Fireplace Decor.

This Week

Boy, living in the country is not for the faint of heart.

Behind the scenes I have been dealing with a septic issue. For those of you who also live without a municipal sewer system, you know that this is no fun. After a misdiagnosis of the problem (which fortunately I dragged my feet on and did not have “repaired”), it turned out to be something totally different that was a relatively easy fix and required digging up only a small area of the lawn. Phew!

And then there has been a small critter running through my bedroom walls at night. Yes, creepy. I have had the pest control people out here numerous times. Tomorrow someone from their “wildlife services” department is coming to do an inspection. They are calling in the big guns. Wish me luck!

This is also the time of year when mice from the field decide they want to spend the winter in my cozy home. Yesterday morning one made a run for it across the dining area. He/she did not get far, though, as Tuck and Izzie were immediately on it. RIP little field mouse.

Could this have been the friend playing around in my walls??

I will let you know!

Saturday here on the blog I will be sharing my outdoor fall decor. Hint: I am using the same colors as in the dining area!

I hope to see you then!

Once again my thoughts are with those down south in the path of a dangerous storm. Stay safe and be well.