October 02, 2026
I
sn't fall decorating fun? There's something about walking down the aisles at the stores, all decked out with pumpkins and spiced candles...it just seems to make life feel "cozy". Because I spend my summers growing and drying flowers and am passionate about nature, I'll admit that I get a bit bothered by many of the fall decorations on the market. Okay, they can be cute...and I know the prices are attractive...but I am increasingly drawn to materials that are more natural. More real. So, I have been working on bringing many areas of my life into alignment with my values, and in the process, my decorating is changing. Each season as I pull out my decor, I have been sorting through it and just keeping the things that I LOVE...and most of those things are made from natural materials. I thought I would give you a little peek at the centerpiece on my dining room table, as it has evolved into something I can truly be proud of...it makes me happy!
Now granted, because we have a large family, I have a 14 foot table, so my centerpiece is quite large. Many of the elements in it, though, can easily be adapted to fit your space.
Let's start at the bottom...with the table runner. For many years I had a polyester runner, very washable, with a printed fall pattern on it. Last year, though, I found this cotton woven runner that was the perfect size for my table and large dough bowl. The dough bowl...or wood centerpiece tray...was made by an artisan I found on Etsy and is 4 feet long. I have seen smaller trays at antique stores, or even craft stores. They make the perfect natural element for seasonal decorating! Now I'll take you down the tray from end-to-end, giving you some ideas of "swaps" you can make to add some natural materials to your decor!
I think the "stars" of the show are my cute little dried flower pumpkins! All the flowers on them were grown and dried by me, and they work equally well on both real and faux pumpkins. While faux pumpkins made out of plastic and foam abound in stores, I found both grapevine and clay pumpkins on Amazon and they are so pretty! If you want to learn to make your own dried flower pumpkins, you can read the tutorial HERE.
Next on the tray is a rolled beeswax candle, set on a porcelain base with a simple grapevine wreath around it. Keep your eye out for simple ceramic pedestals like this at resale stores. Beeswax candles can be made (I have a kit in my shop) or purchased online, and craft stores have mini grapevine wreaths. Did you know that burning a beeswax candle actually cleans the air? It's a simple way to add texture to your display in a way that is healthier for you!
Pottery is another material that is natural, made from clay. I found this sweet little crock when thrifting...do you notice a pattern here? There are a few dried native grasses and some mountain mint gathered from my farm tucked inside--so simple, but definitely adds a cottage vibe to the table. I have many blog posts about gathering wild flowers and am working on an e-book specifically on this topic...subscribe to my newsletter if you're interested in hearing the latest and getting a big discount on that project!
A friend gave me these apples years ago, so I don't have a good resource for them. I show them to you, though, to encourage you, if you want to incorporate more nature into your decorating, to specifically look for items like this. Look for raffia, wood, paper mache, terra cotta, dried flowers and greens, wicker baskets, beeswax, grapevines...even metal can anchor natural materials and look far better than plastic items.
In the "center" of my centerpiece, I stood a pillar candle in a rustic wood bowl, and then laid a dried flower wreath on its side around it to create a natural candle ring. Do you remember those horrid plastic candle rings our mothers and grandmothers had? This is a far more natural...and beautiful...alternative!
Moving on...you can find these little rattan "balls" in craft stores, and I like them for filling in areas of the centerpiece that need a bit more texture. This ball sits next to another dried flower pumpkin--this one is made of clay.
We're almost done! The other end of the tray is balanced with another apple and grapevine pumpkin. You always want the tray to feel symmetrical, but not perfectly...so repeat some elements but add a few different items at either end. On this side, to balance the crock on the other end, I stood a metal pumpkin basket on a distressed wood pedestal. Inside the pumpkin is a beeswax candle in a wood bowl that my daughter-in-law made for me. Funny story...if you could see the candle you would notice that there are bite marks in it! My 1-year-old granddaughter was "exploring" my centerpiece and decided to taste it--I love those little teeth marks!
