Setting the perfect autumn tablescape with Gracie Cahill of Styled with Grace

A wonderful styling hack for autumn hosting is bringing the outside into your kitchen, dining or living space. Branches, flowers and fruit picked from the garden add lots of colour, texture and interest particularly for garnishing napkins or adding to placecards with guest names. Scatter them on the table for decoration or even add them to a garland centrepiece, depending on the theme.

The devil is in these little details but how do you decide on a colour scheme or theme? The season dictates a lot for me and so I’m always drawn to rich warm tones like amber, forest green and shades of maroon and burgundy this time of year. A practical way of decorating a cohesive table is to build from the bottom up, starting with linen. From there I’ll choose tableware and cutlery based on tones and prints on the table and I often add colour and texture in the glassware and centrepiece candles and ceramics.

Table-setting has traditionally followed a formulaic style where a similar colour and print blend harmoniously but this season the emphasis is on a less curated look where lots of different colours, prints and shapes come together. There is also a growing focus on sustainability, centred around old and new: investing in new items that spark joy but also reusing what you already own.