Autumn Decor: Creating a Natural Table Centrepiece

Autumn has just settled in, offering splendid fiery colours to the foliage of trees. This marks the return of cosy meals with friends or family, gathered warmly around a table. To bring a touch of warmth and cheer (or even festivity) to your interior, nothing beats beautiful autumn decorations. And what better way to create this atmosphere than with a lovely centrepiece, one of the key elements of successful décor. Especially since natural decorations are within easy reach (or secateurs' reach) this season. Discover our step-by-step tutorial for creating a beautiful natural table centrepiece.

1- What do I need?

Materials:

• A container for your decorations: a pretty planter, a basket, a zinc tray, a wooden crate (wine crate…).
• Small containers, glass or plastic, to place inside the main container: jam jar, small vase, glass yoghurt pots, food container, glass, etc.
• A clean secateurs for trimming branches and harvesting berries.

Decorations:

For decorative elements, gather according to your tastes and preferences. Here are some ideas for natural decorations this season:

• Branches from bushes or trees, adorned with autumn-coloured leaves: Japanese Maples, Cotinus, Juneberry, Winged Spindle, Viburnums
• Autumn flowers: autumn camellias, Caryopteris, Japanese Anemones, Autumn Aster, chrysanthemum, certain sedums, dried Hydrangea flowers
• Plumes of ornamental grasses: Miscanthus, Pennisetum
• Decorative wood branches, such as those from a Dogwood
• Berries: from Rose Hips, Milky Cotoneaster or Holly, Callicarpa, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha or Crabapple Trees
• A few fallen leaves: oak, maple
• Decorations: pine cones, Chinese Lanterns (Physalis), Baby’s Breath, Honesty

→ Browse our extensive selection of trees and bushes with beautiful autumn colours and all our trees and bushes with autumn flowering.

2- Step-by-step guide to making a natural table centrepiece

• Take your container, whether it's a planter, wooden crate or basket. Here, I've repurposed a small zinc basin.

• Place your small glass or plastic containers inside this tray. Here, I've used jam jars and glass yoghurt pots.

• Pour water to prolong the life of your cut branches and flowers. Note that these containers can also be replaced with floral foam.

• Add your first branches with colourful or flowering foliage, placing them towards the outside. Here, I've chosen branches from a Viburnum tinus 'Lisarose' for its pretty little pink flowers this season and its evergreen foliage.

• Alternate with other plant varieties, playing with colours, contrasts and leaf shapes. Here, I've chosen branches from a Field Maple, bearing autumn leaves in golden yellow tones.

• Enhance the whole with some autumn decorations: berries, pine cones, fallen leaves, etc. Here, I've chosen to pair the orange berries of a Milky Cotoneaster with the small fruits of a Crabapple Tree and rose hips.

• Let your creativity flow, as here with pine cones.

• There you go, your table centrepiece is finished! All that's left is to place it in the middle of your table so every guest can admire it.

3- Tips and advice

• This easy-to-make table decoration can be renewed for every special occasion (Christmas, Easter, etc.) and in every season.
• You can also use branches from evergreen bushes or twigs from conifers (thuja, yew,...).
• You could also place a few small bulbs at the centre of this lovely composition, in a small terracotta pot, such as daffodils, a hyacinth or some grape hyacinths.