Courtney Warren is a Texas-based interior designer whose work has been featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Apartment Therapy, and Today.com. She is a frequent consultant on Fox 4 TV’s Good Day program in Dallas, was ranked in the top 3 percent of interior designers in the US by Houzz.com, and starred in the Dallas episode of TLC’sFour Houses. She delights in helping overwhelmed clients create beautiful spaces—and will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie or Diet Dr Pepper.

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Fall Table Settings: They Don’t Have to Be That Hard

Design Tips, Trends

November 2, 2019

Hello friends! I hope you’ll be watching for Courtney Warren Home news and photos on my return from the Country Living Fair in Atlanta, where I was–a feature presenter! It was beyond cool to share the main stage with Ben and Erin from HGTV’s Home Town, among others! Can’t wait to share!

Are you fully in the fall mood? Thinking ahead how you’ll welcome guests around your table? Surprise everyone by refusing to use paper plates. Steal these ideas from my dining room for inspiration!

I used neutrals in my living room fall decor but my blue dining room just cried for an orange and blue theme. For my centerpiece, I started with a “runner” of twigs accented with a little greenery.

One of the sweetest things I’ve seen this season are the velvet decorative pumpkins. Of course, I always mix my textures, so there are some real little ghost pumpkins as well as some ceramic ones. Oh, and a giant luxe gold acorn, just for fun.

Don’t forget to elevate. I added height to my arrangement with a wooden cake stand AND a footed bowl for my big orange pumpkin, florals and greenery.

I do love to mix my dinnerware. Have you tried this? It’s one of my favorite table setting tricks.

See? One version with the orange plate…

…and another with the blue. It’s ok–they don’t have to match! (Designer tip: always be on the lookout for seasonal salad plates on the clearance aisle. You’ll be amazed how fun they can be mixed in with your regular dinnerware!)

And finally, the “pecan de resistance”–a mini pie for each guest! Isn’t it adorable in its own little wood berry basket? What is a fall gathering without pecan pie, after all?

Your buffet/server/console will always benefit from a floral arrangement that is taller than it is wide so you’ll have more room for All. That. Delicious. Food.

OK, I cannot lie: I enjoy decorating for EVERY holiday, and I don’t want to rush past Thanksgiving–but I WILL drop this teeny-weeny hint. Christmas is just 7 weeks away, and my Christmas Decor Package calendar is filling fast, so contact me right away to book your date. My elves and I will be there soon to prep your home for the holidays!

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