Planning the perfect table setting for each season can sometimes be a somewhat daunting task…. Finding the right color pallet, incorporating different patterns and textures, and staying on budget of course, are just some of the challenges faced! The trick is to purchase a few all-around pieces that you can reuse for every season, and then just switch out a few of the pieces, like the napkin colors and the centerpiece, to get a totally different look for the next season!

Given the time of year, I decided to do a fall table setting in our example! All of the pieces for this specific table setting came from Amazon.com, and yes this post does contain affiliate links…. So, if you fall in love with any of these beautiful pieces, you can simply click on the affiliate link and will be taken straight there!

Ok, so now I’d like to share with you how I actually put this table setting together! Let’s get started, shall we?!

The very first thing that I selected for this table setting was the table cloth. Think of the table cloth as being the perfect backdrop for everything else…. Very important! I ended up choosing a dark grey table cloth for the backdrop, since grey just seems to be really in now! Plus, grey will go nicely with every color of each season (orange tones for fall, red, silver and gold for winter, bright greens and blues for spring, and even bright yellows for summer!), so this table cloth can be reused over and over again! Definitely budget friendly!

After looking at different colored dinnerware, I decided to simply go with a neutral cream colored dinnerware set, because let’s face it…. cream goes with anything! And since I am also totally in love with the simplicity of it, I decided to bring in a cream colored pitcher to use as a water pitcher. Doing this makes the cream color pieces a little more abundant and helps them to stand out a little more, rather than getting lost among the other pieces.

So now let’s do a mini-recap: we have a grey table cloth to use as the perfect backdrop, and we also have some very simple and neutral pieces…. So the next element I wanted to bring into this table setting was one to give it a more natural, and slightly rustic feel, while still keeping it somewhat modern looking at the same time…. So in come the wooden pieces!

I love, love, love the wooden plate chargers that I found! They are sleek, natural and modern looking, with a little bit of “rustic-ness” all rolled into one! In order to help showcase the beautiful wooden chargers, while helping them to perfectly blend into the rest of the table setting, I was able to find a matching serving platter and a matching salad bowl…. Perfect!

Ok so, mini-recap number 2: grey table cloth backdrop, simple neutral pieces, and now we have introduced a new modern/rustic wooden element to the table as well! So now it’s time that I let you in on a little secret…. The very first table cloth that I had picked out for this table setting, was this crazy-beautiful, ok…. Maybe somewhat tacky, sparkly, shiny sequined table cloth! Hehe, so pretty, but not quite right, and well it just wasn’t working…. So why have I mentioned that now during our mini-recap number two?! It’s because it brings us to the next element that we will be adding to our dinner table…. A little bit of sparkle and shine! (My favorite!)

Sparkle and shine is somewhat of a necessity in my opinion, but as I’ve learned over the years, sometimes less is more! That’s why I decided to bring in just a few smaller pieces of “sparkle and shine”. I chose to incorporate stainless steel napkin rings, salt and pepper shakers, a stainless steel gravy boat, and a butter dish. All tiny pieces, but together, I feel that they bring the perfect impact to the table!

Mini-recap number 3: we now have our backdrop, simple/neutral pieces, modern/rustic pieces and our sparkle/shine pieces…. Looking pretty good, right?! Well we’re almost there…. Now we just need to add color!

Since we are decorating for fall in this table setting, I decided to choose the color orange to add a nice vibrant “pop” to the table! I was able to find this beautiful center piece made of bittersweet berries, (one of my personal favorite fall types of vegetation). It’s a rather large center piece holding three pillar candles, so it brings a lot of color and “pop” to the table…. And even a little bit of ambiance!

The final “pop” of color that was selected for this table setting were the cloth napkins…. I chose kind of a rusty orange shade that plays on all of the colors from the center piece…. Quite nicely, if I do say so, myself!

As you can see, I also added some much needed wine glasses to the table setting…. Because let’s face it, you are an amazing host/hostess, and by the time the big dinner-day rolls around, you are going to need a much deserved drink to help you smoothly roll through with all of the craziness! (Or at least I will, anyways!)

So, now that I think we finally have everything to bring our perfect table setting all together, it’s time for mini-recap number 4: backdrop, simple/neutral pieces, modern/rustic pieces, sparkle/shine pieces, and of course, color…. Giving us a total count of 5 different elements!

And remember, the nice thing about these elements, is that you can make them work for every season, with the exception of changing out the “color” element (napkins and center piece in this case)…. Which actually makes this table setting completely budget friendly for years to come!

I really hope that you enjoyed this post and thank you so much for reading! Don’t forget to check back in with The Project Pile for our 2016 Fall Home Tour…. Coming soon!