Dining Room Refresh & Autumn Tablescaping Inspiration
“This post is in partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond because I love em & know you’ll love em too!”
*dusts off keyboard*
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and if you know me, you know that when I say that I’m referring to tablescaping season & not the holiday season lol. Despite being on “maternity leave” and creatively hiding away, one thing’s for sure, two things for certain — this time of the year is my absolute favorite for setting the table & playing around with different table styling designs.
My love for tablescape design has nothing to do with hosting — we've actually never hosted a major holiday at the hygge ranch (and I rather like it that way). I do it for us. I’ve never prescribed to waiting for special occasions to use the good tableware & setting the table throughout the year, and especially this time of year, just adds a bit more magic to the mundane… and that’s why I do it. Whether it’s a 4 course dinner that we cooked or a simple breakfast that we ordered & had delivered, the act of sitting at the table with our wares & eating today is such a gift.
Another reason tablescaping has been a thing of mine is because it’s always been a great way to dress up our dining room, which, no matter where we’ve lived, has never been “designed”. Having an elevated table presentation distracts from an otherwise boring space. Thank me later.
This year, along with refreshing our tablescape, I partnered with Bed Bath & Beyond to also finally refresh our dining room!
As with anything I do, I started with a mood board included (at the time) our existing gallery wall & finishes that would play well with the adjoining living space. The dining area, as it was wasn’t “bad” however it just didn’t move me. We have future plans to renovate this space — paint, flooring, popcorn ceiling removal — however, that’s a ways away & even with this refresh, I wasn’t going to be doing anything that required heavy lifting… just bringing in pieces that excite me & step up the vibe a few notches.
Alongside my mood board, I put together a Bed Bath & Beyond wishlist of favorite items that I knew would work with our style, with existing pieces, and with our budget. Check. Check. Check. I also took the opportunity to do a lil bit of playing around with color with new tableware, and was able to get everything right from Bed Bath & Beyond to not just breathe new life into the dining room, but also expand our tableware collection the season & everyday use.
The chair was an easy selection — an acrylic armchair with what can only be described as a certain je ne sais quoi. For the table, our parameters were based on the shape/size of the dining space. Design wise, the criteria was oval & Nordic design inspired — a clean, minimalist aesthetic — and we were open to different wood options because we know that we could build from whichever one we chose. I scrolled on SO MANY options for the dining room table that it ultimately came down to length, price, and shipping.
With the marquee pieces in place, I shopped our “room of requirement” (IYKYK) aka our garage, as well as the rest of the hygge ranch to pull together what might be my quickest yet most satisfying space refresh.
chairs | dining table | rug (similar) | lighting | side table | rocker | ladder
It’s a common misconception that dark finishes automatically darken a space, however, knowing that the overall design would incorporate a variety of wood finishes & warm neutrals, going with a black dining table felt like the best choice to ground the space. The tables curves & the silhouette of the armchairs allow otherwise “strong” colors to feel light & soft. The different wood. tones from the rocking chair, decorative ladder, and side table (not to mention the other half of the living room) all come together like a warm hug. All the elements I chose — all and new — came together to in service of one vibe: hygge!
chairs | dining table | rug (similar) | lighting | side table | rocker | ladder | fireplace tools
With a new dining room backdrop, I decided to play around with some color stories that have been living rent free in my head all year — tone-on-tone burgundy and brown/blush/sage. The burgundy is quintessential autumn, which is exactly what I wanted to add to our assortment — a truly autumnal color option. The brown, blush, and sage color story would be one that could transition through all of the seasons, also making the pieces easy to mix & match with our existing pieces. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I browsed brands I already knew & loved, namely Stone Lain, the same brand of our fave matte black set.
Bed Bath & Beyond came through we everything I needed to create this season’s tablescape designs. Compared to previous years, I decided to use little to no adornments, and let the essentials be the stars.
chairs | dining table | dinnerware set | dinnerware set (alt) | flatware set | napkins (similar) | napkin rings | wine glasses | coupe glasses (similar) | charger plates (similar) | square candle holders | candles
chairs | dining table | dinnerware set | flatware set | napkins (similar) | napkin rings | wine goblets | highball glasses | candles
What I think I love most with both designs is that they can easily transition into the winter season for holiday hosting, and beyond. Autumn may have been the inspiration, however, autumn is not the limit. And now that the dining room — and all its wares — are ready for the season, I am fully prepared for even more cozy gatherings around the table year round.
