One of my favorite kinds of home decor to play around with are table centerpieces. Truly beautiful tabletop décor is often thought of with floral arrangements. While beautiful flowers are always enjoyable, I also have a lot of fun with non-floral centerpieces too! Fall non-floral centerpieces are a great way to bring in some vintage decorative elements with a seasonal color palette.
My other favorite thing about creating non-floral centerpieces is that I can use fun ideas that don’t cost me any extra money! I’m all about repurposing home decor for budget-friendly options. When you consider that the most expense in most centerpiece options are the flowers, you can see where the cost savings come in!
Even though big-day arrangements, as in weddings, for example, will include a dramatic touch with wedding flowers, floral arrangements are the only choices for the big day! Creating table setting centerpieces for everyday enjoyment at home can be just as fun but a whole lot easier!
In today’s blog post, I think it will be fun to share some of my fall non-floral centerpieces from past years. Then, you can pop over to my Instagram: @robyns_frenchnest to see what I come up with for this late summer/early fall time as I am currently transitioning my home decor from summer to fall!
What can you use as a centerpiece instead of flowers?
Whether you are looking for a unique non-floral wedding centerpiece or just a simple non-floral centerpiece idea for your dining table at home this fall, you can consider any of these items as great alternatives. Most importantly, be ready to think outside the box! There are so many great decorative accents that can make great centerpiece options too!
- Arrangement of candles in different heights
- Thrifted brass candleholders with flameless taper candles
- Dried branches
- Dried stems
- Natural elements such as gathered wheat or the top of cornstalks
- Small plants
- Greenery stems from your yard
- Decorative bowl with seasonal accents: pinecones, acorns, dried seed pods, mini pumpkins, dried gourds, or Indian corn bunches are all great options for fall
- Lantern with flameless candle
- Pampas grass bundles
- Vintage books
- Display seasonal produce in a collection of pretty dishes or bowls
- Old books of music
- Grouping of old wine bottles or amber bottles
- Curated heirlooms
- Lantern with twinkling fairy lights
- Tray with everyday tableware displayed in a pretty (yet functional) way
- Small cordless lamps
- Edible centerpiece, such as a bowl of fruit
- Use food as a fresh source of inspiration, like mini cakes on collections of pedestals
- Pheasant feathers
- Wooden dough bowls
When you start looking around at your decor, you may be surprised at all of the creative and pretty options you can come up with for your next event, using the bulk of your décor that you already have! However, pretty centerpieces aren’t just for events! You can enjoy so many beautiful non-floral centerpiece ideas for your everyday decor too!
How to Make 25 Easy Ideas for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces
Easy Idea for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces #1: Use unique vessels
My number one tip for creating fall non-floral centerpieces for home, non-floral wedding centerpieces, non-traditional wedding centerpiece ideas, or centerpiece options for any event, is to start with a unique vessel. I love vintage home decor and one of my favorite things to buy are antique or vintage vessels that I can style empty or filled with creative inspiration!
In almost all of my centerpieces in this blog post, you’ll notice a variety of bowls, wooden troughs, brass elements, woven baskets, old bottles, and more. To me, any of these pretty options immediately elevates the look of the centerpiece décor by adding character, interest, and texture. Maybe it’s just me, but an old wooden trough beats a plain glass vase for beauty almost any day!
When you get ready to create fall non-floral centerpieces for event design (even if the event is just being at home!), first look around your home. What bowl, basket, or vessel could you use instead of a vase? Even if you want to add flowers, there are a lot of pretty options for styling floral arrangements than a glass vase, of course!
Just because you aren’t using an abundance of blooms, non-floral centerpiece ideas don’t have to be elaborate. Starting with an interesting vessel instantly adds a statement and can even be a conversation starter around your table!
While I love vintage and antique home decor, there are many new pieces that are perfect for beautiful non-floral centerpiece ideas.
The following ideas are all found on my storefront:
- Rattan wrapped glass bottle
- Cordless lamp (I am obsessed with this one!)
- Large, thick bottles
- Amazing paper mache bowl set
- This hand-forged tall gold vintage style candleabra (love the clean lines)
- Vintage style brass pedestal bowl
- This large vintage style gathering basket
- These wooden slabs are perfect for adding height to any centerpiece
- Vintage style stoneware crock
- Plus many more!
Easy Idea for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces #2: Gather free branches
I can’t begin to tell you how many times over the years that I have created centerpieces basically for free by using branches from my yard! In full disclosure, I have stored large branches in our attic because they are the perfect size, shape, etc. for what I use them for. The perfect branch is worth saving, right?!
Dried palm frond branches are one of my favorites to use for large, statement pieces on a console table as I transition into fall home decor.
I also take dead branches that have dried leaves and use those around our home. Often, the leaves turn a beautiful, deep rust color that blends perfectly with my fall aesthetic. In this wooden trough arrangement, I tucked small pieces of dead branches and leaves to add texture to the dried gourds!
Easy Idea for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces #3: Hit up the grocery store!
One of my very favorite things to use for fall decorating, especially for non-floral centerpiece ideas that aren’t just flowers, are Anjou pears. The rust/terra cotta/reddish color is perfect for a fall decorating color palette. This year, I am using a lot of blue-gray hues in my fall decorating. However, the anjou pears “pair” perfectly (pardon the pun!) with blue and offer a beautiful warm mix to the colors.
I use these pears on place settings, in centerpieces, or gathered in a pretty bowl or dish as a simple centerpiece for the kitchen table or kitchen island!
Your local farmer’s market or grocery store can offer the ultimate inspiration with bountiful produce. Bringing in seasonal produce is a great way to follow nature and bring the outdoors in for your home decor. No matter the time of year, fruit is always one of my very favorite things to add to non-floral centerpiece ideas!
Easy Idea for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces #4: Combine dried gourds
Without a doubt, I use way more dried gourds than pumpkins in my fall decorating! Since dried gourds can be easily stored and saved from year to year, I have amassed quite a collection of different shapes and sizes. Not only do dried gourds save me a lot of money because I can reuse them, they also offer a very natural and organic look to my fall decor. While I have a few faux pumpkins, I typically really prefer the natural look of the dried gourds!
Also, dried gourds are a great way to bring in a warm fall color without committing to the stronger orange tones. This year, I’ll be using a lot of dried gourds to bring in that natural look to my non-floral centerpiece ideas.
There’s just something about a big bowl of gourds that I absolutely love!!!
Easy Idea for Fall Non-Floral Centerpieces #5: Visit the pumpkin patch
In this post, it sounds like I’m a little bit anti-pumpkin, so I’d better own up to loving a good trip to the pumpkin patch! Since we live in South Florida, we either have to travel many hours north to get to a really amazing pumpkin patch or visit Trader Joe’s! Our Walmart has had amazing heirloom pumpkins the past couple of years too. As I mentioned, I do have a few faux pumpkins but when I’m creating fall non-floral centerpieces for our home, I especially love using real pumpkins in late September and through October.
To get a great pumpkin centerpiece, you can consider starting with a large vessel. Or, you can stack the pumpkins and use branches and greenery to fill in between the stacks. These are both great options instead of floral arrangements for the fall season.
Either way, I like to get an odd number of pumpkins and look for ones in different sizes that can easily stack. This allows me to combine them in different ways for fun non-floral centerpiece ideas!
Some years, I gravitate to the fiery oranges, reds, and terra cotta warm tones. This year, I think I’ll be picking up more of the blue, blue-gray, and green pumpkins to go with my coastal grandmother fall cottage vibe, so stay tuned to see what I find once the pretty pumpkins arrive in South Florida!
*Notice the branches over the table on the second pumpkin centerpiece? All free from the neighbor’s roadside pile! Haha! Refer to number 2 in this post!
As you can see, you don’t have to have pretty flowers for a beautiful, brand-new design idea! All it takes is thinking outside the box and combining your favorite decorative vessels with seasonal accents. While flowers are always a great idea for a pretty centerpiece, I think they are secondary to a beautiful vessel. Then, combined with seasonal decor, you’ve got a great option for non-floral centerpieces with the perfect fall color palette and individual style.
Over on my storefront, you can find many more of my favorite home decor pieces with vintage inspiration. I hope these curated collections give you even more ideas to decorate your home with personalized style!
You may also enjoy these home decor related blog posts for your fall decorating:
- 7 Easy Ways to Make Your DIY Fall Flowers Amazing
- How to Easily Decorate a Cozy Fall Bedroom
- The Best 7 Useful Fall Decor Items You Need to Thrift For
- 5 Beautiful Ways to Use Dried Gourds for Fall Decor
- 44 Easy Ideas to Decorate a Kitchen Table for Fall
- How to Decorate with 21 Easy Cozy Home Decor Ideas for Fall
- The Best 7 Thrifted Fall Home Decor Items to Shop For
- Simple Tips for Decorating with Cozy Fall Kitchen Decor
- How to Style Beautiful Fall Dough Bowl Decor in 3 Minutes
- Design Ideas to Create a Rustic Neutral Living Room for Fall
