
Decorating for fall can be overwhelming, especially with the added pressures of hosting a dinner or party. Save yourself some stress and plan on an elegant, yet simple table setting this year. Designer and homeowner Nora Murphy of Nora Murphy Country House proves that all you need are a few essential pieces to make your dining room an autumnal paradise.


“It’s very simple, but everything has a European garden feel,” Nora says. With large rosemary plants, vibrant maple leaves and an antique bee skep hidden away in the corner, Nora brings the wonders of her garden indoors and uses it as a natural base to style her fall dining room. “I’m a gardener, so I always go fresh first for entertaining,” says Nora. The branches, leaves and pumpkins are all fresh to create an authentic look in the room, but you can always use faux options if you prefer.

Color Palette
With a mostly white palette, Nora brought in black Windsor chairs and painted an antique bench to bring contrast to the space and create a cohesive set. They look as if they could just as easily belong to an outdoor table, which helps the garden vibe. To continue her white color palette, Nora chose to keep her dishes and décor of the same shade. “I like to use what’s in season, so I loved the idea of white pumpkins and keeping everything to one color: creamy white,” she says. However, she incorporates bits of red through the leaves and placemats for pops of color.

Autumnal Dining
To set the scene for her get together, Nora started with a 10-foot 19th century work table as her base on which to build her tablescape. She then put hand-blown hurricane candle holders from Simon Pearce in the middle of the table and placed creamy white candles inside of them as the start of the centerpiece and sprinkled pumpkins in between to finish the look. “Set the large pumpkins first, then the medium and small,” she says. “When a group is meshed together, it creates an impactful look. That’s the beauty of the centerpiece: it’s bold, yet simple.”
Nora finished the look with a white baby boo pumpkin on every plate as the place card holder for an elegant autumn look that is sure to please family and friends.

Like Nora’s dining room? See more of her home here!