I'm constantly thinking about designing for my clients, and I rarely remember to pay attention to my own Fall Decorations! If your life is anything like mine, I'm sure you frequently find yourself wanting to entertain, or even worse, already committing to entertaining, but you have nothing planned for the centerpieces or miscellaneous festive Fall Decor. From experience, I can tell you how easy it is to pull together an Autumn feel from just one trip to the Grocery Store.

Brooke Carlson, of BETTER and I recently filmed a TV segment in Whole Foods in Portland, OR to show everyone exactly how I do it. While Whole Foods is my personal favorite, just about any grocery store will do.

Get your guest's attention the moment they walk in the door. Nothing says Fall more than scented candles. Look for Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vanilla, Cinnamon Spice, Walnut, Banana Nut Bread, Cranberry Spice. No citrus, floral or pine.





Dishes of roasted nuts placed through out the house could not be simpler. Mix it up with some nuts in their shells and for ease, some out of the shells. If you are like me, you might want to put the pre-shelled ones away once your guest leave. They are far too tempting!



Baskets of miniature pumpkins or even apples can go on the counter, hearth or the center of your table.















I found this beautiful centerpiece at marthastewart.com. This is a perfect example of how simply and easily you can create a centerpiece on your table. Get a warm toned table cloth or table runner, grab a plate out of our kitchen, gold toned is my preference, however your plain white china will work just as well. Arrange Pumpkins and Gourds of various sizes, remembering to start with the largest objects first. Then fill in the base with roasted nuts, fall leaves or cranberries. This could not be any easier!


The most important thing is to have fun, don't over think the process. The more comfortable and at ease you are, the more comfortable and welcome your guests will feel.


P.S. I also have another trick....A glass of wine to get you through the process never hurts!