How to Set the Perfect Autumn Table

Earlier this fall we had the pleasure of collaborating with Lisa Rieves, owner of The Front Porch of Vinings, to design a dinner party bursting with the colors of autumn and BIG on style. The backdrop could not have been more perfect; we staged our table setting in Lisa’s beautiful home and this provided direction of the rest of decor.

As you know, we love starting with floral and the centerpiece for party was no different! Floral was purchased from Trader Joe’s the morning of the event – this really gave us that fall color and helped establish the palette. Our selections included roses, gerber daisies, sunflowers, and little petite daisies.  But we think the actually came from a walk together with Lisa through her beautiful garden gathering hydrangea, ferns, branches and vines. We set the centerpiece in a lovely lichen and moss-covered urn Lisa already had and combined the greens and flowers for an abundant, yet casual arrangement. The floral, coupled with Lisa’s beautiful distressed candlesticks, set the stage for the rest of the tablescape.

We then turned to Lisa’s gorgeous open shelves, abundant with dishes, glasses, serving pieces and more – this is when the fun really began! Lisa purchased her Gien and Le Jacquard Francais from our showroom and it looks just stunning presented this way in her home!

As the base for our placesettings, we chose these beautiful, boxwood placemats, which can be found at The Front Porch of Vinings. The green makes such a lovely, lush grounding for the charger and dishes, coming up next…

We then turned to this beautiful Pont aux Choux (in Cream) as the charger from Gien. We love the detail the scalloped handles provide.

The dinner plate is Gien’s Pont aux Choux in Taupe, which sets an earthy, autumn tone to the overall setting.

The Gien Chanterelle dish acts as our salad plate and offers detail and interest to the overall setup.

We then completed the placesetting with a Chanterelle collection bread plate, Gien soup bowl (in Taupe) and vintage silver-plate cutlery, tied with twine from The Front Porch of Vinings, and a Le Jacquard Francais napkin.

For the beverage service, we used a beautiful cut-glass stem vessel as well as a Ball Mason Jar to add a bit of that down-home, comfortable fall feel.

Here is a quick look at the layers all coming together:

The finished look combined with the floral created a truly magical fall evening!

Together, Steve and Lisa had a wonderful day setting the perfect autumn table!

We want to thank Lisa for opening up her beautiful home and collaborating with us on this fun dinner party.

*All photos by Katheryn McCrary Photography

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A Fantastic Fall Recipe & NEW Gien Earthenware

Just in time for Thanksgiving, steve mckenzie’s is introducing the new Chanterelle collection by Gien Earthenware.

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This new dinnerware line features a beautiful pattern of woodland mushrooms, fern leaves and forest fruits. And, while Gien Earthenware is manufactured in France, it’s actually dishwasher safe – a real bonus for the busy holiday season!

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If you’re not ready to commit to an entire table of the Chanterelle pattern, adding a few key pieces to your tablescape – while mixing an matching with your current dinnerware – will make the perfect seasonal touch!

Now that you’re envisioning a fabulous fall table, we have an ideal meal to serve on your new Gien Earthenware… Mulligan Stew! This hearty, and comforting dish will warm you from the inside out. A big thanks to steve mckenzie’s friend and team member, Kim Crosby for sharing her recipe with us:

Mulligan Stew
Serves 8

Mulligan-Stew

2 lb Stew Meat
1/4 C flour
3 T vegetable Oil
2 Lb unpeeled potatoes, cut into bite-size cubes
1 C celery, cut into bite-size cubes
1C carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion chopped
2 1/2 C water or beef stock divided
1/2 of a .75 oz pkg brown gravy mix
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parsley
Ciabatta, baguette or other hard crust bread Toss the stew meat with the flour. Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Add the meat in small amounts to brown.

Add potatoes, celery, carrots, onions and 2 C water (or stock). Bring to boil then reduce heat. Cover & simmer for about 1.5 hours or till meat is done.Combine the gravy mix and 1/2 C water (or stock) and add to the meat & veggies along with the undrained tomatoes and bring to boil to combine flavors. Remove from heat, top with parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Simple, hearty and oh-so-fall! Please share some of your family’s favorite fall dishes – we’d love to be inspired!!