Going for Pinks in Decorating the Fall Dining Room Mantel

I love my dining room and having an oriental rug with shades of pink, claret, beige and greens does create obstacles when decorating for the colorful fall season and holidays. But I love a challenge and what better way to dive in than taking those colors and transforming them into fall decor. With white walls, white slipcovered chairs, and a mahogany dining table, I have some neutral pieces to work into the scheme.

The Dining Room Rug

As you can see, this 9’x12′ rug anchors the space under the table and chairs. The dark claret border looks especially nice against our Canadian beech hardwood floors. See how typical autumn colors would clash with this?

Getting Affordable Fabric

We have a great fabric superstore, SAS here in Phoenix with a huge fabric selection at good prices. I select a toile, and soft yummy fabrics in the rug colors for handmade fabric pumpkins.

As you know I am not a big DIYer, but in 2020, a bug infestation ruined many of my purchased fabric pumpkins. Forced into making more of my own, I find that this DIY task is very easy, and I wrote a blog post about it. If I can do it, anyone can!

I cut various sizes of fabric circles and start making custom color pumpkins during a weekend at our cabin. Saving pumpkin stems from the previous year’s real pumpkins, I glue them onto the fabric pumpkins using a glue gun for a realistic look.

These are so quick to make and it takes no time to end up with a rather hefty crop of fabric pumpkins. Running out of real stems, I use short branches for the smaller pumpkins’ stems.

The Mantel

Starting with a blank canvas, I remove everything from the dining room mantel (and do a little dusting too!). The walls are painted a Cottage White, providing a creamy background. Our sweet youngest child, Elisabeth is 3 years old at the time and the subject of the oil painting. Holding her favorite chicken, the colors of her dress and background go well with this room.

I start adding back some elements that I love~this orchid pot from Dear Keaton to anchor one side of the mantel.

On the other side of the mantel, I use faux antique-looking books, with my vintage Virgin Mary statue under glass. Adding dried hydrangeas at the base of the statue ties in with the color scheme.

Adding the Pumpkins and Candles

I have fun playing with the different sized pumpkins and where to place them. It seems a little bare with just the pumpkins and some seasonal candles, right?

Greens and Faux Flowers

By adding some green and pale pink eucalyptus, faux burgundy hydrangeas, and a few magnolia leaves, look how lush the mantel looks now!

Here’s an overhead view and you can see how this fabric combination works so well against the dining room rug colors.

Fall Decor that lasts until Thanksgiving

What I love about this color combination is that you can leave it up from September to November. It’s seasonal, yet timeless. I am able to incorporate these colors into my Thanksgiving tablescape and the decorations become easy on the eye.

I realize many people decorate for the fall in neutrals and whites. Do you use bright autumn colors to decorate? Truly I never thought shades of pink and green would work but I love taking the plunge to use other colors enhances this room in particular.

The fall decorating is happening ever so slowly this year. But it always comes together sooner or later.

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