An Embroidered Leaves Runner for an Autumn Table

by | Sep 17, 2026 | Fall Tablescapes, Green, Home, Pink and Red, Recent | 0 comments

Autumn garden table with an embroidered leaf runner, burgundy plates, green glassware, apples and wooden lanterns.

Around this point in September, the garden is still very much green, but the light has changed. The shadows are longer, the evenings arrive a little earlier, and suddenly the russets, coppers and deep leafy greens that seemed far too autumnal only a few weeks ago feel exactly right.

So when I stumbled across this embroidered runner from Pottery Barn last year, I knew it was the perfect base for a table to celebrate the autumn equinox..

I was enchanted with its wonderful tumble of autumn colour—burgundy and russet, mossy greens, golds and soft browns, with just enough purple wandering through the leaves and berries to keep things interesting.

The checked napkins were a completely separate discovery. I think Susan at Between Naps on the Porch had mentioned them, and I thought the vibrant colours would be exactly right for fall. It wasn’t until I put them with the runner that I realized quite how fortuitous the purchase had been. They might have been designed to go together.

Checked autumn napkin in burgundy, green and gold with an open copper napkin ring and wooden-handled flatware.

At that point, I already had the burgundy Pioneer Woman plates in mind. Their rich colour and embossed pattern had enough presence to hold their own against the textiles without competing with them.

 

Apple salt and pepper shakers on a green leaf plate beside burgundy dinnerware and an embroidered autumn runner.

I was still playing with the stack when the green-edged Vietri leaf plates entered the picture. That changed everything. The green brought the embroidered foliage right up onto the place settings, but it also made me want something warmer underneath the plates.

Copper.

The chargers supplied exactly what had been missing. They picked up the russets and golds in the runner and napkins, warmed the burgundy, and gave all that green something to push against.

Overhead view of an autumn table with embroidered leaves, apples, lanterns and burgundy and green place settings.

It’s not a timid table. There are patterns and colours everywhere. But because they all belong to the same autumn family, they seem quite happy together.

Outdoor autumn table layered with burgundy plates, green Vietri leaf plates and copper chargers.

The green tumblers are brighter than one might expect with all those muted autumn colours, which is precisely why I like them here. Autumn tables can become rather brown if left to their own devices. The clear green glass catches the light and gives the whole arrangement a little lift.

Green glassware and layered autumn plates beside a wooden bowl filled with red and green apples.

The centrepiece was deliberately simple. Apples piled into a wooden bowl seemed much more appropriate than flowers, particularly with the embroidered fruit and berries running down the centre of the table. A pair of wooden lanterns added height without blocking the view across the table—and, later in the day, a lovely warm glow.

Colourful autumn table viewed from above with apples, green glassware, copper accents and embroidered leaves.

I’ve had the apple salt-and-pepper shakers for ages. Round, red, green and faintly ridiculous—perched on another little green leaf plate, they look entirely convinced they belong there.

Burgundy and green autumn place setting beside an embroidered runner scattered with colourful leaves and berries.

This is also the point in the season when the produce begins making demands. Baskets of heritage apples appear, followed by the first winter squash—Delicata among my favourites—and suddenly they’re all clamouring for a place on the menu.

Happily, I have plenty of ideas for both.

Delicata is particularly accommodating. Its thin skin means there’s no peeling required, and roasting brings out its sweet, slightly nutty flavour. Delicata Squash Pasta with Sage Brown Butter.is an easy fall supper, tossed with sage, walnuts and Parmesan.

Creamy pasta with roasted delicata squash, sage and Parmesan, served in a shallow bowl.

Or scatter it over mixed greens with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts for a lighter option:  Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Cranberries & Walnuts.

Roasted Delicata squash salad with mixed greens, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries with a boiled cider-Dijon vinaigrette.

Apples, meanwhile, can go in almost any direction. They add crunch and sweetness to an Autumn Orchard Chicken Salad, where they appear both fresh and as crisp apple chips, alongside pecans and blue cheese.

And eventually, inevitably, we get to cake: Apple Cranberry Ginger Bundt Cake

Slice of apple, cranberry, walnut, and spice Bundt cake on a white patterned plate beside a dark cake stand, with a tartan napkin and fork on a wooden table.

Now that we have satisfied the inner person, let’s step back outside for a few minutes. What I particularly like about this table is that it doesn’t require pumpkins to proclaim the season. There isn’t anything wrong with pumpkins—I deploy them enthusiastically when the occasion calls for it—but September has plenty of its own vocabulary: apples, leaves, berries, copper, wood.

That peculiar golden light.  And a garden that is still green enough to remind us that summer hasn’t disappeared altogether.

That seems just about right for early autumn.

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