15 Festive Fall Centerpieces (That Aren’t Just Decorative Gourds)

While it might be decorative gourd season, there are so many other ways to decorate your table for dinner parties (or just weeknight meals). From persimmons, figs, and apples to mums, pinecones, and autumn leaves, the options are endless.

Here are 15 of our favorite DIY ideas. And OK, we did add a few gourds to the mix — just for good measure.

• Simple Branches – Country Living: Wait until the leaves start to turn before pruning the trees in your yard, and you’ll end up with a glorious centerpiece.
• Modern Harvest – The Kitchn: Outfit your table after a trip to the farmers market with these step-by-step instructions.
• Cranberries & Candles – Redbook: Fill a vase with seasonal fruits like cranberries and kumquats, along with unshelled walnuts; add a candle and you’re all set. It’s a five-minute centerpiece.
• Persimmon Bowl – White on Rice Couple: They might be the same size and shape as some of those decorative gourds, but persimmons are in a category all their own.
• Autumn Leaf Bowl – Hello Lucky: You’ll use faux foliage for this decoupaged leaf bowl, but that just means you can use it again year after year.

• Apple Trencher – House Beautiful: You likely have an abundance of apples, so arrange them on that long, skinny trencher you never really know what to do with.
• Orange Monochrome – Martha Stewart: Yes, this one involves decorative gourds, but it also makes use of the other fall produce in that part of the color wheel, like kumquats and bell peppers; you could even add a persimmon.
• Paper Bag Luminaries – Woman’s Day: These paper bag luminaries could be adapted for any time of year, but we love the fall leaf version shown here.
• Magnolia Leaf Garland – Apartment 34: Garlands are a great way to decorate a long table. Start with a basic green one and add in candles, flowers, and fruit at different parts of the table.
• Wheat Sheaves – Country Living: Check out your local garden store to see if they have bundles of wheat, then simply tie them together with a pretty ribbon.

• Pinecone Basket – Martha Stewart: Enlist the kids to forage supplies for this centerpiece. If you want to make sure the pinecones are sterile for your table, follow the instructions to bleach them.
• Gold Pumpkins – A Pumpkin and a Princess: If orange isn’t your color, maybe gold is more your style. These gold pumpkins make for a super luxe table.
• Mum Centerpiece – Home Depot: A twine-wrapped vessel is the perfect choice for a mum-filled centerpiece. You can find mums of all sizes in abundance right now.
• Pumpkin Vase – Wine and Glue: Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with a classic pumpkin vase. We love the autumnal hues in this one.
• Wicker Cornucopia – Better Homes & Gardens: We couldn’t resist adding this one to the mix. Who doesn’t love a traditional cornucopia overflowing with fall bounty?