Ideas for enjoying your terrace in autumn

As the days go by, they become shorter and the temperatures drop… We are at the beginning of autumn, the weather changes, but this is not reason enough to forget about your meals in the open air. We explain how to make the most of your terrace or garden and how to dress the table for the coming months.

The fact is, just as the trees shed their leaves, so our tables must change their appearance in harmony with the oncoming season of the year. As we explain in our article “Ideas for table decoration in autumn”, a good way of evoking the new autumn landscapes on the table is to change the more summery placemats and cotton napkins for more earthy colours such as oranges, ochres, browns, dark greens… Here we explain how!

Creating atmosphere

Due to its type of weather, autumn forces us to spend more time indoors, although this doesn’t mean giving up our open-air meals entirely: there is nothing better than a sunny autumn morning on our terrace 😉

Nevertheless, we should be aware of the change of circumstances and fit out our outdoor space so that it is pleasant to go out:

• Change the summery loungers for comfortable cushions and cosy blankets.
• Think about installing an awning or something similar for protection from the rain.
• Ensure you have enough candles, lanterns or torches, since the days are becoming shorter.
• Find out what the best plants are for this time of year, they will also help you give warmth to the space.
• If you live in a particularly cold place, think about the possibility of installing a fireplace or outdoor heater on your terrace.

Dressing the table

As we have often mentioned, placemats and cotton napkins are the main decoration of the table and their form, texture and colour will be a major influence on the atmosphere of our meal or celebration.

For an open-air meal in autumn, there is nothing better than placemats that leave pretty wooden tables and of other natural materials in view. As regards the best measurements for your placemats and cotton napkins, we recommend looking at our article “Cotton napkins: how to use them on the table”, in which you will also learn some curiosities of etiquette 😉

As regards the colours, below we suggest some of the most suitable collections for your autumn tables.

Cotton napkins and placemats from the Veggie collection

In summer the unarguable leading player is the sea, the ocean, but with the arrival of autumn… We return to the earth, to the orchard, to admiring the changing landscapes of our mountains.

One of the collections that evoke this nature best is the Veggie, of recycled cotton and made up of dark green placemats and cotton napkins with delicate illustrations of garden produce.

Due to its design and colours, it is a very good option for dressing the table in your autumn meals. For the elderly it reminds us of where we come from, and for the younger ones they will enjoy identifying the drawings on the cotton napkins 😉

Basics 100% cotton napkins and placemats

As we pointed out at the beginning of the article, autumn colours par excellence are ochres, browns, oranges… We can represent them on our table with placemats and cotton napkins of different shades from the following 100% cotton collections:

• Sand: inspired by the colour of the earth.
• Curry: more yellowish, it reminds us of this very special mixture of spices.
• Terracotta (new!): a more reddish orange that will also certainly bring this touch of exoticism to the table.
• English green: dark green, because not all the trees shed their leaves 😉
• Mole: elegant and soft brown.
• Chocolate: a more intense brown, pure elegance.

Basics 50% linen napkins and placemats

At MY DRAP we also offer fabrics manufactured in 50% cotton and 50% linen. With a more irregular and handicraft-like part, the cotton napkins and placemats from this collection offer a more distinctive and authentic touch to the table. Without forgetting, of course, this connection with nature.

If you want to find out more about the differences with the 100% cotton napkins, you should read the article from the blog about the MY DRAP materials.

Regarding the colours, there are different options to help you dress the table on your terrace in autumn:
 
 
 

• Cream: the cream colour is a classic that is suitable for all types of occasion.
• Natural: if you like organic colours, this is undoubtedly your collection.
• Water Green: a touch of colour, natural and sober.
• Deep Grey: if you are looking for a shade with more presence and character.

Cotton napkins of different colours

The mixture of colours is, as we pointed out, one of the main characteristics of autumn landscapes. It is also a good way of giving our table personality. In fact, beyond dressing it with placemats and cotton napkins of just one colour, we should not rule out the possibility of matching different collections and shades to create our own design.

The possibilities are endless:

• combining: placemats of one colour (A), and cotton napkins of another one (B).
• alternating: half of the diners with placemat A and cotton napkin B, while the other half have the reverse combination (placemat B with cotton napkin A).
• superimposing: placemats of colours A and B, with cotton napkins A and B.
• matching with different-coloured cotton napkins (A and B), and different sizes.

Be bold in designing your own tables! The aim is to create harmonious matches with colours that are close on the chromatic palette (such as Sand and Cream) or seek the contrast between a basic shade (such as Sand) and another with more personality (such as Terracotta).

Other ideas for table decoration

Beyond the fabrics, we suggest you complement the table decoration with typical elements from this time of year, such as dried fruits or some particularly pretty branches. Check out our previous article to discover different proposals and to learn how to make an autumn centrepiece.