Somehow, some way, it’s been two months of us being here in Tennessee, which means it’s time to leave, for a short while, at least.

This summer has been one of the sweetest and most special summers of my life. There’s something so relaxing about this property, and this home, and we’ve been lucky to have friends and family lined up for visits throughout this summer which has kept us feeling 1. very popular (weird!) and 2. like we’re getting the best of both worlds—the beauty that comes with living in nature and the fulfilling connectivity that comes from getting wine drunk and complaining about the state of the world with friends. Not to mention much of our time here has been spent dreaming about future plans—like how we’ll be using the land or designing the home, and planning our wedding (this November!!). Like I said, it’s been sweet.

While the first several weeks of being here had us trying out the restaurants in and around Chattanooga, we’re ready to settle down a bit and get back to making big meals for anyone who would like to come enjoy it with us (a rare occurrence, but still!) which means an excuse to tablescape. This time around we’re doing a barebones tablescape-on-a-budget, using vases and taper holders and organic materials to create a sculptural but elegant table that we would happily use in the summer or fall. Which is great because right now it’s summer and pretty soon—it’s gonna be fall!

Below we’ve got more imagery and a few basic instructions as well as a big ol’ shopping list for you to peruse to create your own centerpiece!

If you have our book Housewarming, you can flip to page 174 to find a whole chapter on seasonal tablescapes and our tips for turning up or down the formality. But today we’re sharing with you something a bit different—how to create a very minimal tablescape you can toss together in minutes, relying on organic pieces and scultpural components to make a swoon-worthy table setting.

If you like the way this setup looks, some very basic things to have on hand year round include:

Monotone candles in varying heights (6”, 8”, and 10” are great) and/or taper candle holders of the same material but in varying heights (for instance, three matt black holders in varying heights, or three natural wood holders in varying heights).
Two to three neutral toned vases, think along the lines of creams, whites, blacks, and grays. Ceramic and stone vases add another level of textural beauty. What you put in them will be what changes each time and sets the mood or vibe!
Cake stands or tiered stands that will allow you to create height variation for other decorative elements of the tablescape, whether that be your candles or a dish with tiny little pine cones etc.

And in general, it’s good to have at least two or three different materials being used—so things like marble, brass, wood, ceramic, and metals in different finishes. In the above table I would’ve ideally had something wooden to help further warm things up even further, but, woops.

Anyhow, when your vases are the first thing you’ll need to figure out—what are ya gonna put in them? We used some branches from our property. All we did was snip them down and then thin out the leaves to create a more sculptural look. In the past we’ve used items like rosemary bush clippings, and even mitsumata branches for an ultra elegant and modern look.

Once you’ve gathered your pieces, build the tablescape by starting in the center with your larger iems.