My Fall Kitchen Is the Heart of My Home

At my house, even though my kids are grown, the kitchen is still the heart of my home. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed cooking for my family and repeating my kids’ favorite dishes on special holidays and other occasions.

On any random day, I will pull out favorite old cookbooks given to me by friends and family and read the notes by each recipe made with my friends in the kitchen. So it would stand to reason that I also enjoy collecting dishes and glassware, kitchen supplies and decorating my kitchen for each season. It’s not necessarily that I have to decorate my entire kitchen, but I do enjoy bringing out special dish towels, using seasonal spatulas and adding warmth to the kitchen (and entire house) with items that feel inviting for the particular season.

Summer was all about lemons. Fall is all about warmth and color. Here are my fall kitchen inspirations that make my house a home in my heart.

My Fall Kitchen Inspirations

Amber Glassware

Last year I found these glasses at my local hardware store, and I couldn’t pass them up. I felt like I would not find this color hue again, so I swooped them up, probably paying a bit too much for them. But, oh well. Naturally, you can find an amber color palette almost anywhere right now, but at the time, I was all “glazed up” and made the purchase.

They look beautiful with my dishes, and I will enjoy them for years to come. I store them up high in my cabinet when not in use, and I remind myself that if they were more accessible, I would use them more often. Note to self – move them down a couple of rungs!

Baskets and Bowls

I love to open my cabinets and pull out my favorite bowls, which I have collected from various jaunts to antique stores with my friends. I add fruit to some and use others for storage. I also use them as a bread basket and to decorate for warmth on the counter. I change out the use for different occasions, and they serve a great purpose all year long.

Table Linen

There is little I enjoy more than beautiful table linen. While it doesn’t need to be expensive, it brings me joy to rotate seasonal linen on my kitchen table and decorate my island with a vintage cloth where people can serve themselves buffet style. One of my all-time favs, and I know I have shown these often, are my orange cocktail napkins with my monogram. They are orange, my favorite color, and they make me happy each time I use them.

My son is buying a new home, and one of the pieces of advice I strongly believe in is, “There is no right or wrong. If you look at something in your home, and it brings you joy, it’s the right piece in the right place.”

Two Tried and Trues

My Staub Pumpkin Cocotte and my orange Kitchen Aid mixer, given to me by my best friend many moons ago, are always a touch of fall that I can’t fathom ever doing without. Not only do I love them for their function, but I am deeply connected to them for the memories they have given me throughout the many years of use.

It’s not the object, but the feeling of love attached to each of these beautiful items as I use them and remember the joy they brought to my family and friends over the many years, as I have cooked meals and we have shared our lives over the delicious end results.

I hope you are looking forward to a beautifully festive fall in your home as well! When you post your seasonal photos, be sure to tag me on Instagram @dianegottsman. Seeing your creativity on display always inspires me!

For more information about working with Diane, America’s “Go to” social and professional (manners) skills authority, please visit The Protocol School of Texas. 

If you enjoyed my fall kitchen inspirations, You may also like Beyond Pumpkin Spice: 10 Ideas for Fall. See what Diane is up to by following her on Instagram and Facebook. Find etiquette inspiration on her Pinterest account and keep up with her latest tweets. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips, refer to her posts on Inc. and HuffPost.