This fall trend is the only way I'll be dressing my dining table this season – here's how the experts do it

With every fall comes a new trend for decorating your home in a seasonal way. From wintry foliage to tasteful Halloween props, we've seen them all. But this year I've seen designers and stylists making the most of their pumpkins by using the hollowed-out squash as a unique vase for flowers. The pumpkin vase look is currently trending on Pinterest too, with searches increasing by 455 percent over the past two months.

I love the look - it's celebratory of the season, showcasing the best of fall's bounty, without being too ghoulish, and it's the perfect shape to sit pride of place on your dining room table. To find out how best to recreate this fall decor idea at home, I've spoken to the designers and stylists who are doing it in their own homes to find out their top tips.

What is the trend?

(Image credit: Melanie Lissack Interiors)

The pumpkin vase look works as the perfect table centerpiece for your Halloween dinner party, with bold orange shades of the squash contrasting against the autumnal flowers. It's a cheery way to celebrate the season and easier than you might think to make on your own.

There are a range of styles you can opt for - with paler, cream-colored pumpkins combined with neutral and feathery pampas grass and pale green leaves a nice idea for a more minimalist aesthetic.

Alternatively, you can be adventurous with your choice of flowers. 'You can use any variety of flowers for your arrangement, but the fall-colored ones are my favorite,' says stylist Ella Claire. Fall flowers trends aside, a selection of twigs with berries and leaves can also make for a stylish nod to the season, or dried flowers that won't need any maintenance or require any green thumbs.

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What do you need?

(Image credit: @olichka_art)

For this floral pumpkin vase display you will need:

1. A medium-sized pumpkin

2. A pot, glass or soaked floral foam, like this from Amazon

3. A selection of autumnal flowers

4. A jug of water

What are the steps?

(Image credit: Melanie Lissack Interiors)

So now you've got all the props together, what are the steps?

Firstly, take your pumpkin and decide whether you are going to go for a pot or a glass in the center - you might also want to put floral foam in to easily stick your flowers into.

Take a pen and draw around the shape of the glass or pot on the top of the pumpkin. Get a knife and carefully cut around the shape, before removing and scooping out the insides, saving the discarded pumpkin if you're a whizz in the kitchen and fancy whipping up a Halloween bake.

Take your glass or pot, filled with water and put it in the center of your hollowed pumpkin vase, before arranging your florals in a tasteful way. 'I had a bit of a brainstorm on what would be the best way to keep the flowers fresh inside of the pumpkin and stumbled upon some cheap and reusable ikebana-style memorial grave pots at the floral wholesaler,' recommends interior designer and stylist, Melanie Lissack.

'These hold water securely but also provide flower stem support with the lid. You can buy these pots online or try your local floral wholesaler (if you don’t have one near you, pop into a florist and they might sell you one from their stock).'

It can also be made with a block of soaked floral foam inserted in the middle instead of a pot or glass. 'The floral foam tends to be more sturdy, but I actually prefer using a glass dish and flower frog,' says Ella Claire. If you use the floral foam, you can put this in your vase and stick your stems in, but water is best to ensure your flowers are fresher for longer.'

How to arrange your bouquet

Rearrange your flowers to taste and don't forget the added foliage in autumnal colors to flesh out the display. 'Cut down the stem of each of your flowers and remove any leaves so that the flower heads just pop out of the top of the pumpkin and the stems slide into the vase holes easily,' says Melanie. At the end, either gently balance the cut-off top of your pumpkin around the back of the blooms or leave your blooms without a lid so they can be admired from all angles.

'There are so many different colors of pumpkins available that you could easily mix and match with many different types of flowers. The flowers I used this year are deep burgundy dahlias, muted orange mums, white stock, red hypericum, kangaroo paw, and dried wheat,' says Ella.

'This year, I used a mix of dahlias, Chinese lanterns, small roses, twigs, and eucalyptus,' says Melanie.

Finally, style your pumpkin with tealights, making sure no dangling branches or foliage cause a risk of fire. Creating this ambient lighting is the final steps to making your pumpkin display come together.

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