6 easy decorating ideas for your Thanksgiving table

Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Rolls. Three kinds of PIE! You have the perfect menu planned. Now what about that Thanksgiving table? Create a dining landscape as beautiful as your meal with finds from around your home, yard and KSL Classifieds. As easy as sprinkling marshmallows on your candied yams. 

Setting the table

If you’re feeding a large group, chances are you don’t have the same place setting for everyone. More than 10 is pretentious, right? Time to mix and match. With 20 guests, for example, you can use three different settings and it will still feel cohesive, especially once you add matching napkins and place cards.

What’s the vibe

Choosing a theme can help you tackle how to decorate the table. Nature? Formal? Rustic? Start with a solid tablecloth as your background, then add layers of colors, textures and decor. 

Photo credit: Wendy Wei

Fall

Thanksgiving is a celebration of the Earth’s bounty and beauty. Why not put that autumnal feast on the table? Use a solid, jewel-toned tablecloth for a neutral backdrop, such as dark brown, red or green. Make one main centerpiece using seasonal flowers — daisies, sunflowers, chrysanthemums — or fill a vase with branches of colorful leaves or berries. Spread a few mini pumpkins and additional leaves along the length of the table, intertwined with fairy lights.

Vintage

A vintage table setting is a fun option when you’re inviting multi-generational guests. Arrange flowers in vintage tins, old trophies or glass bottles from the back of grandma’s pantry. Mismatched china is a plus in this case. Make place cards with black and white photos of your guests as children, or set small framed images around the table. As another nod to the past, use vintage pyrex for all your serving dishes.

Rustic

Harvest season naturally lends itself to a rustic theme. Arrange wildflowers and/or colorful leafy branches in a milk can or pitcher instead of a standard vase. Or skip the bouquet and instead use a chalk marker to write the menu on large pumpkins. A strip of burlap or colored cheesecloth makes a perfect table runner and backdrop for additional leaves and flickering candles. Wrap linens with jute twine.

Neutral

Traditional colors are not mandatory for Thanksgiving. Set the table with neutral white or cream tablecloths, linen napkins and dishes for a simple, sophisticated look. White pumpkins and other gourds — whitewashed or fake — keep the color scheme, but still make it seasonal. 

Photo credit: Cottonbro Studio

Add accents such as eucalyptus leaves or gold votive candles if it feels too bland. Alternatively, line a neutral table runner with short vases of flowers — pinks, yellows and oranges — along with greenery for a bright pop of color.

Monochrome

Similar to the neutral palette, decorate with just one color in different shades. For example, use a dark green tablecloth and kelly green linen napkins, then embellish with mostly green gourds. Small bursts of other colors — silver or gold candlesticks, for instance — will give the table more visual layers.

Simple

Not all Thanksgiving dinners are grand affairs. If your celebration only includes two or four, you certainly don’t need a huge centerpiece. Quickly decorate with a few basics: mandarin oranges, pine cones, pillar candles and some greenery. Add chargers to elevate the plates, along with some pretty napkins, and you have an elegant table setting.

Bringing it home

Will turning your table into a work of art make everything taste better? Maybe. But remember the ultimate reasons you’re sitting down together: To eat and talk with friends and family. Sit down and look around — can you see over the centerpiece well enough to comfortably carry on a conversation? Be sure there’s room for both the food and swinging elbows. 

Photo credit: Ekaterina Bolovtsova

Create a beautiful tablescape to welcome guests, then let everyone relax and enjoy what they came for. Find more tips for the holidays and your home on KSL Classifieds Resources.