10 EASY IDEAS FOR SETTING A THANKSGIVING TABLE
Wouldn’t you like to almost effortlessly set a Thanksgiving table? Today I’m sharing 10 EASY ideas for setting a Thanksgiving table you will love and so will your guests. Actually, these 10 amazingly easy tips can help you set almost any table but since Thanksgiving is just around the corner they are perfect for right now! Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving or hosting a dinner these ideas are worth pinning so you can refer to them easily! Let’s set a beautiful Thanksgiving table…
Here are some easy to do ideas for YOUR Thanksgiving table!
PICK A COLOR SCHEME
One of the biggest designer secret for setting a beautiful table is to start with a color scheme. Choosing two or three main colors will go a very very long way for set a cohesive and attractive table.
Starting a table by thinking of “color” is a great way to start a successful table!
My Thanksgiving table this year has lots of white, a little bit of green and some shiny silver! Very serene, organic with a little bling… well, maybe a lot of bling!
MIX AND MATCH TABLEWARE
I think using the same pattern dishes, glasses and flatware is just a tad boring! Mixing your tableware up is a fabulous way to use them in fun and fresh ways. Play and try different combinations. I like to do this with my flatware too!
There are three different silver-plated flatware patterns at each place. How interesting, right?
REPEAT ELEMENTS
Repeat, repeat, repeat! Another BIG secret of a fabulous table! And make sure these elements are repeated around the whole table.
Repeated elements for this table are…
- the color green
- white
- silver
- wood slices
- white plates
- cachepots
- succulents
- ornamental cabbage
- mercury glass candlesticks
- baby boo pumpkins
- feathers
- and more!
Like most tables I set I think of the word “juxtaposition”. It’s when two things (or more) are placed next to each other with contrasting effects. Think lux/rustic, high/low, formal/comfortable. I love the creative tension juxtaposition creates.
Silver/rough wood is evident on this table.
DON’T USE A TABLECLOTH
Okay, this is just a personal thing. I love a crisp white tablecloth but I don’t like ironing them and I really don’t like trying to get stains out of them and I really, really don’t like to pay for dry cleaning them! Saying that, If I ever did use a tablecloth it would probably be for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
I often opt for a runner and placemats or chargers! So much easier and I think a nice bridge between formal and comfortable.
FIND INTERESTING PLACEMATS/CHARGERS
This Thanksgiving I’m using these really well made and fun log slices as chargers. They even have tiny feet to get them up off the table.
I use them in the fall every year! They also work great under plants and as risers. Don’t you love things with multiple uses?
GO ORGANIC
Every table you set should have something organic on it! Here are some ideas for Thanksgiving. Combine some of these into a pretty centerpiece or have them run down the center of your table! Just use them!
- flowers
- fruit
- pinecones
- plants
- succulents
- willow balls
- seeded eucalyptus
- pumpkins
- feathers
- moss
- vegetables
- wood
USE LOTS OF CANDLES
Since it gets dark early, let’s let candle glow be part of the beauty of a Thanksgiving table! And don’t be shy about using them especially if they share a common element, like these mercury glass candles sticks. I’ve been collecting them for several years now. They are really very reasonable and give a table a bit of bling!
SIT EVERYONE ACROSS FROM ONE ANOTHER
If you are having a smaller gathering or have a very long table, forgo the head chairs and seat everyone across from each other. I LOVE this seating arrangement. And when you do, s-t-r-e-t-c-h the centerpiece from one end of the table to the other.
PURCHASE SMALL THEMED PLATES OR BOWLS
This tip has allowed me to set so many different tables. I love white plates. White dinner plates! And because I mostly set a white table I can add some very interesting salad/dessert dishes or small bowls in different colors, designs or motifs to a table. So my dish closet has very few “dinner plates” and lots of really nice accent plates!
I’ve used these white turkey salad plates for 5 years. I do have a few other salad plates that would work nicely for a Thanksgiving table but I just love these little turkeys.
GIVE A NOD TO THE SEASON OR HOLIDAY
One of the beautiful things about setting a Thanksgiving table is the ability to use the best of the fall season as part of our decor! Celebrate it, and use it liberally!
Here are some really nice natural fall accents to use on your Thanksgiving table…
- pumpkins, all colors and shapes
- mums
- Indian corn
- feathers
- pinecones
- herbs
- oranges
- hydrangeas
- acorns
- leaves
- ornamental cabbage and kale
- pyracantha
- deer sheds
- candy corn
- bittersweet
USE THE FORMULA BELOW FOR A BEAUTIFUL TABLE
This is a good rule of thumb to follow: The more elaborate the centerpiece on your table is the simpler each place setting should be. And vice versa. If you use this easy tablescaping formula it will help your table have balance!
Here are some pretty Thanksgiving things for your table…
If you are setting a Thanksgiving table this year I hope these easy ideas have helped.
I love your blog, Yvonne and your tablescapes are always beautiful! I especially love the natural elements. I think this may be an older post, but I was wondering about your side chairs, I love the crossback chairs in white washed wood and they look sturdy and well built. May I ask where to buy them?
Beautiful table! Just wondering where you got the mercury (?) glass pots for your cabbage in the center of your table? Just love them!
Hi Janis, I found them a few years ago at the Pottery Barn.
Love your blog and love your tablescape. Where did you get the footed wood chargers? Ones shown on your ‘buy’ link are pricey at $17 each. Thanks much!!
I found them on Hayneedle a few years ago. But I can’t seem to find them now. Sorry
Love your table’s sparkle and Thanksgiving elements Yvonne! The feathers, gourds and centerpiece are stunning! xo Heather
Your table looks lovely,I especially like the turkey plates.Using white dishes is a great backdrop for everything.I just bought a new set of white dishes with a beaded rim and just love them.I mix them with yellow dishes in my black and white kitchen.
You always do such gorgeous tablescapes, and this one is no exception! The mix of white and green is so up my alley, and how cute are your textured turkey salad plates? Love those! And I adore the cute napkins, too!
So glad to be joining you again on this hop – and happy fall!
Sheila
xo
This is just beautiful BUT….. I would love some of my favorite bloggers to show us how they set their table with FOOD on it. ! What decor is left on the table when you have SO much food on it? Drinks where do those go so they don’t leave rings on your table. What do you use under your dishes so they also aren’t leaving marks on the table? PLEASE write about this.. We all have these issues !
Hi Loyda, I don’t set food on my table. I usually have a buffet on the kitchen island and a dessert bar on my buffet. I hope this helps.
Yvonne,
I love your blog and podcast!! It makes my day ❤️❤️❤️ I love your Thanksgiving tablescape and I’m obsessing over your white turkey plates. Any ideas of where to find them?
Keep up the good work!
Janet
Hi Janey, Sorry! I found them a few years ago at my local Pottery Barn and have not found them since.
I feel a cloth is the canvas for a beautiful table setting. Some granite may not stain if the surface has been prepared properly, which has to be done periodical, marble and wood will definitely stain. I prefer the cloth, you get the feeling of the season from the canvas. Then add your beauties. Might I add your beauties always look great , cloth or bare.
Yvonne, your tables are always so beautiful and inspiring! I love your tips and ideas and that gorgeous triple dose of greenery is just perfect! Beautiful table! xo
Just gorgeous! I love using all the natural elements on the table and the neutral color palette is beautiful! I need those turkey plates!
Wonderful post, Yvonne, and fabulous tips! I’m going to incorporate a couple of the tips into one of my wee tablescapes.
Great tips! I do have a question though, which is similar to one already asked. You mentioned that you put the food on your kitchen island. Do you stack the dinner plates on the island for guests to use or do you have guests take them directly from the already set table? It seems more practical for them to be next to where food is served, but then that ruins the pretty table display.
My question is the same as Janine’s. I love setting a beautiful table, but it’s awkward when your guests have to go to the dining room table to get their plates and take them to another location to get their food. I also love having the glassware already on the table because it makes the table look so nice, but then I have to pick them all back up to actually fill them with water or tea. I like having the dinner plates stacked with dessert plates, but then I have to pick them all up so that the guests can get their dinner plates. Just wondering what everyone else does with these awkward moments!
Here’s what I do Penny… I set a table with water goblets filled with water and have everyone sit down. Then they have a chance to enjoy the tablescape. I usually have a little gift or take-away on their plates and let them open it or enjoy it too. I give my guests a chance to chat for a few minutes at the pretty table while Bobby and I go around and pour drinks. I love this time. It gives me a chance to talk to each guest for just a few seconds. Then we say grace and I ask a table question for everyone to answer and I take away the plates on the table and put them on the Buffet.
We don’t have to rush into a buffet when we say “dinner is served”. It’s fun to linger at the table for a bit, sip on a glass of wine and chat. Hope this helps. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you!
I love your blog, Yvonne and your tablescapes are always beautiful! I especially love the natural elements. I think this may be an older post, but I was wondering about your side chairs, I love the crossback chairs in white washed wood and they look sturdy and well built. May I ask where to buy them?
Hi Karen, yes EEW is a series where we update our best archived posts. The chairs you are asking about are from Wayfair. They are Juniper Dell side chairs. They are a bit of an investment but so so worth the price. Hope this helps.
Just beautiful. Will “borrow” some of these ideas this year. I always weave a green crystal garland down the center of the table. It drapes very well and acts to join all together. Very unobtrusive, just a touch of sparkle. Hope to use 3 white pumpkins and 2 fresh cut containers in between with greenery and votives, pinecones, fresh apples and/or pears plus white small pumpkins.
Love your idea of using eucalyptus as greenery.
I’ve started a mercury glass collection (I had a few things that I put out at Christmas, but now I’m going to start using it throughout the year)! It’s beautiful and timeless.
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I was wondering where you purchased the three mercury glass planters in the 10 EASY IDEAS FOR SETTING A THANKSGIVING TABLE post. Thanks and it’s a beautiful table.
Hi D, I found them several years ago at the Pottery Barn.
Comment about what?
Ok, looking forward to ideas!
I agree with you about tablecloths. I love them and I had quite a collection for years. However, with grandkids, teens and even big people dragging the cloth at different and messy angles, I’ve given them up and have started curating a collection of placemats, chargers and cloth napkins…although one Christmas all of the napkins ended up on the floor after our meal! Even pre-Covid, our guest list was generally just our family, but I still get fancy at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, we dined al fresco at Thanksgiving due to Covid. I’ll remember it for years!
Yes, with messy little ones at the table, placemats are the way to go.
Your tablescape looks so inviting and ready for your house guest. Thanks for the tips.Have a great Fall day?
Hi Theresa, thanks!
H wondering where you got the lamp on your white credenza ?
Hi Julkiana, I found the lamp at HomeGoods about 10 years ago. Sorry, I can’t help you more.
Really like this tablescape and especially the lettuce cache pots! Lovely.