Mashed potatoes aplenty, the Macy's Parade, maybe even some football—can we all just agree that Thanksgiving is the best holiday? There are few American holidays that solely center around the dining table like Turkey Day, which means that now's the time to really flex your tablescape-creating skills. Sure, you can grab your special-occasion-only china and the wicker cornucopia from the holiday decorating box in the attic and call it a day. Or, you can get creative with color, flowers, and place settings like the masterful hostess that's inside all of us. To kickstart the Thanksgiving dinner styling conversation, we're sharing with you four unique tabletop ideas to get you thinking outside the gourd.
keep it simple
When we think of autumn, we naturally think of warm colors like golden coppers, deep reds, and cognac browns. While these might be the shades of the changing leaves outside, that doesn't mean they have to dictate your autumn decor on the inside. Take Mark D. Sikes. The Los Angeles-based interior designer and stripe connoisseur stuck to an all-white scheme in his blue-and-cream dining room to achieve a more cohesive aesthetic, which lends a fresh, sophisticated air.
mix-and-match
If you're not already using your china regularly, there's no excuse for the gleaming dishes not to make an appearance before your holiday dinner guests. Pair your fancy, plain plates with more eye-catching designs, like a leopard charger and an Art Deco salad plate to make a glamorous impression.
experiment with FLOWERS
No holiday table is complete without an epic floral arrangement. Yes, it's tempting to deck the table with colored corn cobs, pumpkins, gourds, and fall foliage, but take this 'scape as evidence to the contrary. A few holidays back, textile designer Michael Devine topped his alfresco holiday table with a tray of purple cabbage and dark cold-weather pansies on a bed of moss. The result? A moody take on the autumn harvest decorating scheme.
Go gold
Nothing catches the eye of dinner guests quite like a tabletop filled with gleaming accents. Here, Eddie Ross topped his Thanksgiving place setting with gold flatware, spray-painted miniature gold pumpkins, and brass pheasant objets—creating an ambiance far beyond your everyday dining experience.
