6 Ideas For Thanksgiving Table Decorations

Do you need ideas for decorating your Thanksgiving table this year? Here are six unique Thanksgiving tablescapes that you can recreate for your own holiday table.

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After years of hosting, I have a plan for making Thanksgiving day go as smoothly as possible, but after cooking all day I often have no energy and no creativity left to set a special dining table. 

In case you find yourself feeling drained of creativity, I’m sharing five different Thanksgiving tablescapes for you to draw inspiration from. 

Each table is decorated in a different style, ranging from rustic charm to traditional blue and white elegance to a neutral lover’s paradise.

I’ll guide you through the details like centerpieces, table runners, and place settings, providing simple tips to help you recreate these looks on your own holiday table.

Combining Traditional Fall and Unexpected Colors

The inspiration for these table decorations came from the colors in the accent plates. I was inspired to add aqua to the table, which you normally don’t see on a Thanksgiving table.

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The absence of a tablecloth gives the table its very casual, laid back vibe, yet it still feels like a table that has been decorated for a special occasion.

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You might even call it a fall garden tablescape because of the centerpiece made up of terracotta pots holding candles and the green glass bottles and other natural elements on the table.

How to recreate this look

• Begin by adding a buffalo plaid table runner down the center of the table. The runner should be long enough to go from one end of the table to the other.
• Make a diy raised platform by attaching small pieces of wood (to act as feet) to the bottom of a long stained board. Place it on the table runner, in the center.
• Arrange a variety of terracotta pots with candles, colored glass bottles filled with faux florals, and a few faux pumpkins on the raised board.
• Layer each place setting with a woven placemat, a charger in your accent color, a stack of complementary colored plates, topped with a fall-themed accent plate.
• To set them apart, the place settings at the end of the table are slightly different than the side settings – the napkins are different and the silverware is arranged differently.
• Place a mini cutting board at each place setting to hold the place card and another colored glass bottle with a floral stem.

TIP: To keep a centerpiece made up of small objects from looking like clutter, group the objects on a raised platform.

Traditional Thanksgiving Charm with a Rustic Twist

Since the origins of Thanksgiving lie in celebrating the bounty of the harvest, a tablescape that blends the warmth of traditional Thanksgiving decor with a touch of rustic charm is especially fitting.

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The decorations on this table exude a cozy, inviting atmosphere, starting with a centerpiece vase filled with vibrant fall foliage and feathers, continuing with place settings of stacked plates in coordinating fall colors topped with a charming white mini pumpkin.

To keep the table from taking itself too seriously, touches of whimsy were added, such as the birds resting on bittersweet branches in a vase, fun Thanksgiving themed salt and pepper shakers, and a playful squirrel plate atop some of the place settings.

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Other decorative elements like candles, small gourds, or even cute figurines of woodland animals enhances the overall look, making the table feel more layered and visually interesting.

How to recreate this look

• Start with a solid, seasonal colored tablecloth, topped with a neutral, textural table runner down the center of the table.
• Create a centerpiece using a seasonal vase combining fall leaves, feathers, and stems.
• Add woven placemats at each place setting to add texture, then stack a dinner plate, salad plate, topped with an accent plate to be used for bread and butter.
• Place a water goblet to the upper right of each plate stack.
• Make the table more inviting by adding place cards, tied to mini white pumpkins at each plate setting. 
• Include a simply folded cloth napkin at each setting, tied with a piece of coordinating ribbon. For a special touch, add a stamped message to each ribbon.
• Complete the look by filling empty spots with candles, seasonal figurines, and fun salt and pepper shaker sets.

TIP: Adding seasonal accents to empty spots when you decorate a table is a designer secret for creating a cozy atmosphere. But be careful – there’s a fine balance between a cozy, well decorated table and a tacky overdone one. 

Traditional Elegance with a Fall Color Palette

For a Thanksgiving table decorated with understated elegance, that feels refined without being overdone, turn to classic elements and a cohesive color palette of muted tones, with minimal pops of color.

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It all begins with a plain, neutral colored table linens, paired with classic white dishes and accessories.

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A neutral table can fall flat if you aren’t careful, so to keep down the boredom factor, the centerpiece was created with a variety of fall elements:

• A beautiful mum in a large white soup tureen, that anchors one end of the table.
• A large, colorful ceramic turkey and a bouquet of wheat anchors the other end.
• A wicker cornucopia filled with faux greenery, with long pheasant feathers radiating in all directions, fills the center.
• Other natural elements, such as pinecones, oversized acorns, and mini pumpkins add more interest and give a subtle nod to the fall season.

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How to recreate this look

• Create a soft base with a neutral tablecloth.
• Anchor each end of the table with a large, eye-catching element that complements the season.
• Soften hard edges of shiny ceramics and pops of color with organic elements, such as wheat, pinecones, feathers, acorns and wicker.
• For texture, use woven placemats as a base. 
• Add a simple plate stack of white dishes at each place setting, with a neutral colored cloth napkin folded and tucked between plates.
• Top each plate stack with a mini pumpkin in a complementary color that blends with the overall muted palette.
• Use a felt tip pen to personalize leaf-shaped cutouts placed on top of the plate stack. 

TIP: A bold centerpiece is a great way to display large pieces of holiday and seasonal decor.

Casual Autumn Charm with Natural Elements

These Thanksgiving table decorations are for those who want to incorporate the beauty of natural elements to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for a casual gathering.

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Even though I don’t consider this a formal table, it’s for a special occasion, which calls for a tablecloth in my book.

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The star of the show is a bountiful centerpiece, containing a variety of faux pumpkins, wooden candlesticks, leafy greenery, and dried hydrangeas atop a burlap table runner and flows down the center of the table.

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How to recreate this look

• Cover the table with a seasonally colored tablecloth topped with a textural runner, made from a natural fiber fabric such as burlap.
• To create the centerpiece, start of by placing a collection of various wooden candlesticks, filled with seasonally colored candles, in a staggered pattern going down the center of the table.
• Add a base of flat leafy greenery placed in various locations among the candlesticks. 
• Add a collection of different shapes, colors and sizes of pumpkins on top of the greenery. Be sure to turn the pumpkins in a variety of directions.
• Lastly, for a lush, full centerpiece, tuck in blossoms of dried hydrangeas into the empty spots.
• Layer two different shaped and colored placemats at each place setting.
• No fancy plate stacks or dinnerware needed here – all you need is a dinner plate and a dessert plate.

Dressed Up Pumpkins and Eucalyptus

This very easy Thanksgiving table setting is one of my personal favorites. It’s a carefully color-curated table and there’s something about the juxtaposition of the unstarched tablecloth and formal table setting that I find very appealing. 

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And the arrangement of pumpkins in varying sizes and shades of rustic orange, the green eucalyptus, and the warm candlelight bring an organic yet elegant charm to the table.

I also love the fact that there are only side chairs, which allows the centerpiece to run the full length of the table.

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The “formalness” of white candles is tempered by the use of wooden candlesticks. 

Each place setting included a ruffled, burlap placemat, topped with a plaid charger. The chargers introduce a touch of pattern and colors that blend with the rest of the colors on the table.

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How to recreate this look

• Begin with a freshly laundered unbleached tablecloth that hasn’t been ironed or starched.
• To create this easy centerpiece, stagger candlesticks down the center of the table. Fill in with various sizes and shapes of rustic orange pumpkins. Being generous, place eucalyptus branches in any available empty spot for a lush look.
• Use round placemats in lieu of traditional rectangles. Burlap placemats with ruffles will add to the lushness of the table.
• Top each placemat with a plaid charger in complementary colors.
• If you don’t have dinnerware with greenery on the rims, use plain white dishes.
• Place flatware in its normal position.
• Use color coordinating napkin rings on rolled up linen napkins and place them diagonally across each plate’s rim.
• Top each plate with a mini pumpkin in the same shade of rustic orange as those used in the centerpiece. 

TIP: If room allows, make a dramatic statement by using only side chairs at your table so that the centerpiece can run completely from one end of the table to the other.

Updated Traditional Blue and White Thanksgiving

If you love traditional style, chinoiserie, elegance, and blue and white, these Thanksgiving table decor ideas are for you. 

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Layered linens and a table filled with stylish elements create a sense of coziness that makes guests feel welcome and adds warmth to the starkness of white.

This table is a fresh take on classic blue and white and was inspired by the accent plates at each place setting. It’s perfect for anyone looking to make a statement at their Thanksgiving dinner!

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The plates could work on a formal or a casual table, but combining them with gold chargers, gold flatware, and the rest of the elements on the table allows them to work in a more formal setting very well.

The plates could work on a formal or a casual table, but combining them with gold chargers, gold flatware, and the rest of the elements on the table allows them to work in a more formal setting very well.

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How to recreate this look

• Add a square blue and white patterned tablecloth (turned diagonally) to the top of a solid white starched tablecloth.
• Place a runner, that is long enough to run the entire length of the table down the center.
• Shop your house to fill the center of the table with a variety of different sizes and shapes of ginger jars and other blue and white accessories. 
• Add decoupaged pumpkins to the centerpiece, elevating one of them on a pedestal for an eye-catching accent.
• Place gold candlesticks intermittently throughout the center.
• At each each place setting place gold flatware, a light colored woven placemat, gold charger, a blue rimmed dinner plate, topped with an accent plate in coordinating colors, and a silver water goblet and crystal wine goblet.
• To dress up a color-coordinating napkin, wrap it with a tobacco leaf patterned one that has a brass napkin ring placed over it.

TIP: To keep the eye moving throughout a centerpiece, vary the heights of the elements, being careful not to block anyone’s view across the table.

Each one of these very different Thanksgiving tablescapes offers something unique to help you make your holiday table special.

Capture the joy and enjoy the creative process in a way that speaks to your style. It’s an opportunity to set the scene for a holiday full of cherished memories with family and friends.