Happy November! While the majority of Instagram is already full of Christmas content, my mind is on Thanksgiving. We’re hosting at our house this year, and there’s nothing I love more than creating a seasonally festive table setting. I’m going to share my layout strategies and show you how to create a simple but elegant tablescape with items you probably already have at home. It might seem intimidating, but it’s really not! Keep reading for step by step instructions and photos.
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First I like to start with a table runner. This helps define the path and creates a sort of decorating runway down the table. It really helps you to visualize where you’ll be placing things. Don’t have a table runner? You could also use a large scarf or throw blanket! I also like to place my chargers at this point as well so you know where not to add greenery, since you don’t want anything going over the place settings. If you entertain or host often, chargers are worth investing in. They instantly dress up a table and make it look elegant and festive. Pick a nice neutral color so that you can use them year round. I love these woven seagrass chargers because they also add some great texture.
| Table Runner | Chargers |
Next up I place my centerpiece/accents. This year I’m using black taper candleholders and a pair of vintage brass pheasants. The trick with the centerpiece is that you want it to be the focal point, so adding height variation is essential here. You could also use pillar candles, vases, or pumpkins, just be sure there’s some height differences.
| Candle Holders | Brass Pheasants here, here, here and here |
Now it’s time to start adding the greenery! I used all real greenery from Trader Joe’s, and the trick is you want at least three different varieties with different textures. I used Seeded Eucalyptus, Spiral Eucalyptus and Magnolia leaves. I will link some faux options as well.
| Faux Magnolia Leaves | Faux Seeded Eucalyptus | Faux Spiral Eucalyptus | Eucalyptus Garland |
I started with the seeded eucalyptus as the base. I cut the sprigs down and started working and weaving them in-between the centerpiece objects. Be sure to work from both sides of the table so you don’t have any bare spots. You can go as minimal or as thick as you want with it. It’s all about personal preference – I like a nice, thick base.
Next I went in with the spiral eucalyptus and worked it on on the ends and in the negative space between the chargers. You’ll see that this adds a lot of texture and keeps the greens from looking one dimensional!
Next I went in with a few more natural elements. First I added in the magnolia leaves. They are much shinier than the eucalyptus so it added some variety, and their brown undersides added in some more fall color tones. Then I went in with some twigs I found in the dried floral section at Hobby Lobby (I will link similar), or you could even forage these from your own yard! Lastly I added in some pinecone picks for even more texture. Again, you could use real pine cones from your own yard. As you can probably tell by this point, I was going for a very natural, nature inspired tablescape.
| Birch Branches | Pinecone Picks |
You can see that we now have a nice, full layout with various textures, colors and heights. Now I like to go in and break up the greenery with little accents like votive or tea light holders. You can never have too much candle light at a dinner table! I found these beautiful wood tea light holders on Amazon for a steal, and they helped tie in the color from the chargers as well. I worked these in symmetrically on the ends and in between the chargers for balance.
| Wood Tea Light Holders | Electric Tea Lights |
Now it’s time for the fun part – the place settings! I absolutely adore these china look plastic plates from Amazon. They look like real china and are so elegant. I don’t mind plastic plates on Thanksgiving, but I do prefer real cutlery. There’s nothing worse than trying to cut turkey with a plastic knife! This black and gold cutlery set is affordable and chic, and the reviews are AMAZING. I love how they tie in the black from the candlesticks and the brass tones from the pheasants. They also come in sets of plain black, gold, black and silver, and rose gold!
| Plates + Matching Bowls | Cutlery | Similar Plates here |
Next up are the napkins, which dress up the plates. You can use real cloth napkins or linen feel disposable napkins, just personal preference. I like to dress them up with napkin rings, but you could tie them up with string or even look up ways to fold them. I found these fall leaf napkin rings on Amazon and I love how festive it made the table feel! Lastly I added a few sprigs of dried bunny tail stems to really give it that fall feel.
| Cotton Napkins | Cloth Like Disposable Napkins | Leaf Napkin Rings | Dried Bunny Tail Stems |
At the end I added in some small white faux pumpkins, because it’s Thanksgiving after all! I placed these on the ends and then along the sides in between the tea light holders. Last but not least I added in my flameless taper candles! I love these candles. They come with a remote so turning them on and off is a breeze, and they flicker to give that real flame look.
| White Faux Pumpkins | Electric Taper Candles |
And there you have it! A simple but elegant, nature inspired fall tablescape perfect for Thanksgiving or a friendsgiving party. Please feel free to email me or comment below with any questions. If you recreate this look I’d love to see! Be sure to follow along for more holiday inspiration on Instagram, and you can now also follow me on the Like to Know it shopping app here. I’ll be posting exclusive content here daily that you won’t want to miss out on!
SHOP THE POST
Flameless Taper Candles
White Pumpkins
Dried Bunny Tails
Napkin Rings
Disposable Napkins
Cotton Napkins
Cutlery
China Look Bowls
China Look Plates
Electric Tea Lights
Wood Tea Light Holders
Pinecone Picks
Birch Branches
Eucalyptus Garland
Spiral Eucalyptus
Seeded Eucalyptus
Magnolia Stems
Brass Pheasants
Taper Holders
Chargers
