There’s Thanksgiving and then there’s Friendsgiving – a new(ish) tradition we love. Everyone thinks about the menu weeks ahead of time, but décor doesn’t have to take a backseat. Our design team was inspired by autumnal colors and textures and dreamed up these easy elegant décor tips to set your table with style.
Be Grateful to the Earth
The versatility and muted tones of butcher paper will lend your décor an understated beauty.
Image credit: courtesy of @boho.view via Twenty20.jpg
- Instead of a plastic or disposable table runner, try an unexpected kitchen staple: butcher paper.
- Butcher paper is a perfect blank canvas to mark place settings (time to test those calligraphy classes), label a DIY cocktail station, display the menu and of course, for guests to write down what they’re thankful for. Throw in some pretty markers while you’re at it.
- For those inevitable leftovers, purchase recyclable or compostable to-go bags and containers for your guests to take home. We love paper products for less waste all around.
Embrace Natural Elements
Pull your Thanksgiving color palette from the prettiest gourds you can find to delight your guests
with pastel possibilities. Image credit: courtesy of @agatha via Twenty20
- Gourds, pumpkins and squash are classic fall décor for a reason. They’re long-lasting but also come in a hue of colors other than bright orange – think ivory to pale green to a more natural ochre. Pick one to two colors and build your table and décor around that.
- Some of the best design elements are 100% free. Walk the neighborhood for branches, leaves, colorful foliage and acorns to sprinkle into your décor.
Both fragrant and beautiful, it’s a win-win when your table’s centerpiece comes directly from
nature. Image credit: courtesy of @carleyscamera via Twenty20.jpg
- To spark all the senses, fresh sprigs of rosemary make fragrant partners to cloth napkins and silver dollar eucalyptus can be laid out anywhere you want a crisp touch. You can find these at your local flower stand or even Trader Joe’s.
Think Non-Traditional
Pair unexpected elements—autumnal leaves, dried fruit and candles, perhaps—for the most
elegant of table settings. Image credit: courtesy of @thayra via Twenty20.jpg
- If you want to branch out from the norm, pick a completely unexpected theme. There’s bright and colorful, moody and boho, or desert vibes that pull in all the succulents, palm leaves and cacti of your dreams. After all, if you don’t live in a wintery city, why should your table feel any different? It’s also an excuse to have pumpkin popsicles, right? Right.
Channel desert vibes with non-traditional Thanksgiving decorations, like palm leaves and cacti.
Image credit: courtesy of @hellomikee via Twenty20
- Instead of traditional garlands, have your guests take photos of each other and string up the Polaroids as your hero design piece. Talk about a conversation starter.
- Channel your inner Dali by taking a marker to your pumpkins to swirl abstract designs on them versus displaying them unadorned.
