Thanksgiving is on the horizon and that means having to impress parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, your own kids and maybe even your friends with some seriously superb décor. But how do you avoid repeating the same ideas year after year?
If you’re stumped, here are eight Thanksgiving decoration ideas that can spruce up your place and make it the talk of the fam this holiday season. Then, you can base your fall gift ideas on your designs to create a cohesive event.
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Dark Florals
You know that white tablecloth you use every year for the Thanksgiving dinner table? Don’t trade it in for something kitschy. Use it, but pair it with some dark, moody floral arrangements. Place some black plates around the table, neutral-toned napkins in black napkin rings, and mixed black and white candles in brass candleholders around a tastefully arranged floral centerpiece. Accentuate the black florals with some purple, pink or even white touches to create an elegant — albeit non-traditional — setting.
Use a Pumpkin Vase
Another centerpiece option is to get a pumpkin-shaped vase and fill it with floral décor. Copper and cream tones tend to pair well together for a warm visual aesthetic. You can place a simple neutral (think tan or gray) table runner beneath it, and your beloved white tablecloth under that. Use some copper silverware and cups to really draw in the eye and create warmth. As the final touch, use personalized kitchen towels in similar colors to bring everything together from the dining area to the kitchen.
Try Dried Flowers Paired With Copper Accents
Speaking of copper accents, they pair nicely with dried flowers to create an appealing centerpiece or tabletop décor for any table surface in your home. Lucy at Craftberry Bush is an absolute genius when it comes to creating an inviting Thanksgiving table. As she illustrates, you can pair some light-toned dried flowers with copper cups that serve as vases. Then, surround them with terracotta pot plates for a rustic yet warm aesthetic. What’s best is that you can personalize these plates by painting each person’s name onto their plate and let them keep it as a cool keepsake. Of course, if you don’t feel like painting them, you can order them as customized gifts.
Create a Gratitude Tree
When you gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving, encourage them to visit your gratitude tree. All you need are a few good-sized branches placed in a pot or vase and some colorful paper. That way, your family and friends can write down what they are grateful for and place their notes on the gratitude tree. You can also add some small seasonal ornaments to the tree to attract the eye. Put it in front of a personalized wall canvas with your family name on it to really emphasize the importance of family and togetherness.
Make a Harvest Wreath
You don’t have to be a DIY guru to make an incredible harvest wreath. In fact, all it takes is a trip to your local store for supplies and a short amount of time to put your wreath together.
What do you need? For starters, choose autumn-inspired floral pieces to mount onto the wire wreath frame. Snag some burlap, dried wheat, excelsior, foam berries, jute twine and one of those cute stuffed owls that many retailers sell in the fall. Break out your glue gun and glue sticks, and start piecing everything together. You will need to buy a door hanger if you don’t already have one. Copper, black, and brown door hangers pair well with this wreath.
Encase Miniature Pumpkins in Glass Cloches
If you have a fireplace, decorate the mantel with a series of mini pumpkins under glass cloches. You’ll also need some old hardcover books to put below and to the side to help encase them. You can paint these books white, tan, orange or a mixture of these tones to create an appealing visual aesthetic. This is especially fun if you’re a total bookworm who loves crafting with old thrift store books.
Create Simple DIY Placeholders
What’s a Thanksgiving dinner table without placeholders? That way, when family and friends come to visit, everyone knows exactly where they are sitting. (And, of course, this avoids fights over who gets to sit where.) The easiest and most eye-catching way to go about this is to get mini chalkboards that you can write each quest’s name on. If you want a placeholder that doubles as a party favor, use custom drinkware!
If you go the simple route, you can get crafty by adding little decorative touches. If you have any eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of thyme or anything else around the house or growing in your garden that you can use, add it around the placeholder for a cute accent.
Craft Up the Kids’ Table
No matter how much the children may envy the grownups’ seating, the kids’ table can be the best place to dine on Thanksgiving. This is especially true when you add crafts and games to make the holiday memorable and fun for them. Make sure to use silverware that is appropriately sized for the kids.
The catch to creating a cool kids’ table is making it interactive. The more your child’s dinner guests can interact with the things on their table, the more they are likely to enjoy the celebration on the whole. Let them set the places with mini pumpkin and autumn leaf décor. (You could schedule an event ahead of time, so the kids can create their favorite Thanksgiving decorations to use when the big day arrives.) Or use placemats that come with a game to play while waiting for the feast.
Wrapping It Up
Now that you have some Thanksgiving decoration ideas to go on, start stockpiling your décor and recruit the kiddos to help you set things up for the best Thanksgiving dinner your family and friends have seen in years. It doesn’t take much time or money — just a good amount of inspiration and innovation.