30 Thanksgiving Table Ideas For A Festive Holiday Dinner

Add Unexpected Color

Mix up your Thanksgiving color scheme by adding blue to the mix this year. This unexpected combination will wow your guests this season.

Dress Up Boring Brown

Liven up the usual brown-and-white (or turkey-themed) plates by mixing in cool colors and warm woven textures. Rather pairing these plates with deep yellow or mustard hues, look toward cooler shades with purple and warm red linens, which will contrast with the earthy tones in patterns similar to this one (Wedgwood’s Beatrice Brown). This lilac tablecloth (made of Carolina Irving’s Andaluz fabric in Viola) reads as a neutral against the richer raspberry napkins. For these place “cards”, all you need are clementines, a white paint pen, and a steady hand.

Lastly, swap our the typical Thanksgiving bouquet of seasonal mums, for a deep shade of pink arrangement. For a similar look, fill a vessel with a dozen large blossoms (such as peonies or garden roses) for volume, a dozen smaller blooms (like carnations) to fill in any holes, and a bunch or two of red-tinged foliage for added texture.

Play With Peachy Pumpkins

If you have a large or round dining table, try creating a pumpkin pile display for your centerpiece. Here, an odd-numbered grouping of coral-colored pumpkins of various shapes are the foundation while dried flowers, feathers, mushrooms, moss, pinecones, and pods (hot glued on) adorn them.

Go All-In On Orange

Mix and match various orange tones for a beautiful fall tablescape. Here, traditional Herend Chinese Bouquet in Rust china is complemented by deep orange napkins and a lighter colored tablecloth with orange accents. Pops of the hue also appear in the floral arrangements and vibrant orange tapers add to the table’s glow.

Display A Mini Garden

Talk about farm-to-table: Let this colorful, free-form twist on the cornucopia take a starring role. Nestle mini pumpkins among the seasonal greens and succulents in a tray or basket.

Go Green In The Outdoors

This all-natural table setting is the perfect complement to a family Thanksgiving. Go all in on texture with seagrass-clad glassware speckled stoneware plates, magnolia leaf accents, and a layered place card. Keep the arrangement simple with different shades of green.

Accent With Gold

Designer Fran Keenan used orange, blue, and citron in this formal table setting. These colors might seem out of place, but if you look closely you will see they are all represented in the Spode Woodland china. Gold and brass accents finish out this warm table. Don’t have place card holders? Simply stick a card into the prongs of forks and everyone will find their assigned seat.

Personalize Place Settings

Layers of linens and gleaming silver accents keep this Thanksgiving table clean and elegant. Instead of written place cards, silver frames with photographs identify where guests are sitting.

Play With Pattern And Color

If your special occasion china is simple like the one here, that means you have an unlimited amount of choices when it comes to setting the table. Here, bold teal and rose accent colors pop in lieu of the traditional autumn-themed accents. Pair more formal silver heirlooms with colorful, block-printed linens to infuse a little modern energy. Dusty blue napkins also keep the setting from feeling stuffy while a mix of high tapers and low votives provides the optimal candle glow.

As for the effortless arrangement, mismatching vases are filled with white roses and dried hydrangeas, plus a few scabiosas and berry clippings, to set a calm, neutral tone that won’t compete with the vibrant patterned tablecloth.

Mix In Magnolias

Magnolia leaves are all around at Christmas, but we think you should embrace them for Thanksgiving as well. Mixed with rich teals and deep purples, the green becomes autumnal. Lustrous flatware is the perfect addition to this modern table setting.

Go Nautical On The Coast

This blue and white Thanksgiving table can be embraced year-round. Rattan placemats create a base against bamboo plates and blue and white china. Stick to the theme and go for bamboo flatware and napkin rings. Not everything on the table has to be blue and white though. Add a punch of color with orange to the napkins and other table accessories. A ginger jar filled with eucalyptus cuttings and a few blue and white pumpkins keep the table breezy and not too fussy.

Try Warm And Woodsy

To create this look, cut logs of varying heights and top them with moss and small flower arrangements for a rustic and woodsy vibe. Simple white plates and timeless flatware allow the bold pops of orange and mustard to take center stage. “A fabulous table setting can be as close as the local tree service, the farmers’ market, or your own backyard,” says Savannah designer and stylist Elizabeth Demos.

Embrace The Frills

Your pastel luncheon dishes can become unexpectedly seasonal when combined with traditional Thanksgiving elements. Here, feminine floral pattern china is paired with a traditional mustard-shade tablecloth and understated mauve napkins, while brass chargers and gold-toned mercury glass votives add a metallic element to complement the warm shades of the table linens. For an eye-catching arrangement, pair wine- and ruby-toned ranunculus, dahlias, and artichokes for a strong, vivid counterpoint to the gold tablecloth that helps skew the setting more fall.

Soften The Setting

Pops of teal compliment the neutral palette anchored by cotton and linen. A garland of twine with words of thanks winds along the runner and reminds everyone of the focus of the holiday.

Make A Kid Station

Everyone will want to sit at the kids’ table with this bright, colorful theme. Cover the table with white paper and draw each child their own placemat with their name. An orange table runner, pinecones, and wood elements add a playful touch to the center of the table. Include crayons at each setting for the kids to write (or draw) what they are thankful for this year.

Spread Out

Blue and white truly go with everything, so don’t be afraid to add autumnal shades and textures to your table. If you have a long rectangular table, create a sprawling centerpiece to fill the space. Fall veggies, fruits, flowers, and foliage are combined to create a twist on a cornucopia. Additional gourds and fruits are spread down the table, making the space feel full and complete.

Use Down-To-Earth Materials

Fine china, weathered urns, silver cups, and moss do make a great combination. This Thanksgiving table brings some outdoorsy elements inside to create a back-to-nature vibe that is still elegant. Pumpkins set atop urns and moss add height to the table without needing a large flower arrangement. Smaller bouquets in mint julep cups bring in hints of reds and yellows to add to the predominant color of green.

Get Playful With Pumpkins

Mini pumpkins serve as place cards for this fall celebration. White linens and dishes allow the punches of orange to become the center focus. Large glass jugs are filled with branches from the yard and a pop of orange on the table runner completes this table.

Try Out Teal

It’s your turn to host, and you’re ready to impress without passing into the realm of formal and stuffy. For the palette, try teal. Yes, teal for fall. Summer may stake a claim to the ocean hue, but strategic styling can make it an all-season star. Pair teal with darker tones and the right flowers for a fall look. Finish off the look with a Southern statement piece. Every table needs a conversation starter, whether it’s a set of plates with artisanal flair or your mama’s butter dish.

Keep It Casual

Designer Fran Keenan took the Southern china staple Woodland Turkey by Spode and set a table for the entire family. Formal china can easily go casual with natural elements like wooden-handled flatware and rattan chargers. Black-and-white striped napkins and matching runners laid across the width of the table under the place settings are additional modern touches that add to the casual feel of this Thanksgiving table.

Set The Mood

The bold elements of Forest Walk china by Juliska set the tone for the rest of the table. Shades of purple, red, and green build off the china pattern without taking away from the details. When setting an oval table, defining each place setting can be difficult. Chargers are used here because they don’t take up too much space but clearly identify each setting.

Make Everything Sparkle

Just because you don’t have turkey plates in your china cabinet doesn’t mean you can’t use your formal china on Thanksgiving. Event planner Tara Guérard used her china pattern as inspiration for this champagne and gold table with subtle touches of pink. Instead of using the tureens for serving, they were filled with spray-painted apples to create centerpieces. Flanked by thrift store candlesticks with pale pink tapers, this table feels formal without being fussy.

Add Elegance To An Outdoor Table

With the weather we have in the South, chances are you can enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner outside. This front porch setting leans rustic, but accents of pewter, seasonal china, and even tortoiseshell flatware elevate the table. Faux pumpkins make great vessels for fall arrangements to finish off this Thanksgiving table.

Scatter Fruit Along The Table

These vintage turkey plates are a great starting point for a colorful Thanksgiving table. Picking up on the blues, ginger jars and blue and white china become a festive combination that you usually wouldn’t think about for fall. Pomegranate and hypericum berries bring out the reds in the turkey plate. Scattered down the table and incorporated into the place card bundles, this pop of color keeps the table fun.

Find The Refined In Rustic

Burlap, pewter, and kraft paper are the elements that make up this rustic-meets-refined table setting. Arrangements in warm tones and multiple candlesticks add to the cozy vibe for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Embrace The Lodge Look

Mix-and-match flatware and china bring an ease to this Thanksgiving table. Deep, rich colors in the plaid tea-towel napkins and small bouquets keep the table leaning towards warm, cozy fall. The antlers lend this table a rustic lodge feeling.

Go All Out With Color

A small round table doesn’t have to be boring for Thanksgiving. Skip the white linens and go all out with bright colors. Here mustard and teals make for a special setting for an intimate Thanksgiving dinner. For a round table, make sure your centerpiece is low so that conversation (and eye contact) can still be had between all the guests.

Create A Pumpkin Planter

This deep orange Cinderella pumpkin provides a charming vase for flowers. Remove the seeds from your pumpkin and set a vase of flowers inside, or moisten a block of florist foam and insert the stems. You can also fill a pumpkin with soil for mums, succulents, mosses, and other plants.

Get Creative With Gourds

Pumpkins aren’t the only squash that deserve a spot in the limelight. The tall necks of butternut squash work especially well with a bud vase set inside. Allow the foliage and berries to drape over the sides.

Have Fun With Crafts

This quick-and-easy craft adds a playful tone to the kids’ table. To make the place cards, cut feathers from paper and use a glue gun to attach them to a wine cork. Add black beads for eyes, along with a paper beak and wattle. You can also provide a craft project for the kids to complete while waiting for dinner.