The table you set for Thanksgiving is one of the most important of the year. You can go all out or choose a few thoughtful details — either way, an intentional design shows appreciation for your family and friends and sparks a sense of gratitude among those who dine with you.
“Putting thought into preparing your table for guests makes them feel welcome,” says Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, a local entertaining expert who has penned nine books on the subject. “I strive to make each and every guest feel that I am honored that they have taken time to have a seat at our table.”
So, where do you begin, especially if you’re used to a more casual table? We reached out to North Texas design and event professionals for aesthetic inspiration, and they delivered autumnal charm in spades. From classic fall colors and cozy textiles to surprising pastels, these are some of our favorite tablescapes for the holiday. And as a bonus, our experts shared their top hosting tips. Cheers!
Warm colors and textures by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman
Lean into the rich colors and textures of fall like Whitman did for a gathering with friends at her family ranch. She filled a fireside table with earthy browns using a plaid tablecloth, Jan Barboligio iron chargers as well as bandana-print napkins; she then brightened up the table with sunset-hued florals by Bows and Arrows.
Whitman, who is known for her attention to detail and hosting prowess, included a turkey-shaped vintage Jim Beam decanter with mason jar glasses and tied each guest’s place card to a lucky horseshoe with green velvet ribbon. “By showing your guests that you took time to prepare for them, through food, a centerpiece, maybe even place cards, you are sending the message their visit with you is valuable and meaningful,” she says.
Holiday hosting tip: Prepare early and don’t be afraid to accept help.
Don’t wait until the turkey is in the oven to set your table. “I sometimes lay my table 10 days in advance so that I can mark it off my list,” Whitman says. “It also gives me time to enjoy it without rushing.”
If a guest offers to help, Whitman recommends taking it. “As a host, I often feel I just want my guests to relax and not worry about anything. But as a guest, I really want to help and contribute,” she says. “Accepting a guest’s offer of help is really a wonderful way to ease the overwhelming task list that comes along with this busy holiday.”
Elegant neutrals by Avant Garden
On any table designed by the creative minds at Avant Garden — the floral shop of renowned event designer Todd Fiscus — the flowers dazzle (naturally). On this Thanksgiving table, “the floral itself is a mix of caramel roses, peach ranunculus, brown “hot biscuit” upright amaranthus and one of our favorites, in-store dyed lisianthus, just to name a few,” says Mariah Wills, director of floral.
The team bookended the arrangement with piles of gold-stemmed pumpkins hand-painted with woodland animals. To balance the elaborate centerpiece, each place setting is simple: smoky topaz glassware, gold flatware, white plates, a khaki napkin and place card. “A well-dressed table is a tradition that we feel makes a space,” Wills says. “Your guests feel special and treasured when they walk into a home where so much thought and care is put into dressing it. It’s about the experience.”
Holiday hosting tip: Upgrade your table with cloth napkins.
“You can never go wrong with a cloth napkin,” Will says. “It elevates every table.” Florals can also be simple, she says. “Using all one type of flower is not only easy to design but it is very impactful.”
Softer, lighter colors by Mended
The lighter, airier colors in this table from Mended are a lovely and unexpected departure from the traditional fall color palette. The brand (which sells tea towels, napkins, table runners, placemats and more goods made by survivors of modern-day slavery in South Asia) demonstrates that a palette of pastels can set a lovely November table while lifting up artisans and their communities.
“This is one reason we say restoration begins at your table,” says Mallory Martin, founder and CEO. “Also, we believe that when you set a beautiful table and invite people into your home, space is given for real conversations to take place.”
Martin and Lauren Garrity, director of creative and communication, used a table runner as the foundation for this design, adding simple white chargers and plates, salmon wine glasses, and a block-printed napkin tucked into wooden napkin ring with a sprig of fresh rosemary. “We love adding texture with greenery and branches from our yards and making a bountiful centerpiece with pumpkins and tea lights or candles,” Garrity says.
Holiday hosting tip: Keep the centerpiece low enough to facilitate conversation.
“In setting my holiday table, I always keep the centerpiece lush but low to encourage conversation around the table,” Garrity says. “I also love personalizing each guest’s seat by adding a small pumpkin or some greenery or foliage to each place setting, either set onto a backdrop of a patterned napkin or tucked into a napkin ring.”
Outdoor sophistication by missyRSVP
We’ll let you in a little secret: Missy Peck, founder of missyRSVP event studio, created this look in collaboration with Swoon, the Studio for a fall birthday celebration, but we think stuffing and mashed potatoes would make a perfect addition to this tabletop. Inspired by the guest of honor’s love for the outdoors, the table features warm browns, leather details, vibrant red-orange napkins, a medley of amber glasses and centerpieces of wood, feathers, branches, leaves and opulent aubergine florals by Gro Designs.
“I wanted it to almost feel like they were eating at a table in the woods instead of in a gorgeous backyard in Dallas,” Peck says. “I love how vintage pressed glassware looks rustic but still chic and elevated.” Blankets folded over the backs of chairs add more green to the mix and provide a warm layer for chilled guests. While the “field guides” at each place setting were made for a game, Peck says, “You could absolutely turn this into a Thanksgiving tradition with questions from past holidays or even just some good old-fashioned trivia.”
Too cold for an outdoor meal? Make it an outdoor-inspired table in your dining room.
Holiday hosting tip: Use what you have, and make your guests feel like VIPs.
“Thanksgiving is stressful to a lot of people, myself included,” Peck says. “Go with what you own. Pull out your grandmother’s china and design the table around it. Or make everyone go outside and forage for flowers or branches — your neighbors won’t miss those pansies or magnolia leaves! — for your table. It doesn’t have to be over the top to be beautiful.”
Peck also really loves making guests feel special. “They need to feel like they were thought of when planning,” she says. “Special elements like knowing the guest’s cocktail of choice and having it ready when they arrive, or their name on the top of the menu, really make a party stand out.”
Dramatic details by Sarabeth & Co.
While oranges, reds, rusts and coppers (all beloved hues of the season) are in attendance on this table designed by Sarabeth & Co. event planning, so are some surprising shades: beguiling emerald green on the velvet chairs and bright lime from the plated pears. Sarabeth Quattlebaum, co-owner of Sarabeth & Co., says the inspiration began with the Charles Sadek Exotic Bird plate at Posh Couture Rentals, and they worked together to design around it, pulling out its colors with the chairs, vintage green glassware and large crowning centerpiece full of verdant leaves and orange and red blooms by Branching Out Events.
“We wanted to embrace traditional fall colors but allow a fun, pop element,” says Rachel Burrow, director of weddings at Sarabeth & Co. At the same time, the ornate gold flatware, satin napkins and layered plates in multiple trims give the look a sense of drama.
Burrow recommends mixing textures at your own table. “Try to play with as many elements as possible,” Burrow says. “Mixing around different pieces — china, silver or glassware — with textured linens and napkins is such a fun process.”
Holiday hosting tip: Go ahead, get creative.
“There are specific places to curate creativity: place cards, napkin rings, menus and surprise items hidden in the centerpieces,” Quattlebaum says. “Try a soup course served in a pumpkin, a place card tucked into a pinecone or written with a gold-felt tip pen on a magnolia leaf. Menus handwritten with a question for each guest to share during the dinner. [Try] cinnamon, cardamom and star anise, along with fall fruits, alongside a beautiful centerpiece. Wild, dried corn on the cob is also beautiful and something you can store and use year after year.”
And if your plans go awry, your florals droop, your pie burns, your table feels lackluster?
“Take some deep breaths and remember throughout this busy entertaining season that it is intended to be fun and create memories,” Whitman says. “It is really all about attitude. Mistakes and accidents will happen, and it is the way we handle them that everyone will remember.”