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Houzz Readers Share Their Fabulous Thanksgiving Tablescapes

The Houzz community is full of creative inspiration when it comes to setting the table for the holiday

Becky HarrisNovember 15, 2020

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.

Over the years, we’ve asked Houzz readers to show us their Thanksgiving tablescapes, and the community has shared an array of beautiful, creative designs. Though gatherings are likely to be smaller this year, and might involve video screens to connect digitally with larger groups, it’s still a time to make the celebration feel special with a beautiful tablescape. Check out some wonderful examples shared by the Houzz community to get ideas for yours.

Becky Harris

Houzz reader scolman created an artful runner of foliage and candles down the center of the table. The Japanese maple cuttings and succulent sprigs from the yard make for a beautiful combination.

Becky Harris

Similarly, Houzz user gato s created a lovely arrangement of artichokes, oranges, small gourds, leaves and white roses down the center of the table. The idea was inspired by a mantel seen on Houzz.

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Becky Harris

Caron’s Beach House created a tablescape with clever coastal style. There isn’t the expected blue-and-white beachy theme here. Instead, shells and fish in green tones blend nicely with foliage, driftwood pieces, gourds and candles. A burlap runner printed with shells creates a nice base for the display.

Shop for a table runner

Becky Harris

Succulents and gourds also appear on Tamster‘s table, with the hollowed-out gourds serving as planters.

Becky Harris

Two friends combined the bounty from their gardens and collaborated on this natural Thanksgiving tablescape. Houzz user dodsworth helped friend Lisa create a welcoming table that includes a dried silver dollar plant arrangement hanging from the chandelier. The two gathered hydrangea and magnolia leaves and Japanese lantern pods from their yards, then added small gourds, ribbon, a white berry garland and battery-powered lights to complete the display.

Becky Harris

Thomas Maglio created a colorful fall display using gourds, red and green apples, branches, leaves and candles.

Becky Harris

At Houzz reader foofaraw’s house, branches provide structure for a fun fall centerpiece. Japanese lanterns add color, while feathers and glass ornaments complete the arrangement. Around the jug are moonstones found on a nearby beach.

Becky Harris

There’s a festive picnic feeling on Houzz reader frenchbluecottage‘s fall-theme Thanksgiving table. A plaid throw serves as a tablecloth underneath white gourds, American bittersweet, fall leaves and other natural elements. The special finishing touch is Grandmother’s amber glassware.

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Becky Harris

Taking inspiration from still lifes, regina5697 created a lovely centerpiece composed of grapes, artichokes, white roses, small white gourds and more. Burgundy candles around it pick up on some of the tones seen in the grapes, and decorative garden sculptures enhance the display.

Becky Harris

Green and orange tones add color to Lisa Dirito‘s Thanksgiving table. She organized the table around a large candle in the center, adding a border of berries and bookending it with gourds, potted plants and tulips.

Becky Harris

“There is always so much to be thankful for, so I wanted that displayed in my theme. I kept it simple using white plates and napkins, a burlap table runner and burlap chargers,” Heather Kelly writes. “The Mason jar vases were filled with stock [and] orange and yellow tulips with fresh oranges. I also had small succulents wrapped with burlap mixed in with the fresh stems of eucalyptus and cotton.”

On each plate is a special place card that says “Thankful for” followed by the guest’s name. The place cards are tied to a sprig of eucalyptus and a stem of cotton with a string of burlap.

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Becky Harris

One Houzz user, the creatively named Becky {this is happiness}, fashioned a table that sparkles thanks to the gold details on the tablecloth and gold maple leaf place cards. Silverware simply tied with an animal-print ribbon adds a glam little touch.

Share: Please keep the tradition going by snapping a photo of your Thanksgiving tablescape and sharing it in the Comments. Your photo may be used in a future story like this one. And thank you so much for your enthusiastic participation in the Houzz community over the past decade. We’re thankful for you!

More on Houzz
Read more Thanksgiving stories
Browse Thanksgiving photos
Shop for your tabletop

Comments (42)

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blackwhitestripe

4 days ago

XenoXenia Page I usually have too much food to fit it all on the table, and I don't like to be crowded when I eat, so I put the main dishes on the sideboard, and the 'condiments' - gravies, butter, etc... on the table. It's possible to set a beautiful table without an elaborate centerpiece if you use a colorful tablecloth, folded napkins, and mix-and-match dishes. You could also put the food on a rolling cart next to the head of the table and that person can serve the others, which would actually be safer than passing hot and heavy serving dishes back and forth. I personally don't see any point in creating a centerpiece that needs to be removed prior to eating.

nanakeroyd

4 days ago

I posted our small eating area table above for the two of us but I didn’t really say much. When I do a tablescape it becomes part of the decor for the entire season for the holiday partly to get us in the spirit of the season even though there may or may not be visitors or family involved. This year we especially need to keep our spirits up and be reminded of all the things still to be thankful for. Although this is an incredible time of turmoil, very difficult times in families and as a nation, somehow I still sense the underlying spirit of hope in America in so many. We need to get through this and I think we will. We are resilient people who survived other pandemics, difficult times and economy before the time of Covid. No, we should not be together this year to protect the ones we love but if we sacrifice this year there will hopefully many more in the years ahead. How lucky we are to have ways to connect, phones, skype, internet, Houzz, ect. We may be inconvenienced yes, but let’s face it, we are spoiled in many ways.

We need to take a deep breath and as Scarlet said, “tomorrow is another day.”

Becky Harris

4 days ago

I got such a nice surprise in the mail yesterday. We've cancelled our family Thanksgiving but one of the hosts, the very talented Dave Twichell, sent each of the usual attendees a wood ornament he made that would have been placed at our places at the table :) It's the only sea creature on my "Woodland Critters" tree.

Yes, I know it's bonkers that I already have my tree up, but I needed a little Christmas now.