Design and Shine
Thanksgiving Tablescapes
By Steph Kaufman
I wish I could tell you that it’s solely the food that makes or breaks a Thanksgiving dinner. It would be good for business. But that would be dismissing decoration as a key piece of the puzzle. Sure, it’s arguably true that delicious mouth watering dishes can be the most important part of a gathering. It’s doubly true that lackluster tablescapes may sink the energy to the point of no return. So, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say, the spread of food may make your event– don’t let your tablescape break it.
We can back up. What are the key components of a dinner gathering? Broadly speaking, the guest list, the menu selection, and the atmosphere. Those first two are theoretically easy around the holidays (i.e. Thanksgiving). The guest list should be people you love and who love you. The menu is typically something that’s nostalgic or traditional for whomever you are and however you’ve celebrated in the past. For many, that is any combination of an entire turkey, roasted stuffing, garlic potatoes, spiced brussels sprouts, candied yams, fluffy rolls, bright cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie… Are you drooling yet?
What about the atmosphere? I can’t get too lost in the menu. The whole point is that that’s the mistake too often made. Think about how your other elements fit together. Are you sitting down with lots of family members at 2pm, fully preparing to eat as much as possible in less than an hour and then crawling onto the couch to regret your choices? Are you having a more leisurely, slightly haphazard meal with a few friends that will leave you all with leftovers for the entire week? Think about the mood you’d like to imbue into your dinner. Your tablescape will be what pulls it all together.
Now, the basic pieces to the tablescape puzzle: linen, tableware, glassware, and flatware. Each of these can be broken down even further. Linen includes tablecloths, table runners, and napkins. They can vary by color and fabric. For Thanksgiving, warmer hues and heavier fabrics reign supreme. My favorite color combinations for this time of year use oranges and neutrals. Contrast is your friend! Use opposing colors and fabrics to give your design some pop. For example, a textured dark spice orange linen napkin atop a smooth tan tablecloth. If you have a table you’d like to show off, consider a simple runner instead of a full linen.
Tableware includes chargers and china. And no, I’m not referring to the football team or the country. Charger plates are preset at the table and are larger than a dinner plate. All plates for the meal are placed on top of the charger. They’re typically used in more formal settings. China covers any plates for food: bread & butter, salad, dinner, dessert. Chargers can be a fun place to integrate texture or color. I love wood and wicker chargers for Thanksgiving. Terracotta or black china can look incredible against autumnal color schemes.
Glassware is often mistakenly thought to be limited to pure, clear wine glasses and water goblets. There are, in fact, many choices to be made within the realm of glasses. You can have texture, you can have color, you can have different shapes. Stemmed wine glasses are elegant, but stemless glasses feel more grounded and casual. A textured or hued water glass or goblet is an easy way to make your tablescape unique. Smoky Jupiter glasses are some of my favorites for the fall months. If you’d like to have specific cocktails, make sure to remember to include bar glassware in your planning.
Flatware is your forks, spoons, knives. Consider what utensils will be needed to eat what you’re serving. Copper flatware is, by far, my champion for Thanksgiving. It seems to go with every decor scheme, it can be formal or casual, and it’s simple. Enough said.
It’s amazing to see how all these small pieces come together to create a cohesive picture. A picture that many guests won’t realize took a lot of effort… That’s ok. The best things in life are nuanced. The best things in life are like a well done tablescape.
You can stop there, or you can add even more flair with centerpieces- florals, candles, fruit- or place cards. I mean, the world is your oyster. Florals often tie colors together very nicely, but it can be hard to DIY those effectively. I’m projecting here. Many others may be much more talented than I at putting together arrangements. Candles are a quick way to add ambience and are more easily DIY-able. Just make sure to keep an eye on those little guys once they’re lit. Seasonal fruit or vegetables are a great way to fill out a table, but I’d urge you to only buy items you’ll use later. There’s no need to use persimmons if you hate the taste of apricot and dates (pretty sure that’s the flavor profile).
Place cards can be festive and set the tone well. Holidays offer a wealth of opportunity to play around with different ideas. A ceramic turkey could hold up the name of your loved one. Or you could commit to crafting natural cards: dried citrus or botanicals with handwritten names tied to the front or fresh fallen leaves with gold painted initials. The possibilities are endless, and this is one of the best places to let your creativity flag fly.
When all is said and done, planning and executing a Thanksgiving tablescape may be more work than cooking all the food. Hopefully you’re not tackling it all by yourself, unless you’re superhuman. And some of you almost certainly are. You could always outsource elements of the event. Consider a potluck style dinner, asking friends to come early to help set up, or purchasing your Thanksgiving meal from a local restaurant. Many places, including Hill’s Kitchen Park City and Hill’s Kitchen Sugar House, offer widespread Thanksgiving menus for purchase. Just know that, whatever your vision is for your Thanksgiving, there is support to make your dream meal happen.
Have fun!
