Our rustic Thanksgiving table

Hi friends! Happy Thanksgiving week! It’s been a whirlwind of a month with busy days at work and cozy, couch-snuggling nights with the kids. But I’ve finally managed to pull together my Thanksgiving table for you for a little inspiration this holiday season.

I really wanted to make sure this year’s Thanksgiving table was something you would love, but also something that I would be proud to showcase and a tablescape that would really work for our family too.

My tablescape creative process

My creative process for designing a tablescape is fairly fluid. I always start off with an idea but I really need to see how everything pulls together before I commit. Then I end up adding a little of this and a little of that and removing some things that I thought would be included before I seem to find my groove.

Sometimes this means I have everything at my fingertips that I need. Other times this means I need to go buy something I don’t have or source different flowers or even return things I don’t end up using.

I’m a really visual person so even though something seems to work in my brain, I never fully commit until it’s in front of my eyes.

That means sometimes my tablescapes take a little longer to pull together. That was the case for this Thanksgiving table, which I spent a few weeks looking for and thinking about.

Making the Thanksgiving table special

Since we will be spending Thanksgiving here this year – something we’ve never done before – and without any of my loud, Italian family, this year is going to be more intimate. My mom might come, but other than that, it’s just the kids, Kevin and I.

So, I wanted to make sure that despite it just being “us”, it still felt like a special day. To me, creating a beautiful table is a part of that and it signals to the kids that it’s not just dinner as usual.

In keeping with my rule for the fall (I still consider Thanksgiving fall), I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the Thanksgiving table. I also wanted to use thrifted items and natural elements again. I’ve been focusing on that for the whole season when it comes to décor and I find that it not only creates beauty but also feels like “me”.

Elements of the Thanksgiving table

However, there were a few things we actually did need for me to complete this setting. I didn’t have plate chargers that I felt would look appropriate. I only have one set of chargers and they’re a woven, natural design. While I love these, I felt they would blend with the table too much.

Luckily, I was able to find the chargers I did use on sale {HERE} and felt they fit the overall feel of the table.

Additionally, I purchased the napkin rings {HERE} and I adore the aged look. They really worked well with my brass candlesticks – all of which I thrifted earlier in the season – and my bottles and jugs that were also used as candle holders.

Like the candlesticks, the bottles and jugs were all thrifted or bottles that I had saved to use. In fact, one is a wine bottle and one is an olive oil bottle. I loved adding into a touch of sage green to all the Earthy dirt tones.

Lastly, the entire centerpiece was built from flowers I had dried and had been using throughout the season.

The place setting

For the place setting at the Thanksgiving table, I used plates and bowls that I had purchased for my food photography work. I thought about using our good China. However, it really has a much more glamorous vibe and seemed like it would work better for Christmas. In contrast, these plates, which you can find {HERE}, and these bowls, found {HERE}, have much more rustic vibe. They are stoneware that’s been fired in a kiln and have a beautiful, soft matte finish.

The beaded chargers really being some style and dimension to the place setting. I love that they complement the stoneware without being too much. They’re a beautiful, creamy white color and come in a set of four. You can find them {HERE}

The flatware that used for the Thanksgiving table is the same set I’ve used for the last few holiday tablescapes. They’re a gorgeous matte gold set and they really work well with the brass candlesticks, napkin rings and other elements on the table. The set is a favorite of mine and something that I can see us using for years to come. You can find the whole set {HERE}.

The napkin rings were a new purchase this season. In the past, I’ve just used twine to hold the napkins as I did on this Easter tablescape. However, for the Thanksgiving tablescape I wanted something that would help to breakup all the creaminess of the place setting and help it to stand out. These napkin rings worked perfectly. You can find them {HERE}.

Lastly, I love linen and the linen napkins I used in this place setting are no exception. HERE and it always makes me happy to pull a little of my Italian heritage into this farmhouse. It’s honestly something I hope to do more of in the coming year. I used the flax color so it was just a tad darker than my place setting. They’re sold in a set of four, and I truly think they’re quality will make them heirloom pieces for our family. You can find them {HERE}.

It’s all about the florals

As I mentioned, the florals I’ve used on the Thanksgiving table are a collection of dried items I’ve been using this season. I used them all in my harvest table {HERE} and then again in our fall fireplace décor {HERE}. I love that I’ve been able to use them over and over again. We can even save them from season to season if we take care of them. In all honesty though, we will probably compost them so we can send them back to the Earth.

Some of my favorites include German Statis, Leucadendron, scabiosa pods and Lotus flower pods.

In addition to the dried florals I added a few white Casperita pumpkins to the mix before saying goodbye to them for the season.

So friends, what do you think? Festive enough for the season? Do you see some thing that will work for Christmas décor too? (I know I do).

Thank you so much for visiting Sugar Maple Farmhouse today! I hope you will come back soon!