How to Create an Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece

While we aren’t hosting Thanksgiving this year, I really wanted to create a great Thanksgiving tablescape and use some natural decor. My biggest goal was to not buy anything new and use what I had on hand (an ongoing theme this month as I try to save for Christmas shopping!). For holidays, I like to keep the centerpieces low so that you can see across the table and my usual approach is candles, plus low vases with fresh flowers. However, for this one, I didn’t get any fresh flowers and went with more neutral elements.

How to Create an Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece:

1. Find a good base: For the base, I used this gorgeous silver platter that friends gave us for our wedding. It’s been sitting in a closet for a few months, but it’s too pretty to be hidden away. The grapevine pattern also blended well with the natural feel I wanted to create. Think about what you may have stashed away in storage that could work outside its normal use – a platter doesn’t have to be just for a turkey! For example,  I have quite a few pieces of vintage silver from family and I’m looking forward to using these for my Christmas decor in the coming weeks.
2. Start with the bigger pieces: Building a centerpiece is like packing a trunk for a long road trip. Start with the big items, then fill in with smaller items. Look for a good mix of different sizes, textures and colors. I started with the four pumpkins – the two white ones are real and the two copper ones are fake. From there, I added my favorite fake hydrangea blossoms from Pier 1 for fullness and to bring in some green.
   

   A beautiful centerpiece for the dining room table

    

3. Add in the smaller elements: I stole the pine cones (tutorial here) from my sofa table and filled in some more with eucalyptus branches I had on hand. They’d just been sitting in a pitcher in a guest bedroom, leftover from filling the vase on the mantle. Breaking these up and adding them in really added great texture to the centerpiece (and they smell good too!). Finally, I finished off with some fake acorns that I’d picked up from the Target $1 section a few months ago.
4. Candles: A dining room is always better with a little candlelight. I borrowed these two from my wall sconces to add a soft glow – and in full disclosure, these are battery operated candles. They add great light without the mess of regular candles. Oh, and my cute little salt & pepper shakers are from Publix as a present from my mom last year (best commercial ever?)
5. Set the table: The centerpiece looked good on its own, but it really came together after I set the table. I used my everyday China and my favorite red Crate & Barrel napkins, under the salad plates, plus a pine cone at each place setting to continue the theme.
   

   Using what I had around the house to create an easy Thanksgiving table setting

And now we’ve got a great table setting to enjoy all week until Thanksgiving! Even though we’re not hosting this year, my husband and I eat dinner at the dining table most nights and it’s nice to have some festive decor while eating dinner.

What’s your favorite centerpiece? Any go-to’s that you continually come back to?

Shared on: