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Thanksgiving Table Setting | Tradition with a Twist

Say good-bye to the stiff floral arrangements with these ideas for this year’s Thanksgiving table setting.

Elegantly set dining table with long candles, assorted gourds, and autumnal decor against a backdrop with a mantel adorned with foliage and seasonal fruits.

Tradition with a twist

Photo Credit: Zaslow, Francine
Thanksgiving Table Setting | Tradition with a Twist
Thanksgiving Table Setting | Tradition with a Twist
Photo Credit: Zaslow, Francine
Say good-bye to the stiff floral arrangements of olden days for this Thanksgiving table setting. To achieve this look, Matthew runs his centerpiece the length of the table. To lift the eye from the tabletop, he uses a long tin box, overturned. (A wooden trough or plank could also work.) On this base he places butternut gourds intertwined with bittersweet. Additional height comes from tall beeswax tapers. Matthew complemented his fall palette with roses, wooden candlesticks, and a compote of nuts. For a bit of whimsy, a persimmon sits atop a low candlestick, and names are handwritten on small gourds, serving as place cards.

Polly Bannister

Polly Bannister was a Yankee staff editor and a favorite of readers for more than 20 years. She is continually inspired by New England’s beautiful and diverse landscape—from cranberry bogs, sandy beaches, and granite-topped mountains to thriving cities, white clapboard houses on village greens, and red-brick mill towns.

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