My Pumpkins Galore Thanksgiving Tablesetting is taking on the rich tones of autumn and features lots of pumpkins. Let’s take a look. Continue reading Pumpkins Galore Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Category Archives: Thanksgiving
Elegant Autumn-themed Tablesetting
This elegant autumn-themed tablesetting all started with ……
………. a rustic box of faux greenery and small white pumpkins.
Sometimes, inspiration can from from seemingly simple sources as is the case with this tablesetting. I have had the rustic box arrangement for awhile. It usually spends the autumn on the island in my kitchen. But, this year, it became the inspiration for my Thanksgiving tablesetting and so has been elevated to the dining room. Other than the tiny pumpkins scattered throughout the tablescape, I bought nothing special for this tablesetting. You’ll be amazed what you can find when you shop around your own home!
In fall tablesettings, I typically choose the warm autumnal colors of yellows, reds, rusts, and golds but, this year, I’ve opted to go with muted earthy tones – greens, whites, and browns, principally. One thing I recommend in tablesettings is to keep the number of colors introduced to no more than three. Any more and the table can start to appear chaotic.
The Canvas
I have intentionally left the table bare with no tablecloth in order to allow the maple wood of my dining room table to form the canvas for the tablesetting. Letting the wood of the table be part of the tablesetting is in keeping with the earthy look. To frame the centerpiece, I have opted to use a short white runner. It gives a base, is unobtrusive, and it defines and contains the size of the tablescape.
The Centerpiece
While the box of greenery and pumpkins is an autumn arrangement in itself, had it been the sole item in the center of the table, it would have looked isolated and that it had just landed there with no supporting or grounding items.
To take a pre-made arrangement and give it a custom look, it needs some supporting actors that will draw the eye down the length of the table’s center. These connectors include small white pumpkins, pinecones, green leaves, and white votives. No need to be fussy or overly precise about the placement of these items. As the tablescape builds, places needing a “filler” will reveal themselves. Care, however, needs to be taken to ensure the table is not overloaded.
Lighting
I am a fan of layers of lighting. In this case, two layers are used – tall, neutral-colored, tapers flanking the core centerpiece and then lower lights, in the form of votives for soft glow, interspersed here and there throughout the tablescape. Adding layers of light ensures a glow from all angles of the tablescape and candles always contribute to the ambiance.
Placesettings
Adding a place card to each placesetting adds a touch of sophistication and personality to a table. Additionally, it allows the host/hostess to identify where they want guests to be seated and there can be several reasons why the strategic placement of dinner guests could be important at a dining event, even a casual or informal one.
Formal placecards are not always necessary, especially for more informal occasions. Here, the place card is a simple leaf upon which the guest’s name is printed. The addition of a small cone provides a stand for the leaf and, along with a sprig of greenery, maintains the tablesetting color scheme and earthy theme.
Silver charger plates frame each placesetting. Silver is on the cool spectrum so is in keeping with the overall cool-toned tablescape. Charger plates, of course, ground and define a placesetting as well as lend an air of sophistication and style to the table.
White dinnerware is most often my “go-to” for tablesettings because it matches everything and food looks great on white.
The miniature soup tureens are a favorite and they add height, interest, and style to each placesetting. They also double as a holder for the napkin, folded into the Bird of Paradise fold.
Using glassware that has lots of cuts in it is a great way to add sparkle to the table whether the light that causes the sparkle comes from natural sunlight or, in the evening, through the glow of candlelight.
This tablescape makes use of typical seasonal foliage and pumpkins but in more toned-down hues. No matter what is on the menu, this table has all the ingredients for a festive autumnal meal.
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For other Thanksgiving tablesetting inspiration from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Thanksgiving Tablescape
Autumn-themed Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Autumn-themed Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Thanksgiving has a way of creeping up on me before I am ready for it! The fall is such a busy season for me and there is always lots to do.
This year, I cooked the full turkey dinner. It’s a lot of work but nothing beats a home-cooked turkey dinner and the best part…..there are leftovers!
The color theme for my tablesetting was orange. The table linen is a soft white which really allows the charger plates and other elements of this tablesetting to stand out.
I found these lovely burnt orange charger plates with a leaf motif on them. I will use these right through the autumn season, not just for Thanksgiving dinner.
I have had the leaf-designed napkin rings for awhile and the pumpkin-themed napkins pair well with them.
The centerpiece is really nothing more than herbs from our garden and some leaves picked from nearby ditches. My mother has some bayberry bushes on her property so bay leaves form the base of the centerpiece. I also added some oregano and sage which both smell wonderful and then some bright yellow frothy dill for pops of color. The centerpiece cost me nothing and only took very few minutes to pull together.
I have added in some little votives wrapped in birch bark to keep the natural look flowing.
Some small pumpkin-shaped gourds tucked in around the centerpiece give an authentic Thanksgiving look to the table.
I tend to use a lot of heavier cut glass in autumn – the candlelight picks up the cuts in the glass and makes them quite enchanting.
The placesetting is quite simple. I was setting a rather small table and, with the centerpiece, there was no extra room on the table. I wasn’t serving either a salad or soup course so there was no need for extra cutlery. The dessert fork and spoon were brought to the table when the dinner plates were cleared and dessert served. If there is room, I often include them at the top of the plates but this setting didn’t permit the space.
I like to present the turkey, dressed, on a large platter. Sometimes, I use it as the table centerpiece and, other times, I have it placed on a sideboard in the dining room.
To “dress” this turkey for dinner, I have opted to go with a seasonal red-green-yellow theme, choosing corn on the cob, cranberries, and rosemary and bay leaves along with some whole chestnuts.
I mixed some finely chopped fresh herbs with melted butter and basted the turkey with this mixture – I like the black-specks on the turkey! I think it gives the bird some character!
It is not necessary, of course, to “dress” the turkey for table presentation. The turkey can, instead, be carved in the kitchen out of sight of the guests and brought to the table. I always like to see it nicely carved and presented on a meat platter.
Make the platter look more attractive by inserting a few fresh herbs, here and there, to fill in any open spaces and to give definition to the platter.
To view other Thanksgiving tablesettings from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the following links:
Thanksgiving Tablescape
Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Tablescape
Thanksgiving brings wonderful opportunities for a variety of tablesettings. The rich colors of autumn provide an endless supply of inspiration for decorating the table. In this tablescape (which does not have to be reserved solely for the Thanksgiving holiday), I am using Victorian English Pottery “Pheasant Woodland” dinnerware that has a distinctive fall theme. It’s one that can be used throughout the entire autumn season.
Like a lot of English transferware, this pattern tells a story and has earthy colors; however, I also recognize that it is a busy pattern. In order for the dinnerware to stand out on the table, it benefits from the use of solid-colored charger plates to frame and “ground” each place setting. Busy-patterned dinnerware also looks best on solid-colored placemats or tablecloth. When I am using this type of dinnerware, I want it to stand out on the table so I ensure that other elements on the table, including the table covering, don’t compete with it for attention.
To add a punch of color, I have used my plaid napkins encased in natural-toned napkin rings. The orange in the napkins ties in with the shades on the pheasants in the dinnerware pattern. Placing the napkin on the side of the plate (as opposed to across the top of the bowl) allows the dinnerware pattern to be displayed for maximum impact.
Again, because the pattern of the dinnerware is quite busy, I have kept the centerpiece relatively simple – a traditional-styled fall-themed arrangement in the centre flanked by two pillar candles on glass candlesticks. The use of the glass candlesticks keeps the focus on the centerpiece.
The colors in the centerpiece correspond to the color scheme of the dinnerware. With this classic style of tablesetting, it is important to maintain the colors of the dinnerware in other elements of the table – for example, the centerpiece, candles, napkins, and charger plates.
The leaf-etched neutral-colored candles blend with the color of the centerpiece urn and the background in the dinnerware.
The candles and their placement add symmetry to a classic tabletop centerpiece. So, only three items in the centerpiece – two candles and the floral centerpiece – to keep it clutter-free. This is particularly important if the table is not large. I wanted to see some clean white space on the table.
In keeping with the style of this dinnerware, I have used some of my vintage glassware which also blends with the candlesticks. Clear glassware adds life and sparkle to a tablesetting and also gives it an airy look and feel.
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of my Thanksgiving tablesetting.
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To view the Bistro’s other Thanksgiving tablesettings, follow these links:
Thanksgiving Tablesetting
The autumn got away from me and I did not get around to sharing my 2014 Thanksgiving tablesetting. When I realized it was too late to share it on my blog for the Canadian Thanksgiving in October, I knew I’d have a second chance in late November to share it in time for the American Thanksgiving. So, this one is for our American friends to the South who will celebrate their Thanksgiving tomorrow… if you haven’t already set your Thanksgiving table, this one is quick and easy!
I went with a fairly simplistic setting this year. I started with an ivory tablecloth topped with a piece of orange drapery sheer. As you have probably noticed with my tablesettings, I tend to go for plain table coverings which make other elements of the tablesetting stand out.
I also try, where possible, to use props that I already have like, for example, the tall wooden candlesticks. The warmth of the wood seemed to work well with the autumn props. Scattering a few brown pine cones pulled the color scheme together.
The focal point of the table is the small white pumpkin perched on a glass cake stand and surrounded by colored leaves. With a black marker, I simply wrote, round and round the pumpkin, all the things I am thankful for.
I used my standard gold charger plates topped with my everyday white stoneware dinnerware. A quick fold of the napkin placed in the soup bowl makes a colorful nest for the little white ornamental pumpkins which tie in with the white pumpkin centerpiece.
I love to decorate my fireplace mantles. A few white pumpkins, a garland of some colored leaves, a floral centerpiece, and a jar of mini orange pumpkins for a splash of color, and the look is complete.
This was a fairly easy, quick, and economical tablesetting to achieve. It’s suitable, obviously, for a more informal Thanksgiving dinner. My good China has a border of pink florals so really doesn’t blend well with the colors of autumn. That’s why white dinnerware is always a good choice as it goes with anything and food always looks so eye-popping when served on it!
Happy Thanksgiving to our American family and friends to the South!
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