How to Set the Perfect Thanksgiving Tablescape

If you’re anything like us, the tablescape is just as important as what we’re eating. Designing a tabletop that guests will remember long after the dishes are cleaned and dried isn’t as hard as you think. You can even do so while keeping it streamlined with simple, white dinnerware and neutral napkins. The color, the texture, and the beauty of the food on the dish can often elevate a white plate more than any design can. To complete the spread, we have a few simple tricks that will introduce verticality and proof of life. Read on to learn a few of our favorites, then shop the looks to bring them home.   

The tablecloth is quite literally the foundation of the table, and one of the easiest ways to introduce a theme. We love them because they’re the perfect bottom layer and an excellent base to build upon. A lot of people skip the tablecloth; they either assume they’re outdated (we assure you this is not the case!) or don’t want to cover their table. But a tablecloth or runner can make a table design feel elevated. You can keep it simple with a plain color or stripe, then bring in playful patterns in other locations, or let the tablecloth be the big statement moment. Either way, don’t skip the foundation of your Thanksgiving tablescape.

Many of the tips we recommend for designing a room apply to the tabletop. One of them is breaking up the height of the space, defining a sense of scale, and introducing verticality. This can be done in countless ways but a few of the most obvious, and easiest to pull off, are candlesticks and vases. There is one vital warning here though: be careful not to block the viewpoints between guests. You want conversation to flow freely. Shop some of our favorite McGee & Co. objects for introducing height below.

What we mean by “proof of life” is design elements that are real, organic, or alive. This can be bits of nature—dried, fresh, or faux—that you pick up at the flower market, forage yourself, or buy to ensure they can be utilized over and over again in various tablescapes to come. Florals are a classic, but they don’t need to be fussy. Use faux stems to keep it simple. Fire—being one of the five elements of nature—is also a foolproof way to make your Thanksgiving tablescape feel like it’s a living, breathing thing. Shop some of our favorite ways to incorporate proof of life below.