Last Updated on October 11, 2022 by growinghome.la
Ten easy ideas for decorating your holiday table. While inspired by the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, these tips are relevant year-round. Use them as a guideline for keeping holiday décor simple and attainable, while delighting your guests!
One of the things I love most about holidays is gathering around the table at mealtime. There’s something magical about long evenings spent laughing, clinking glasses, and talking late into the evening, celebrating the season with those you love. True entertaining is making these moments memorable in multiple ways. For me, there’s no substitute for a lovingly decorated table to make a holiday meal special.
The art of table design delights and pleases people. It’s something guests look forward to. These decorations don’t need to be fancy or expensive to be impactful. In fact, the most beautiful and charming ones are simple. I’m excited to share my top easy ideas for decorating your holiday table. Shout out to my friends, Andrew and Brittany for their inspiration as well!
#1 Start With A Color Theme
Using the holiday or season as your guide, it’s best to start with a color in mind. Everything on the table doesn’t have to be the same color, however, picking one or two primary tones creates a through line for a cohesive design. You might pick orange and yellow for Thanksgiving, an all-white or combination of white and light blue for a winter wonderland theme, red or pink for Valentine’s Day, or pastels for Spring.
#2 Use What You Have
There’s a real impact in using found objects as your inspiration. Look around your home for interestingly shaped vases or bowls. Forage outside for sculptural natural elements like tree branches, pinecones, leaves, or shells. Spend 15-20 minutes exploring your surroundings inside and out, collecting whatever strikes your eye. Pick one item or grouping of items to build your centerpiece around. For example a fallen tree branch could serve as the main focal point, or you could use shells collected from outside. Both provide a calming scene that draws the eye across the table.
#3 Borrow from Friends Or Neighbors
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in your own home, borrow it! My friend Brittany once entered a table-scaping contest at the Los Angeles County Fair and the theme was “Alice in Wonderland”. She envisioned the Mad Hatter’s tea party but didn’t own certain key elements to bring this idea to life. Knowing that her neighbor loved Steam Punk, she borrowed the perfect hat. Her dad also generously loaned a grandmother clock to help complete her design.
#4 Go Thrifting Or Visit the Dollar Store
The last resort is to purchase decorative items that you have in mind, but I recommend heading to the dollar store or your local thrift store to keep things inexpensive. Last year, we were spending Thanksgiving in Palm Springs, and I wanted to bring some pieces with me. One of my favorite vintage stores in LA, the Mart Collective, has amazing treasures. I found a bundle of dried wheat, a beautiful woven basket, and a carved wooden bowl, all for less than $50. All are versatile pieces that can be used in different ways for many years to come.
#5 Keep A Low Profile
To encourage conversation, keep all elements that will stay on the table throughout the meal low, so no one’s view is blocked as they look around. Staples include tea lights, votive candles, stemless glasses, bud vases, low bowls/baskets, and long platters. If you’re looking for height, make sure it’s something that can be removed when the meal begins. Alternatively, the piece could be transparent, or above eye level, so that people can see through and around it.
#6 Candlelight Is Key
Real candles are always best. Candlelight is romantic and moody, but also cheerful and festive. I love a mix of various candle heights. This allows your eye to move across the table and keeps things interesting. I was just at a wedding where this was done beautifully, with tea lights, votive candles and wide candles used throughout. Pro tips:
- Beware of placing open flames too close to flammable objects!
- Space out your candles to make sure there’s plenty of room to pass food without fear of burning
- Some of my favorite sources for inexpensive candles are Amazon and Ikea
#7 Incorporate Food or Nature
Bringing nature to your design always raises the elegance factor. Of course, beautifully arranged florals are stunning, but if you’re not cutting them from your own yard, they can get pricey. Farmers markets often have wild arrangements that you don’t see in florist shops for a fraction of the price. However, you can often find these natural items for free around your neighborhood – some of my favorites are branches, leaves, flower petals and acorns (see the above tip on foraging for more inspiration). Food items also add charm and beauty. You can use apples for fall, cranberries for Thanksgiving, lemons and limes in Spring/Summer, or candy canes for Christmas.
#8 Consider A Party Favor
Bonus points if you have something guests can take home with them! Some great examples of small party gifts that add to the décor are painted mini pumpkins/gourds, seed packets, a small candle, a bud vase with fresh flowers
#9 Don’t Worry About Matching
Especially if you’re not in your own home, or have a larger group arriving, you may not have the exact number of plates or settings that match. Mixing shapes of the plates, glasses and tableware keeps things fun and informal. My friend Andrew recommends alternating these combinations so there’s a balance and a pattern that keeps the design flowing from one setting to the next.
#10 Experiment
Have fun with it! Make table decorating an enjoyable project by starting a day or two in advance (if you can) and play around with your favorite inspirational pieces. Take time to see what works, move things around, adding and taking things away until it feels right to you. When you’re sweating through your apron basting that Thanksgiving turkey this year, you can look over at your personally designed table with pride and know that no matter what happens, your guests will already find delight in the experience.
For more easy ideas for decorating your holiday table and design inspiration, follow me on Instagram at growinghome.la.
I’m also excited to be creating mindful home design resources in the future. You can learn more about my courses here.
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