Thanksgiving Breakfast for Two: Elegant French Country Antique Table Setting

Before the rush of Thanksgiving day begins, before your oven hums and your kitchen fills with the aroma of roasting turkey and your famous pies, enjoy  a quiet, golden hour reserved just for you- Thanksgiving Breakfast for Two: An Elegant French Country Antique Table Setting.

Welcome to Monday Morning Blooms

Pam, Mary and I are excited to share our floral therapy with you and our friend Sarah of Hyacinths for the Soul.

Thanksgiving morning can be hectic, with your list (s!) of everything to do. Hopefully you’ve set your table ahead ( you have, haven’t you?) but it’s worth it to gift yourself the joy of a time of calm at breakfast. It can be for two, as I’ve shared here, for you and your sister who shows up early to help out, or just for you if you live by yourself.

A gentle celebration all its own —this is a pause for gratitude, shared warmth, and something delicious, surrounded by the beauty of French Country antiques that tell stories of mornings long ago.

The Table

Our small table is set near the windows where the soft autumn light spills in. It’s lightweight ({it usually lives on our back patio} so we can use it for breakfast and later put it back outside or set up a drinks station there minus the chairs.

You can set up a little area of your own at home. Drape it with an antique linen cloth, I used an antique French ticking topped with a floral autumn table topper, but you can also use a monogrammed French sheet that’s been washed to perfect softness over time. The layers of age — the whisper of threads, the uneven weave — bring warmth no new textile can imitate.

Place two mismatched but harmonious plates — I paired antique French Mulberry plates with black contemporary plates. Add eating utensils, these vintage ones with the different bakelite handles are wonderful at this time of year! Small butter pats, a gilt rimmed bowl for maple syrup with a silver ladle, and half an orange in antique coupes create a tableau that feels charmingly European, intimate, and lived-in.

A Touch of Monday Morning Blooms

No Thanksgiving morning table is complete without flowers — this petite bouquet transforms your breakfast into something memorable.

For this Monday Morning Blooms arrangement, gather a few autumn favorites:

Soft Ivory Roses

Wine & Green Hydrangeas

Seeded Eucalyptus

Yellow Craspedia Ball Flowers

Add in some sprigs of leaves or branches, this browned leaf branch is perfect for this time of year, it was already dried on the bush I cut it from!

Arrange them loosely in a small antique vessel — I chose a French brown enameled creamer but a silver sugar bowl, or an ironstone pitcher will work just as well. The result should feel effortless and natural, as if you simply gathered the garden’s last treasures before breakfast. {because, other than the bought roses, I did!}

Place the little bouquet in the center of your table or nestle it inside an antique serving basket with a container holding some spoons, and a bowl of muffins like I did. Later, after breakfast,  it’s the perfect little floral arrangement to place in your guest bathroom, or on your drinks station.

Light a candle in a brass candlestick. It’s a gentle nod to nature, gratitude, and the beauty of simple abundance. 

Ambiance and Details

Add a few seasonal touches: a single taper candle glowing in an antique brass candlestick, your Monday Morning Blooms bouquet, and perhaps a scattering of acorns- mine are faux since this is California and I haven't seen any on walks yet.

These linen napkins are embroidered with beautiful white pumpkins, they are delightful to use all during fall. I hope you are all using your good things for the every day...don't save it only for the grand occasions!

If the morning is chilly, light a fire or wrap a soft alpaca throw over your shoulders.  While it looks lighter in the photos, this throw is the softest color of Merlot, so it's a lot darker and rich.

This is the moment before the day unfolds — the calm before the bustle, a time to give thanks not just for abundance, but for simplicity.

The Menu

Keep the breakfast simple, elegant, and comforting — something that allows you to savor the moment. Not too fussy or too heavy, since that big Thanksgiving meal is coming later.

If your list is extra long, muffins, fruit and coffee or tea are perfectly fine for this breakfast. If you have more time, make my Pumpkin Brioche French Toast. Serve it with maple syrup, or if you want to take the time, our family's favorite pear compote.

I love this easy Pumpkin Brioche French Toast — thick slices of buttery brioche dipped in pumpkin custard and gently browned in butter. (I have to use gluten free bread, but still delicious!} Served with our family's favorite Spiced Pear Compote.

Pumpkin Brioche French Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 thick slices of brioche bread
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk or half-and-half
• ¼ cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Butter for cooking

Instructions:

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth.
• Dip each slice of brioche into the mixture, coating both sides.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook the bread until golden on both sides.
• Serve warm with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or a spoonful of spiced pear compote.

Spiced Pear Compote

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe pears, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp honey or sugar 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• 1 strip orange peel
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pears are tender and syrupy.
• Remove the cinnamon stick and orange peel before serving.

The Spirit of Gratitude

Taking a little time to have breakfast on Thanksgiving is a gift to yourself, an invitation to slow down and be present. The antiques that grace the table — soft linen, antique porcelain, French enamel and time-polished silver — remind us that beauty endures, that life’s most meaningful luxuries are the ones that have lasted. 

As the morning light softens and the day begins to unfold, I’m reminded how thankful I am — not only for quiet moments like these, but for you, dear readers. Your kindness, your shared love of beauty, antiques, and simple joys inspire me each day.

Thank you for welcoming FrenchGardenHouse into your homes and hearts — for reading, sharing, and being part of this ever-growing circle of kindred spirits who cherish elegance, history, and gratitude in everyday life.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with warmth, laughter, and the timeless comfort of cherished traditions — both old and new.

Please join my friends and see their inspiration:

Mary at HomeIsWhereTheBoatIs

Pam at Everyday Living

Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul

and me, Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse