WELCOME TO MONDAY MORNING BLOOMS!
Today Pam, Mary and I are so excited to welcome our special guest and friend, Shannon of Belle Bleu Interiors. I know you will be just as charmed by our friend as we are, she is the sweetest and creates beauty everywhere she lands!
Thanksgiving is one of the best meals of the year, isn't it? It's a holiday solely about gathering people you love around your table, and enjoying a meal. I believe that a pretty table, set with thought, makes this all-American holiday even more enjoyable. It's a way to show you care to those who come to your home.
This Warm Thanksgiving Table in Autumn Colors is one that you can set quickly so that you can focus on your world-famous meal. Because let's be real, if you are hosting, it's a lot of work! But I DO have a few secret tips to help you get ready if you are hosting this year.
Secret Thanksgiving Tips:
1. Set the table days before Thanksgiving, if you have a dedicated dining room. Not only does this take the stress out of it last minute, you will be able to enjoy your beautiful table-scape for more than a few hours. You'll smile each time you see your table all ready, and get in the mood for the holiday! 2. No dining room like me? No worries...this is a secret I've used again and again because my "table" is in the middle of our kitchen and we need to use it right up to the day of Thanksgiving! Set your Thanksgiving table just like you want it. Then deconstruct it, place all your dishes, cutlery, napkins glasses and serving pieces into bins, or storage baskets. Put those in your garage, your laundry room, or wherever. On the night before Thanksgiving, just set your table using everything in your bins! Easy. 3. Serve your food buffet style. If the food is on a buffet, a hutch, or even a folding table {under a cloth, of course!} your guests and you can enjoy a lovely, clutter free meal. Everyone can get up to serve themselves to more helpings. 4. Plan out an easy to do centerpiece. Since this is Monday Morning Blooms, I used real flowers {more about those later!} but later this month I'll be showing you a beautiful centerpiece bowl made with faux florals and fruit. Or go flower-less {all Monday Morning Blooms lovers close your ears, you did NOT hear that!} and put a bowl of pumpkins in the center of your table, or line vegetables all along the center interspersed with candles.
Thanksgiving Table Basics
Now for my favorite part: The table! I divide any holiday table planning into three parts.
I plan the centerpiece first, since everything else will complement it. For this Thanksgiving table, I wanted a big showy centerpiece. It's taller than I usually make, but it does have the WOW effect and is so easy to make! I used a vintage metal epergne, it has a heavy metal stand and four little metal cone vases that fit in the stand. You can see the shape of it here, before I filled all the little flower "cone" vases more with filler and alstroemerias.
The orange garland on the dish display rack on the wall is faux, as are the orange slices I circled around the bottom of the centerpiece. |{the ones on each napkin are dried - you can eat those.}
The Flowers For This Centerpiece
Green Bronze Football Mum
Apricot Alstroemeria Inca Ice
Soilidago Sweety {yellow}
Bright Green Bupleurum
Berried Eucalyptus
It was easy to choose linens this year, since I'm completely head-over-heels smitten with these chestnut brown linen napkins and the runner. They are just right for this table, which is French Country casual, perfect for any gathering. This luscious color really plays up the hues of fall in the centerpiece.
Because we're serving the dinner buffet style doesn't mean you can't set your table with something. For my table this year, I'm using antique bread boards at each place setting, topped with vintage ironstone plates and cutlery wrapped in these stunning Chestnut linen napkins. {I'll share how to fold your napkins like this soon!} I'm planning on serving a little starter at the table before the meal, either a small - really small - fresh special kind of salad {favorite? Arugula, tossed with quite a bit of olive oil and shredded parmesan. Trust me.} or these delicious Brie and Bacon Palmiers.
I hope you are inspired to set your own Thanksgiving table in autumn colors, a beautiful table to treasure the beauty of the holiday with the people you love. My wish for you is that you will not only enjoy the meal together, but that you will all sit and linger at the table, laugh, talk and enjoy a wonderful time together.
Please visit my friends - I know they will inspire and delight you!
and me, Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
22 comments
Thank you so much Anja!
As you know we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here but your ideas for setting the table can easily be used in fall too,it’s beautiful