Dress Up your Holiday Table!

The leaves are changing and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Is your dining room table ready for the big day? I can honestly say that mine needs some sprucing up. We have traditional place settings usually, but I have been doing a lot of home improvement with a more rustic vibe. It is definitely time to update my Holiday tablescape. Most of my existing pieces will work with the addition of a few key décor pieces. What does your Holiday table need?

Image from brit.com

Rustic

As you can see in this rustic table setting you can see natural elements working with traditional china plates. This setting can work for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The wood chargers add so much interest and bring in a lot of texture. They will surely have your guests chatting away. White candles in silver candlesticks are a traditional element that almost every household has, here we see them paired with live greenery swags adding a bit of simple elegance. If you want to incorporate this look for your home, I found similar pieces at the following stores: 1. Wood Chargers (available at World Market $19.99); 2. White Emma Plate (available at Pottery Barn $48 for 1 place setting); 3. Silver Taper Candle Holders (available at Pier One Imports $19.95 each).

1. Wood Charger

2. White Dinner Plate

3. Silver Taper Candlestick

4. Cedar Swag Garland

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Image from elledecor.com

Casual Elegance

I would call this tablescape "understated elegance." While it has organic elements, it is more traditional than our previous example. You can see the classic touches in this setting with the glass and metal accents. Brass or copper is really in the for-front of the design world lately. Pairing the traditional china with the natural elements of pumpkins and bay leaf garland makes the setting more casual. You can get a similar look and feel with these key pieces: 1. Modern Brass Candleholders (available at West Elm $34.95); 2. Pre-Lit Bay Leaf Garland (available at Grandinrod $99.99); 3. Gold Luster Rim Charger Plate (available Pier One Imports $14.95 each); 4. Thankful Salad Plate (available at Crate and Barrel $5.95 each).

1. Modern Brass Candle Holder

2. Pre-Lit Bay Leaf Garland

3. Gold Luster Rim Charger Plate

4. Thankful Salad Plate

Unexpected Touches

Here are some other design ideas to incorporate into your Holiday table. These are all a little different and fun and will surely add a lot of interest to your setting: 1. Kraft paper runner: whether you have little ones are not this element is sure to be fun. Use the kraft paper like a runner and provide your guests with some pens, and let the fun begin. Have your guest write down what they are thankful for, save and cut out for your scrapbook. (Image from unexpectdelegance.com); 2. Personalized napkin wrap. Print these out on cardstock and use as name cards for your guest-- an unexpected personal touch for your special guests. (Image from fantabulosity.com); 3. Mini Pumpkin place settings. I don’t know about you but my kids always seem to collect a bunch of tiny pumpkins at Halloween, this would be a great way to re-purpose them. Paint them white for a monochromatic pallet or let your little artist decorate them for each guest. Either way these little pumpkins will make a big design statement. (Image from pinterest.com); 4. Gold Leaf place holder. This unique place holder is such a fall element. It is reminiscent of the colors of the leaves of fall. A maple leaf is spray painted gold and your guest name can be written on it with black ink. Your guest can take these home and re-purpose as Christmas ornaments!