I don’t think it’s any secret how much a love a beautifully designed table.
Between my table decor posts and the two years I spent as the entertaining contributor for Traditional Home Magazine, it’s kind of become my thing. Which is why I’m here, doing a post on Thanksgiving place setting ideas for you. I hope that this inspires some fun on your own holiday table without being overwhelming. Remember, you don’t need to do all of the things you see on Pinterest or in magazines. Even just choosing a few things to incorporate will go a long way in jazzing up your table.
For the first look I used this post as inspiration for a draped napkin and placemat. We’ve all seen the typical layout for a placemat but there’s something really cool and unique about allowing them to hang off the edge of the table. What I dig about this is that you can recreate it with your existing linens. Oh, and learn how-to make the journal here.
For this Thanksgiving place setting style I used my pocket fold trick to create a little home for the silverware and the menu card. I love doing this with two plates of different colors that tie in with my linens. I wouldn’t suggest this for a large group (though I once folded fifty of these for Thanksgiving) but if you’ve got a smaller group coming it would be so gorgeous.
Ok, so maybe some of you are like, Wait a red hot minute! You worked for Traditional Home and now you’re going to throw paper and plastic at us?? Yes, yes I am. Because here’s the thing, not everyone has linen napkins and wedding china to use. And sometimes, even when you have those things you still want to do paper and plastic so you don’t have to deal with clean up. I get it! So let’s keep it real and just show you how to pull it off. I like using several different prints that go together and stacking them at the end of the buffet in a big bowl or a basket. You can also check out what we did here as a cool way to organize silverware on your buffet.
Using a double napkin in your Thanksgiving place setting might seem ridiculous. I mean, yes, you don’t really need two napkins at dinner but dang it, this just look so cute! You can check out this post to see how to style your own. I suggest pairing it with a couple of different textures: this is a placemat and charger with twine and beaded napkins and it might all seem crazy except the similar hues allow it to work well together.
Don’t forget the kiddos Thanksgiving place setting! We set up a kid’s table every year and I like to do a little something extra for them. Consider a coloring sheet or using butcher paper as your placemats so they can draw directly on them. In this instance, everything from the plate to the cup is plastic so there’s no risk of breaking.
Want to make your own Thanksgiving table runner? Check out this post!
