We don’t have much time to work on our Thanksgiving decorations by now, so let’s be swift about it! Fortunately, there are plenty of options that don’t require too much time or setup, allowing us to create something beautiful and effective.

I want to highlight a few ways to decorate your dinner table and home with Fall elements, making for the perfect send-off for the season as winter approaches.

1. Fall mantle

White pumpkins and tall candlesticks in front of a large mirror over the mantle.
Source: Maison de Cinq

It’s quite common to hang out in the living room right after dinner for a calm chat, so the mantle is the perfect spot to decorate. It stays pretty out of the way but it’s a focal point of the space.

You can keep it simple with an assortment of pumpkins, leaves, and candles for a rustic Fall aesthetic. Christmas will soon take over, so make it special!

2. Bottles

Feathers and wheat ears inside amber and white semi-transparent bottles.
Source: Reader’s Digest

You can create some elegant pieces of decor by using a few bottles with leaves and twigs from the season. It gives off a natural aesthetic that everyone will love and it’s super easy to make, even at the last minute. Mason jars also work wonders here if you got some spare ones! 

3. Easy table runner

A table runner made of apples, leaves, and votive candles, over a bare wooden table.
Source: Good Housekeeping

Sometimes less is more. For a simple but beautiful table runner, you can use a few apples (or small pumpkins if you want to be more thematic), some votive candles, and a few branches with leaves (which can be faux). Set it up properly and you’ve got yourself a wonderful table runner by using very little.

By the way, if you missed it, we have a guide on how to host Thanksgiving dinner!

4. Succulent planter

A succulent planter made of a faux craft pumpkin painted orange.
Source: It’s Always Autumn

This is perfect if you don’t want to take up a lot of space with your decoration. It can be placed on the table or over the mantle with no issues!

You basically turn a pumpkin into a succulent planter. The pumpkin doesn’t have to be a real one – the one depicted above is a faux craft pumpkin that you can purchase online, but a real one does the trick as well. It depends on what you’ll have available!

For the faux one, you might have to paint it as they’re usually all white, but that’s not a bad color to have either depending on your decoration aesthetic.

5. White pumpkins

A table runner made of white pumpkins of various sizes, next to a white plate with an ornate “thankful decal.
Source: Taste of Home

We all love the amber/orange/sepia tone that most Fall decoration invokes, but if that’s a bit cliché for you, you can still use the same elements with more creative color choices.

White pumpkins are absolutely beautiful for this, and as some people don’t know, they are real. They’re called Valenciano pumpkins!

But if you can’t find them in your area or get them on time, you can always paint or acquire faux pumpkins for the same effect.

6. Antique look

A table set up with plain white plates, raffia placemats, and black votive candles.
Source: The Spruce

Try to incorporate more natural elements in your decoration, giving your dinner table a rustic and organic look that feels antique.

In fact, placemats are great decorative elements that help in creating contrast or balance without taking up extra space. Be sure to use them to your advantage!

Don’t forget to check our blog for more Thanksgiving recipe ideas, there’s plenty to choose from!

7. Pastel colors

A white table decorated with pink, blue, and purple pastel pumpkins.
A white table decorated with pink, blue, and purple pastel pumpkins.

While the usual Fall colors like orange and black are always nice, there’s room to try something different as well. In this case, bet on pastels: light pink, blue, and purple tones for your decoration and furniture – with a brighter yellow for details.

Plastic cups and plates might be a good addition since they’re easy to find in these colors!

8. Rustic wine corner

A rustic grayish wooden table with a few plates containing a wine jar, glasses, a water jar, two tall candles, and fruits.
Source: Homes and Gardens

For a classy touch, you can set up a wine corner for your guests. Any small table will do, just be sure to add a few treats as well as water for guests to enjoy. A wine jar is perfect for this!

And finally, make sure there are glasses and napkins on the table itself or nearby so that guests can easily serve themselves.

9. Cutting board for treats

A long cutting board placed in the middle of a dinner table topped with bread, cheese, green grapes, crackers, and decorated with small pumpkins.
Source: Finding Sea Turtles

Decoration can often be practical, and this is a great example. All you need is a long cutting board that fits as a runner on your dinner table, and a bunch of treats to spread across its length.

If you don’t have a big cutting board, you can simply use two or three of them next to each other for the same effect, perhaps making it feel even more natural.

10. Votive candles

A dinner table with white plates over wicker placemats, decorated with a few small pumpkins and several lit votive candles.
Source: Taste of Home

Candles are perfect for those who want a cozy and intimate atmosphere. And big candles in candlesticks also make for a great effect, but they are tall and wobbly, making it not ideal for a dinner table where people want to talk freely.

This is why votive candles are perfect. Very small and with a subtle and unobtrusive flame, they decorate your tablescape without standing in front of anything.

Only a few more days to Thanksgiving and we’re running low on time to finish preparations. If you need some help, remember that you can get free quotes for house cleaning in your area and save yourself a lot of time!


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