and the Thanksgiving table winner is....

Last year I had an overwhelming response to my blog post about the Thanksgiving table. 
(see the post from 11/11/2014 titled "Give Thanks" if you missed it) 

Turns out not only is the food cause for hostess stress but also the table setting. 

Ever since I can remember I have loved setting the table.  When I was young and chores were doled out Thanksgiving morning to the 5 of us kids I raised my hand to set the table.  It was a treat to take out all the fancy wine and water goblets and fill the silver candlesticks with new tapers from the local hardware store.  I can still remember the smell of the silver chest and the lemon-scented spray starch my Mom used when she ironed the table cloth.  It felt festive and happy and I remember it all very fondly.

Today is no different. 

I have been mulling over ideas in my head for this year's table.  I alluded to a few ideas in a previous post titled The Countdown to Thanksgiving Begins....with pheasant feathers and sepia-toned turkey placemats.  

But like most things in my brain they are always changing.  

I am still enjoying my love affair with all things navy and gold.  And when I saw that roll of extra fabric from my navy and cream buffalo check wingback chairs I got to thinking. 

So often we are stuck in a rut when it comes to table design or any design for that matter.  Who says that the Thanksgiving table has to look like it did for the pilgrims or like it did last year because we default to our "same old"?

So I cut a piece of the fabric and created a buffalo check table runner and things just started to take form.  

At first I tried all browns....sepia-tone turkey placemats, wood slices, pheasant feathers, etc.  

But the table felt flat, it needed to a pop of color.

the pheasant feathers that may still appear on one of my 4 tables this year
as a center piece or tucked into the rolled dinner napkin with a name tag

Yesterday I had picked up a couple of flowering plants with the intention of inserting them into any number of ceramic planters I currently have for sale at the store.  One variation was orange and that became my pop of color.  The plants went into the bronze colored honeycomb metal planters which added a touch of festive!  

I sat the plants on a wood slice purchased at Joann's craft store and added a few mini pumpkins and clear glass votives. 

The addition of orange and green plants was 2 things...

1.  a departure for me as I prefer muted 

shades of greys and blues in most things and

2.  incredibly impactful. 

I like that the table feels clean and crisp...

not too over done.

in the background you can see my bookshelf transformed into a bar and I love how
the Veuve Clicquot orange labels play so nicely into my story

I am so pleased that it still works with the 
sepia tone paper placemats.

And my gold thread monogrammed napkins 
are a fun addition too!

If you happen to live nearby stop into No. 299, we would love to chat about your Thanksgiving table!