Thanksgiving Table Setting | Courtney Out Loud

This year, I will not be hosting dinner at the house. I am a little sad by the fact that my home won’t have the heady scent of roast turkey, garlicky mash potatoes and the spicy hint of a pumpkin pie. However, I am excited to break bread with new friends and contribute to their holiday in my own little way.

While I won’t be setting a table this year, I thought it would be nice to revisit my Thanksgiving table from last year. Truth be told, it is one of my favorite tables I have done to date. It has a traditional elements that have been modernized thanks to color and interesting floral arrangements.

So as I take a stroll down, memory lane, I hope this inspires you in our own way to make your home the inviting and warm haven you wish it to be this Thanksgiving…..

Check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages as well as my Twitter for more holiday inspiration.

I honestly can’t believe that Thanksgiving is in TWO WEEKS! Good Grief Charlie Brown — where has all the time gone? Like many of you, I am scrambling trying to keep ahead of the holiday onslaught. Fortunately for me, creating my holiday tablescapes is a welcome respite from the crazy world.

It’s a bit crazy to think that I did my first tablescape for the blog over a year ago! Even funnier (to me at least) is that Thanksgiving 2010 was my first attempt at creating a tablescape. Prior to that, I just threw plates on the table and focused primarily on cooking. Looking back at that first tablescape, I have learned so much in regards to presentation, texture, color and judging from how dark the pictures are, how to use my camera correctly.

So this time around, there is no back story or imaginary client. I created this table solely for me catering to my love of deep, rich colors. I wanted to create a Thanksgiving table that was truly representative of the wealth I have gained this year and am tremendously thankful for – my friends, family, the blog and a new-found career path that I dearly love.

I envisioned a table that was filled and overflowing with all the things that nature has to offer. That thought transformed itself into a modern take on the cornucopia/horn-of-plenty as a centerpiece. I mixed gourds, pumpkins, herbs, flowers, fruit and succulents to create a centerpiece that would anchor the rest of the tablescape. I then turned to the colors within the centerpiece to dictate the remainder of the table — royal purples, spicy oranges and golden amber with hits of shiny brass and crystal finished off the table.

I think the table is the perfect example of how to pull traditional elements but not get bogged down in tradition. It is a table I love and am proud to share with you…….