9 Designer & Tastemaker Ideas for Setting Your Thanksgiving Table

For Charlotte-based tastemaker Ruth Runberg, the key to an inviting Thanksgiving table is including personal yet unique pieces that tell their own story. "I love the very personal, rich, and relaxed feel of a table layered with patterns and pieces collected over years and on travels," says Runberg. "I smile every time I think about hauling back from the souk my twelve (heavy!) brass chargers, souvenirs of an epic train trip through Morocco in my 20s."

Along with the chargers, Runbergs layered in silver goblets as a special reminder of our late mother-in-law, who gifted them over years for Christmases and birthdays. Classic Murano tumblers and a quirky Gregory Parkinson hand-blockprinted runner finish the look and can be found sell at R. Runberg Curiosities.

Chelsea Handegan - the Charleston-based designer - knows the art of creating tailored and thoughtful interiors, especially considering her hometown's design pedigree. Artful table settings, of course, come naturally to the interior designer as well. Here, she mixes classic china patterns, like Herend's Princess Victoria and Chinese Bouquet designs, with more unexpected touches, like William Yeoward's Country Fanny goblets, resplendent in their amethyst hue.

"My tabletop collection is comprised of pieces that work year-round," says Handegan. "I fashion tablecloths from fabric remnants to tie in the occasion and jazz up perennial china and heirloom sterling silver flatware. Seasonal fruit, market flowers, and foraged loquat leaves complete the Thanksgiving table!"

Pomegranates mimic the color found in the patterned tablecloth, while ruby red daisies punch up the drama with their fiery hue. Gorham Chantilly sterling silver flatware adds a collected feel to the entire look.

The Birmingham and Nashville-based interior designer Jeremy D. Clark has always paid tribute to tradition with a fresh, modern bent in his interiors - and his table settings are no different. Here, a somewhat neutral palette gets a punch with a dose of coral, while botanical-inspired motifs (with the tablecloth done in Soane's Scrolling Fern fabric) ground the entire look.

“The aesthetic was inspired largely by an eagerness for the holidays ahead, with olive green, brown tones, and a punchy red dish complete with a floral motif," says Clark. "Most importantly, though, the tabletop was driven by a love for pattern and an appreciation for formal but not fussy.”

When designing a table for a special occasion, North Carolina-based designer Charlotte Lucas always looks to florals to set the tone: "I have a wonderful florist here in Charlotte, Nectar, who creates the most beautiful and unique arrangements," Lucas says. "I simply provide the vase, and they surprise me with a whimsical arrangement that immediately becomes my centerpiece!"

For the table's linens and dinnerware, Lucas likes to incorporate old and new pieces, layers, and lots of texture, just like with her midcentury-leaning and colorful design work. Here, her grandmother's lace tablecloth lays the foundation for Thanksgiving dinner in her Charlotte home. "Weaving these special heirlooms into the mix sparks conversation about the beloved family members who came before you and brings back all the wonderful memories you all shared at previous gatherings," she says. "Having the meaningful 'old' alongside the never-before-seen 'new' generates a wonderful combination of nostalgia for the past and excitement for the future."

"I am passionate about collecting linens, so I typically start there and then layer in pretty china, glassware, and silver, always mixing heirloom pieces with new-found objects," says Cathy Kincaid, the Dallas-based interior designer known for her tailored interiors. "Many of my linens are vintage, and I especially love D. Porthault, which are mostly designed to mix with one another. Leontine Linens are [another] favorite that I’ve been collecting for years."

Here, Kincaid mixes Mottahedeh's Sacred Bird pattern with hand-painted Herring teacups (for the soup course!) and vintage Edgewood cabbageware for a multidimensional look. Clean lines on the stemware play nicely with the more detailed placemats and napkins by Julia B. The final touches that Kincaid swears by? "For Thanksgiving, I would only use flowers and vegetables that would be bountiful at that special time of year," she says. "On this table, we placed heirloom silver candlesticks inside glass hurricane lamps, which is something I love doing."

Los Angeles–based designer Mark D. Sikes knows the power of the calculated combination when it comes to laying a table. "My mantra is don't be afraid to mix things up. Even mixing different dinnerware patterns on the same table can work," he says. "You will only use a table for a couple of hours, so you really don't have anything to lose. When mixing different patterns, it's good to stick with a narrow palette. I think the art is to balance both the scale of the patterns and the types of patterns: florals and stripes, batiks with ikats."

Sikes, just like in his classical-leaning interiors, gravitates to the tried-and-true classics when designing his tables. His grandmother's silver and crystal make an appearance for more formal occasions, while rattan placemats and wrapped glassware add texture for more casual meals. One thing he never skips? Myrtle topiaries! What does he have his eye on for his next table? "Right now, I am obsessing about Cornflower aptware by La Tuile à Loup," Sikes says.

How does designer Brigette Romanek of Romanek Design Studio keep a holiday table feeling new and fresh every year? "Of course, we don't buy new dishware every holiday, so the surprises on the table—the pieces that make the difference—are usually the small things, [like] the floral design, the candles and candleholders, and the little pieces I pick up throughout the year," says Romanek. "It allows me to throw some newness on the table each year and keep it unique."

The California-based designer, who loves china by Anna Weatherley, Royal Crown Derby, and Royal Copenhagen, prides herself on her eclecticism in her interiors, which also shines through when she's setting the table. "Go mad with antiques—anything from the dishes and the silverware to the glasses and the serving pieces," says Romanek. She also suggests keeping it fun, like using family photos in miniature frames to use as placecards to kick off a festive evening. What will her table look like this year? "Lots of happy colors, bright, and full of energy. [I'll] throw some lemons on the table, pink candles, crystal pitchers, oranges, pomegranates, and flower petals!"