How I Created a Simple Thanksgiving Tablescape Using Natural Materials

Creating a beautiful and simple Thanksgiving table doesn’t have to be complicated. By using natural materials, this stress-free, simple Thanksgiving tablescape is a rustic beauty that everyone is sure to remember.

Holidays Shouldn’t Be Stressful

It’s so easy to get caught up in the stress of the Thanksgiving season.  Traveling, cooking, hosting, shopping….it’s easy to start feeling like you’re in over your head.  But why do we put so much pressure on ourselves? 

If traffic is terrible, talk to your family, play a road trip game, have a heart-to-heart with God.  Turkey too dry?  Pour some gravy on that gobbler and double up on macaroni.  Guest towels don’t match?  Oh, you mean you’re human.  Gasp!  Don’t even get me started on Black Friday.  Just no.

For lots of us, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only times that most of our family is together throughout the year.  So I’m gonna go all cheesy quote on you and say  “You’re too blessed to be stressed.”  Pour a glass of wine, sit down, and really enjoy.

These are the days when memories are made.

Our Homemade Table

This year, my family went a little untraditional and had an Italian-themed Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks early.  Meaning we carb-loaded to a chorus of southern men questioning our lack of turkey, rustic dressing, and fixin’s.  Since that’s not the norm for most of you (or for us), I’m flashing back to share last year’s tablescape, when Creek and I grabbed a basket and headed to the woods for natural and FREE décor.

I started by recruiting my Daddy to build a table from reclaimed barn doors that he had salvaged.  It’s rough and aged and perfectly rustic.  Did I mention that it’s 17 feet long?  

Yeah, we have a big family.

Decorating With Natural Materials

I used local small pumpkins and squash for the centerpieces, snagged some Leyland Cypress boughs from Mama & Daddy’s backyard, and sprinkled in some leaves, pine cones, acorns, turkey feathers, and antlers.  There’s no perfect way to do this.  It was just pretty dishes and a hodge-podge of all the treasures me and my little helper found on our nature walk.

Below is a list of creative ideas to help you include natural elements in your Thanksgiving table decorations. 

Materials to use

These natural materials are all easy to find, and many you can even just find outside! Because so many of these items can be foraged and are free, this makes this method of decorating super budget-friendly! For other items, you can easily find them at the grocery store, or even at your local dollar store. 

Leaves and twigs

Using leaves, twigs, or branches from evergreen trees is a beautiful and rustic look for your holiday decor. The bright colorful leaves this time of year is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table. If you live somewhere with fall foliage in your backyard, you can simply go outside and pick what catches your eye. This is such a fun job for your little kids involved with, too, like I did! Creek and I had so much fun exploring and collecting colorful fall leaves. If you do not have trees, leaves, or other items in your yard, ask a friend or family member to forage in their yard or visit a local park. That’s how I got beautiful cypress branches from Mama and Daddy’s backyard!

Acorns and pine cones

Acorns and pine cones are other items that are super easy to find in the woods or in your backyard! I added both to our tablescape scattered around the centerpiece, and it just looked stunning. They would also be great filled in a jar glass vase as a table centerpiece for the table or as other decor around your home. There are so many creative ways that you can use the free decoration! Use a variety of sizes and types for a really unique and beautiful decoration.

Pumpkins and squash

Fresh pumpkins and squash are a very inexpensive way to use natural and seasonal items. You can scatter mini pumpkins around the table or fill your centerpiece with decorative gourds. They have so many unique and beautiful gourds that you can buy just from the grocery store. Or, bonus points if you plan ahead and grow pumpkins, squash, and gourds in your garden to be able to use as fall and Thanksgiving decorations! 

Dried oranges 

I just love dried orange slices! Not only are they a gorgeous color, but they also smell great and are so ridiculously easy to make at home. Dried orange slices will add the perfect, timeless touch to your home this holiday season. One of the many reasons I love them so much is because they seamlessly transition from Thanksgiving decor to Christmas decorations. I can make them in November and enjoy them all the way until the new year. You can scatter them around your own, string them on twine for garland, or even make ornaments out of them. Learn how to make these gorgeous DIY Thanksgiving decorations here. 

Turkey feathers and antlers

For my rustic decor, I added turkey feathers and antlers that we have collected over the hunting season. They added a really nice touch to the holiday table that I just adored. Now, if you do not have a family that hunts like I do, you could also pick up some natural-looking feathers from your local craft store and scatter those around instead. 

Fresh flowers

Floral arrangements are a common table centerpiece, but they can be used in so many different ways! You can keep a vase of flowers that are fall colors in the center of the table, or you can scatter them around the table with your other fall decor pieces to bring it all together. Or, something that is just so beautiful and screams fall to me is to take a pumpkin and hollow out the center, then add flowers to it as a vase. It would make such a beautiful centerpiece that is perfect for the harvest season! Here is a great example of how to do this easy DIY project.

Fresh herbs

Fresh herbs are another great way to add some greenery to your holiday decor! I don’t know about you, but I always have leftover herbs from all of my Thanksgiving cooking, so this is the perfect way to use something that you already have! Any hearty herb would work great for this such as rosemary, thyme, or sage. You can scatter them around the table, add them with your flowers, or you can use them as decoration to make a beautiful table setting.  

More materials to use

Burlap table runner

For my tablescape, I added a burlap table runner down the middle of the table. The brown of the burlap is the perfect complement to the rustic decor. You can use any color or type of table runner that you would like, but I think it would be especially beautiful to keep with a natural color palette to do a shade of brown, cream, green, or even orange. You could also add some beautiful placemats to the dinner table as well to add texture and color. 

Candles

Candles can be an inexpensive and easy way to create an inviting atmosphere for your guests! You can pick up candles from your local dollar store and create DIY candle holders to go with the rustic decor. If you do not want to have an open flame on the table you could also use string lights for the same effect! I love adding warm lighting to the table since during this time of year it is usually dark by dinner time. 

Mason jars

I always have a collection of mason jars lying around, and they are perfect to use in DIY decor! You could leave them plain or wrap them in twine or a thin piece of burlap to tie them in with the theme. If you don’t have mason jars, just simply keep the glass jar from your pasta sauce or any other food item that comes in a jar! I think mix-matched jars are perfect for rustic decor anyway. You can use the jars to add flowers to or use them as a candle holder. 

Get creative and have fun with your decor

Thanksgiving décor doesn’t have to be expensive and perfect. Rustic and natural foraged treasures are perfect for this gal. Have fun with it, and let your creativity flow to make a beautiful tablescape that will be a lasting holiday memory for the whole family!