Ribbon & Candle Centerpiece on My Thanksgiving Table

Do you have a holiday table to set? If so, see how I added a touch of autumn to my dining table for Thanksgiving this year using a $10 modern antique brass taper candle centerpiece and a mix of vintage silver utensils to create a simple Thanksgiving table for my family.

If you have been reading my blog for a long time then you know one of the decorative things I truly enjoy doing is setting a pretty dining table. I am not sure why I love it so much, but I do.

For my Thanksgiving table this year let me first show you the $10 antique brass candle centerpiece I am going to use. I bought it 2 weeks ago at World Market.

The website no longer has it, but if you like it, you may also like this metal candle centerpiece.

For Thanksgiving I wanted it to have a bit of a rustic appeal and placed it on a tree trunk slice. After doing that I still felt it needed something more to fit my style.

After some experimenting I liked the way it looked after I tied ribbon bows to each candle holder.

NOTE: To get a similar look, you could round up all your candle holders and place them in a circle and then tie the length of ribbon as I did on each.

Then I added a round basket to the center and filled it with papier-mâché pumpkins I had in my decor stash. All done!

Using My Collection of Vintage Sterling Silverware

I think the reason I like setting tables so much is that it brings back happy family memories. My mom liked to make holidays extra-special and the house was always festive and cozy. On Thanksgiving morning when I was growing up my mom would ask my siblings and I who would like to polish the silverware for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

It was the only time the real silverware came out of the china cabinet. I didn’t find it a chore and always enjoyed doing it to see how the silver polish and my efforts make the silverware gleam. It made holiday dinners all the more special.

After getting all the silver polished, my mom always let me set the table and choose the cloth, napkins and centerpiece.

Once I was done, I would dim the lights to make sure that when the family gathered around the table, the dimmed chandelier and the candles on the table would create a cozy atmosphere to enjoy the holiday meal.

When I worked in retail display, one of the weekly jobs I had was to change the display dining table settings in the china department. I had creative freedom and could use anything the store sold to set them. It was my favorite part of the job.

When my paternal grandmother died, one of the things that was handed down to me was a set of Rogers floral silver plate from 1937.

Then when Ed and I got married we inherited a set of from his uncle that was monogrammed.

The monogram isn’t ours, but who can tell what the script is it is so small.

But my absolute favorite set is this modern hand-hammered set designed by Allan Adler. I have shared many table settings here on the blog using it.

When I went to choose what set I was going to use this year to set the table for 8 people, I took the time to look in more detail to find out more about each of the markings on the sets of silverware.

A big surprise to me was that I found out that Allan Adler was a designer to the Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra and world leaders like Winston Churchill and JFK.

His work is prized for its clean mid-century design.

I had no idea where the set originated – Ed’s parents or his grandparents.

After some thought I believe the set came from his grandparents. His maternal grandfather was a minister and his church was in Washington, D.C. for a time when Eisenhower was in office.

He rubbed elbows with important people and along with Ed’s grandmother entertained a lot, hence the mix of china and more that Ed inherited.

What Set of Silverware Did I Decide to Use?

After polishing all the silver until it gleamed, I couldn’t choose just one set for the table this year since and decided that for each place setting, I will use a mix of all three.

My round kitchen wood dining table is the only dining table we have since we no longer have a formal dining room. I kept the rest of the table setting simple so we would have enough room for drink glasses and serving dishes full of delicious Thanksgiving food around the centerpiece.

What Style of Utensils Do you Use for Holiday Dinners?

I was having fun taking stock of all the utensils I have. I didn’t even realize with the amount I had that I could be called a utensil collector. :-)

Allan Alder B Hammered | Vintage Monogrammed | Bamboo Stainless | Skandia Stainless | Oneida Stainless | Thrift Store Find | 1937 Rose & Leaf Pattern

More Table Setting Ideas you May Like

If you like setting dinner tables in festive and inviting ways, don’t miss seeing all the table settings I have created over the years on my Table Setting page.

If Thanksgiving is one of your favorite holidays like it is mine then I hope you enjoy another one of my holiday posts: My Families Thanksgiving Traditions

For all my American readers….

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.