Big Easy Style Thanksgiving Table

By Steele Thomas Marcoux
Give your Thanksgiving table flashy, stylish flair with this layered décor that embodies New Orleans style and culture. Melissa Rufty, owner of Melissa Rufty Design Studio, shares her secrets for getting a stylish, ornate Thanksgiving table setting. To create your own grandiose table décor in true New Orleans style, go big – mix patterns, colors, and textures. Stack monochromatic dinnerware in a mixture of textures for a dazzling gilded effect, and top with Thanksgiving place cards made from vibrant lace doilies. Tuck handwritten place card labels in the folds for a personalized touch. Emanate New Orleans’s tropical climate by dressing an antique centerpiece in fresh, colorful flowers and succulents, upgrading the show-stopping centerpiece with diverse layers of color and textures. Saturate your colorful, lively Thanksgiving table with a variety of colored and clear glasses, and encourage guests to write down their blessings by displaying customized pouches for handwritten notes. In traditional New Orleans style, don’t forget the sweet pralines and decadent bananas foster – and, of course, the cocktails!
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New Orleans-Style Table

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Hostess Melissa Rufty shares her secrets for setting a stylish and festive holiday table. Start off by never being afraid to mix your patterns.

Source Guide
Tablecloth fabric: Florentine Bargello in Olivine (#64662) by Schumacher & Co.; available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575
Wallcovering: Brighton Silk Damask Parchment (#51491) by Schumacher & Co.; insidefabric.com
Drapery fabric: Antoinette in Zircon (#10047-19) by Donghia, Inc.; available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575
Chair fabric: Cavallini in Vanilla (C27) by Edelman Leather; available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575

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Pile Gold on Gold

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

For a less formal place setting, use wood Florentine trays as chargers underneath gold Wedgwood dinner plates and vintage glass dessert plates.

  • Source Guide:
  • Wood Florentine trays: vintage, Antiques on Jackson, 504/524-8201
  • Fabric pouches: by Becky Vizard, New Orleans; bviz.com

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Create a Showpiece

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Tuck stems of roses, succulents, pepper berry, and eucalyptus into the holes of an 18th-century glazed ceramic French brazier for a dramatic cascading effect.

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Mix and Match Stemware

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Add saturated color and eclectic style with a combination of colored and clear glasses. Buck tradition and use small aubergine juice glasses for red wine.

  • Source Guide
  • Clear glasses: Diamante by Arte Italica; available through replacements.com
  • Green glasses: vintage cased glass by Carlo Moretti; similar items often available on eBay, search "Carlo Moretti"; ebay.com

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Start a Thankful Tradition

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Hung on a festive fall garland, antique-textile pouches made by Louisiana artisan Becky Vizard hold guests' handwritten notes of thanks; bviz.com.

Source Guide
Garlands: by Ambrose Garden, New Orleans; 504/861-1953

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