Thanksgiving Day Arrangement

By Rebecca Bull Reed
October 26, 2009
Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin
Stylist Scott Martin combined collected fall leaves and some florist finds to create this fast and easy centerpiece.
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Take the Party Outside

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

Take the Thanksgiving feast outdoors. But don’t host your friends and family on folding chairs and paper plates―bring the good stuff outside. Surprise guests with a perfectly set table in the garden. Inspired by camp houses and his own family’s outdoor gatherings, stylist Scott Martin created a look that beautifully blends the rustic with the refined.

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Setting the Table

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

“Start with a pressed linen cloth,” he says. “It sets the mood and says the day is special.” If you have vintage or family china and crystal, now’s the time to use it. “I love the earthy brown in Spode’s Woodland Hunting Dog pattern,” says Scott. Pewter flatware by Match and horn candlesticks and carving set by Vagabond will be used for years to come. “Thanksgiving is a time that we all stay at the table for hours, listening to a replay of family stories,” says Scott. So refill the goblets with wine, take in the fall color, and linger until day fades to night.

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Supplies

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin
  • Florist or transparent tape
  • Vegetable dish and rectangular platter
  • 6- to 8-inch-long branches of fall leaves Our advice: Get the kids collecting leaves while you assemble the rest of the materials
  • Scissors
  • Three ‘Vintage Harvest’ hydrangea blossoms, halved (Dried blossoms work well too.)
  • 12 ‘Amnesia’ roses
  • 18 florist water tubes (A package of 24 sells for about $5.)
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Step 1

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

Tape the top of the vegetable bowl to form a grid. This will help hold leaves and flowers in place.

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Step 2

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

Insert branches of leaves through grid, hiding the top of the bowl.

Editor’s picks: red, sugar, and Japanese maples.

Other good options: hickory and sweet gum.

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Step 3

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

To halve hydrangea blossoms, snip stems with scissors, leaving them 2 to 3 inches long. Cut rose stems to this length as well and remove any thorns. Fill florist water tubes, and insert blossoms through slit in top.

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Step 4

Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

Finish by inserting florist water tubes through leaves. To achieve the best form, start with the hydrangeas, and then use roses to fill in voids.

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By Rebecca Bull Reed