Thanksgiving Décor Ideas to Bring the Season’s Magic into Your Home

Thanksgiving is not just about cooking roast turkey, mashed potato, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and all the delicious food you can think of, it is also about transforming your home with some beautiful Thanksgiving decorations, filling your space with that holiday magic and seasonal cheer.

Decorating your home for Thanksgiving sets the mood for the of arrival the festive season, thereby, providing and enhancing a sense of warmth, gratitude, and togetherness. Beautiful Thanksgiving decorations make the place for you and all your loved ones feel very welcoming, adding to the specialness of the occasion.

Key to a perfect and heart-warming Thanksgiving decoration is about finding the right balance between something stylish and warm, along with capturing the true essence of the season with ideal fall colors and décor items.

Warm or neutral color palettes such as rust orange, cranberry red, plum, olive green, golden, brown, white, off-white, etc. are ideal for rugs, table runners, throw pillows, accent chairs, etc. Décor items could include pumpkins, dried twigs, leaves and flowers, garlands, wreaths, wooden accents, wicker vases and baskets, barrels, and more. Besides, if you’re someone who loves to add a personal touch, then DIY Thanksgiving decorations are a great way to add a more meaningful appeal to your home. 

In this article, we are going to help provide you with some beautiful and simple Thanksgiving décor ideas - that you can purchase from the store or DIY - so that you can create a space full of warmth, joy, and gratitude.

Table of Contents

• Key Decorating Elements for Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Living Room Decor Ideas
• Thanksgiving Kitchen and Dining Space Decor Ideas
• Thanksgiving Porch and Outdoor Decor Ideas
• Thanksgiving Decorating Tips

Key Decorating Elements for Thanksgiving

Here are some key decorating elements that you need to capture the true spirit of Thanksgiving.

• Fall Colors:

To capture the true essence of the festive spirit, your Thanksgiving decorationsshould include fall colors such as shades of orange, red, yellow, plum, burgundy, brown, olive green, gold, etc. 

• Wool, Velvet, Burlap, and Linen Fabrics:  

To create a nice warm, and cozy atmosphere, use fabric such as wool, velvet, burlap, and linen for blankets, table runners, rugs, and throw pillows to add texture and depth. 

• Natural Elements:

Bring nature indoors with elements such as foam pumpkins, pinecones, dried leaves and flowers, twigs, and more. You can use all of these to create table displays, porch displays, centerpieces, wreaths, garlands, bouquets, etc.   

• Lighting:

Whether it’s pillar candles, lanterns, fairy lights, or tungsten bulbs, soft lights add that extra glow and warmth to your home. 

• Personal Touches:

Thanksgiving is about families coming together, celebrating, and feeling a sense of gratitude, therefore, adding some personal touches to your Thanksgiving decorations is an excellent way of making everything feel more meaningful. Add family photos and gratitude notes on tables or mantles, or include some DIY Thanksgiving decorations such as handmade cards, painted mason jars, gratitude trees, etc.  

Thanksgiving Living Room Decor Ideas

Your living room is where everyone comes together, sits down, and chats about life, work, and everything before you start your festive meal, so it’s really nice to make this place feel welcoming and warm. Here are some Thanksgiving décor ideas for your living room.

Centerpiece for Your Coffee Table:

A Thanksgiving centerpiece is a great idea for a living room. You can create a centerpiece on your coffee table. Take a wooden tray, fill it with pinecones and mini pumpkins, place a wicker vase on the tray, and add some dried leaves, dried flowers, and twigs. Then add some candles or a lantern for that extra glow and there you have it, a simple beautiful centerpiece to enhance the festive atmosphere.

Fall-Inspired Throw Pillows and Chunky Blankets:

It’s time to change all your regular throw pillows and chunky blankets with fall-inspired colors and prints for a warmer and cozier feel. Opt for bright fall colors like orange, brown, gold, plum, red, or more neutral colors such as olive, white, off-white, and beige throw pillows, blankets, cushions, and rugs. If you want some seasonal prints and patterns, then pumpkins and maple leaves prints, and plaid and checkered patterns are absolutely ideal for adding texture, depth, and dimension in your living room.

Mantel Display:

The mantel is just the perfect place for you to put up some Thanksgiving decorations. Here you can place a fall garland made of artificial maple leaves, and add small pumpkins, pinecones, twigs, berries, burlap bows, string lights, lanterns, and battery-powered pillar candles, flowers, etc. You can choose these decorations in bright colors of yellow, orange, red, etc., or neutral colors of off-white, beige, and olive green. To make it even more festive-themed, add a DIY banner with the words “Give Thanks”, “Thankful”, etc. for a more meaningful touch.

Thanksgiving Kitchen and Dining Space Decor Ideas

The kitchen and the dining space are all about good food, drinks, and heartfelt conversations, and by doing some beautiful Thanksgiving decorations there, you just add to the festive aura. Let’s look at some simple and easy Thanksgiving décor ideas for your kitchen and dining area.

Hanging Decorations: 

Hanging decorations are a great idea for a kitchen or a dining space. You can have colorful maple leaves or string lights hanging above the dining table. You can have fall garlands hanging from your windows. Fall wreaths made of dried flowers, berries, wheat, twigs, pinecones, and pumpkins, can adorn the walls or be hung on the cabinets, doors, etc. of your kitchen and dining space.

Miniature Decorations on Counters and Shelves:

You can also have some minimal Thanksgiving decorations on your kitchen counter. Place a wooden board with small pumpkins, candles, and maple leaves in a jute vase in one corner of the kitchen counter. You can also create a centerpiece in your kitchen with just a stack of pumpkins and pillar candles.

On the shelves of your kitchen and dining space, you can place small pumpkins, and rattan or wicker vases with leaves or dried flowers and berries wherever you find the appropriate place. You could also keep some fresh yellow or orange flowers such as marigolds if your theme is bright and colorful, but if your Thanksgiving decoration theme is neutral, then you can go for white or off-white chrysanthemums.  

Thanksgiving Table Decor:

When it’s Thanksgiving one should never miss out on the Thanksgiving table décor which is the centerpiece of your home. If you don’t have a lot of time to put up decorations all around your home, then at least a simple Thanksgiving table décor is a must, and if you do have time, then a table decoration cannot be missed at all. After all, this is the place where you will be dining with your loved ones, eating some delicious food, sipping on some wine, sharing wonderful stories, and feeling thankful.

Start with a table runner. If you are going for a rustic and warm feel, then use plaid table runners. If you want a more elegant and sophisticated look, then you can use a softer fabric like plush table runners in colors such as plum, rusty red, olive green, etc. Now, you can choose to go all over the top or you can keep it simple.

If your table is small and you don’t want to overcrowd the place, then place pumpkins within a few inches of each other, next place a string of berries around the pumpkins, and then go on to add candle holders in those gaps, and lastly place your plates, bowls, and spoons, and fall-themed napkins.

For more elaborate Thanksgiving table decorations, you can use various other elements besides pumpkins, you can add pinecones, leaves, flowers, lights, etc. You can place wooden trays in gaps of few inches and add all the Thanksgiving décor elements to them.

Also, each tray can have a gorgeous candle holder with huge fall-colored candles. Then in the gaps you can place, pines, decorative gourds, acorns, pumpkins, flowers, and leaves in vases. For that added soft glow, add warm lights on or above the table. If you want to add a personal touch, add handwritten gratitude cards at each seating space.

Thanksgiving Porch and Outdoor Decor Ideas

Your porch and outdoors are that part of your home that everyone sees first, hence, putting up Thanksgiving decorations is a great way to announce the festive season.

Entryway Display:

You can keep it simple yet elegant by just adding a huge fall wreath made of berries, pumpkins, pinecones, leaves, flowers, etc. on your front door, add some string lights, some real flowers and you are good to go. Or, you can go all elaborate and extravagant by creating a display of a stack of different-shaped pumpkins on the stairs, your doorway can have a fall garland, lanterns with pillar candles, fairy lights, flowers, and more.

You can also create a stunning display by placing barrels of different sizes on one side of your doorway and then placing different-sized pumpkins, lanterns, flowers, etc. If you don’t have barrels, you can also use wooden stools or stands. Add other elements like a huge cartwheel, stack of hay, a scarecrow, etc. for a more festive vibe.

If you have a seating area on the porch, then add fall-colored throw pillows and cushions. The coffee table can be kept simple with a bouquet of flowers in a wicker or a white vase or a wooden tray with some pumpkins, candles or lanterns.

Yard and Garden Décor:

Go on to extend your Thanksgiving decorations outdoors in your yard and garden space.  Your yard or garden will look like heaven with the simplest Thanksgiving decoration. All you need to do is fill your garden with beautiful yellow, orange, red, and white flowers and for that beautiful glow at night, you can place some solar outdoor firefly lights.

Another great idea would be to get garden trellises – you will find some great ones on GARVEE – and you can wrap some maple leaves, flowers, and string lights on it and place it near a wall or near your outdoor seating space.

Outdoor Dining Table Décor:

If your festive feast is planned outdoors, then create a rustic Thanksgiving table décor. Use a wicker table runner, and add natural elements and colors that are earthier and neutral. White, beige, and olive green pumpkins and leaves would look great.

Lights for Added Magic:

For additional warm lights, hang fair lights or tungsten lights over the dining table. If you do not have space for hanging those lights, you could dig a hole and place a wooden pillar or bamboo on both ends of the table and then hang the lights. You can also hang string lights around trees for that magical effect. Lights add to the aura of the festive spirit and are a simple, effective, and great way to decorate outdoors.

Fire Pit Area Decoration:

The fire pit area is a great place to hang out after a heavy meal, connect, talk, and play games. So, if you have a fire pit area in your yard, then decorate the place with some fall-themed throw pillows and cushions, pumpkins, and lanterns.

If you don’t have a fire pit space and would like one for Thanksgiving, then get your hands on GARVEE’s portable square fire pit ring to create one, then place some wooden chairs or benches around, and next place some lanterns, and lights. You can also make a thankful tree and decorate it with lights and keep it where everyone is seated. This way you have created a simple, warm, and cozy fire pit area for you and your loved ones.

Thanksgiving Decorating Tips

Here are simple tips to keep in mind when executing these Thanksgiving décor ideas.

• Choose a fall color theme and stick to it throughout the house – indoors and outdoors. This way your Thanksgiving décor looks more harmonious and feels like you have put in a lot of thought into making your home feel warm and comfortable. But if you really know how to balance colors, then you can always experiment.
• You can go all extravagant or you can keep it simple, the key here is all about striking a balance with your Thanksgiving decorations. Do avoid overcrowding and trying to fill every nook and corner of your home. If you have a huge centerpiece on your coffee table, then keep the décoron the mantle minimal, and if you have an elaborate dining table décor, then do not overdo your kitchen space.
• Mix textures to create depth and dimension. Smooth things or surfaces should be combined with more rustic textures such as wicker, wood, or burlap.
• Include DIY Thanksgiving decorations for a more personal touch. Add family photos, Thanksgiving notes, fall paintings, banners, etc. to make your decorations more meaningful.

These Thanksgiving décor ideas will help transform your home into a warm, cozy, comfortable space for you and your loved ones. Remember the key to the perfect Thanksgiving decorations is finding the right balance between colors and textures, not overcrowding your place, and using the correct Thanksgiving décor elements.

Here’s wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!