A pink and yellow Thanksgiving (at two houses)

The assignment:

a bright, intimate Thanksgiving table for six

The goal:

create something that works in a dark and light setting

Tricks to pulling off the looks:

1. Keep the colors vibrant

2. Incorporate hints of “traditional” Thanksgiving

             3. Make subtle adjustments for dark vs. light

Keeping the colors vibrant

I’ve been curious to explore the effects of lighting on a look and thought creating the same table in two different settings was a great opportunity for the exploration.  I decided to keep the colors bright to ensure contrast in both environments. “Bright” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when thinking of a Thanksgiving palette, so I decided to be adventurous by choosing shades of pink, yellow, and orange.

Incorporating some tradition

Brown, copper, and gold brought traditional warmth to the table, so even wild shades of pink became inviting for the feast. One interesting deviation was the color choice for the table linen.  I knew white or cream wasn’t right, and I never imagined a light pink tablecloth for a Thanksgiving table, but in this instance, it worked beautifully in both settings.

Dark vs. light

A few small differences brought the look together in both settings.  I knew the darker setting would be filled with mahogany wood, so the table needed an extra boost of color and texture to make things work.  This meant adding a velvet fuschia table runner (texture) and additional greenery and blooms (burgandy mums) to the florals.  The mums helped the arrangement work in the darker setting and the additional greenery made the florals “pop” against the background. Overall, I loved observing the differences in the white “light” and brown “dark” settings and the challenge of making a look work in two completely different homes.  Both provided a beautiful space to enjoy the most wonderful meal of the year!