When I asked Sarah from The Stemmery for help creating a non-traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, I had two requests: showcase my epic cheeseboard (learn more about that in yesterday’s post) and incorporate tones of blush. Truth be told, I wanted to go the unexpected route with my tablescape this Thanksgiving and eschew the traditional fall tones of burgundy, plum, and gold. There’s something so fresh and modern about using pastel shades like blush and lavender in the fall when everyone else is going dark, deep, and heavy. Sarah really blew me away with this gorgeous, layered centerpiece that will look amazing, even after the cheese course is over. Without further ado, let’s learn how Sarah created this unexpected statement!
A Non-Traditional Blush Thanksgiving Centerpiece
Flowers & Greenery
- Heirloom Chrysanthemums
- Pampas Grass
- Seeded Eucalyptus
- Privet Berries
- Ninebark
- Lavender Spray Roses
When setting a table, you’re probably most likely to create an elevated floral display, whether it’s flowers in a vase or a pedestal arrangement, and place any food to be served on the table surrounding it. For this modern Thanksgiving tabletop, we decided to flip tradition inside-out in more ways than one. We planned a floral tablescape that would go under and around a glorious, two-tiered marble cheese stand. Joanna chose a color scheme that centered on dusty shades of pink and purple, which is far from the bright and bold oranges, reds and yellows normally used to decorate for this autumn holiday, yet these colors allowed us to use beautiful material highlighting some of the best of what fall has to offer.
To prepare for this arrangement, I cut shorter stems of all the material I was going to use so that it was a length that worked well for filling in this arrangement. The length you need to cut will differ based on each ingredient and the size of your tablescape. With the flowers, I actually cut most of the stems off, leaving a small section to be able to weave in, if needed. With a few of the chrysanthemums, I cut the stem off completely so they would lay face up.
I began by laying two stems of pampas grass along the width of the table underneath the cheese stand. I had the grass reach all the way to the ends of the table so it would peak out underneath the other materials that would lay on top of it. Next, I layered in pieces of seeded eucalyptus and ninebark, really using as much of these as I needed to fill in all the space. I love using seeded eucalyptus to create some points of interest flowing out onto the table, maybe even in between where plates will be. Next I added in the privet berries, then chrysanthemums, then finally, the roses. I’ve been so obsessed with heirloom chrysanthemums lately. The mainstream flower market has create an unfortunate reputation for these truly beautiful and unique flowers, reducing them to a very basic, boring bloom, often dying them bright, unnatural colors. I suggest googling “heirloom chrysanthemums” and basking in the beauty of all the incredible varieties of this flower.
Most of these materials will last for hours (some even a day or two) without water, but the mums are the most likely to begin wilting the soonest. If you are hoping for your tablescape to last more than a few hours, you could purchase flower tubes to keep the stems in water, but I will note that these make getting the mum face up a bit more challenging and you’ll also need to try and hide the tube with the other material.
It is a great idea to test different flowers and greens in advance to find out what survives well outside of water so that you don’t end up with a tableful of wilted flowers. After you’re done with the tablescape, you can collect everything and make small arrangements with the stems — just make sure to recut the ends before placing them in the water!
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photography by Meghan Klein. DIY by The Stemmery for Jojotastic.
Get more DIYs here and stay tuned to see the finished tablescape tomorrow!
