Decorating for Thanksgiving can be difficult for two reasons. One… taking down Halloween decorations sucks! If you’re anything like me, you love the way your house looks during the Halloween season. Packing everything up not to be seen again for another 10 months is such a bummer that it’s easy to drag your feet. Which brings me to reason number two… Thanksgiving is chomping at the heels of Halloween. Halloween ends, you blink your eyes, and there’s Thanksgiving. When do you even have the time to completely break down one holiday and get the next one up! This year, I was able to make both of those challenges a bit easier with this Black and Gold Gothic Thanksgiving Table. Let me explain how….
A few years ago, I created a Purple and Black Thanksgiving Table by using not only typical Halloween colors, but also incorporating some of my Halloween decor into the design. Saying that this table was not traditional is putting it mildly. I left “traditional” in the dust when I designed it. A purple and black Thanksgiving table may seem odd, but I urge you to check out the photos. It actually turned out beautiful. For me, the best part was that it still maintained my dark aesthetic, and allowed me to hold onto some of the feelings I have when my Halloween decor is up. Yet the table was completely appropriate for the occasion, and turned out to be a surprising hit among some of my traditional guests. This year, I decided to take a page out of that same book…. incorporating Halloween elements, and dark non-traditional colors into the table design to create a moody Thanksgiving table.
As for the time crunch… in an effort to minimize the pain of completely dismantling my Halloween table, I decided to keep much of that table as is, just replacing a few of the elements in order to make it a little less Halloween, and a bit more Fall. For example… the skulls went away, and pumpkins came in… black pumpkins of course. I also opted to go with a similar color story. The Skull Royalty Halloween Table was full of gold elements, mixed with accents of royal colors. Because the use of gold was so prominent in the design, I opted to use gold as a primary color in my Thanksgiving Table as well. While you may notice a lot of similarities when comparing the two tables, the overall table design of each turned out completely unique.
Let’s take a look at all of the details….
On a side note…. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thanks! Click HERE for more details.
The first thing to go from my Halloween table were the Royal Colors. They were ditched, and replaced with black. I felt an all black & gold table would be visually striking, and also have that Gothic elegance I tend to go for. So, the first thing that got swapped out was the red velvet table runner. I love using velvet table runners, and they are typically my go to, but it was an opportunity to do something different with this table. I decided to do something VERY different… a black faux fur runner
All of the gold candelabras from the Halloween Table remained. I also added a bunch of small vintage gold candlesticks. I am fanatical about candlelight on a dinner table. Well, I’m fanatical about candlelight everywhere… but especially a dinner table. So, it should come as no surprise that I have obtained quite a collection of those vintage candlesticks. All of the candlesticks and candelabras on the table were picked up while treasure hunting through estate sales, antique markets and thrift stores. If you decide to venture out for some treasure shopping, the candelabras may be a bit harder to come by, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever walked into a thrift store without finding a small gold or brass candlestick. Just keep your eyes peeled throughout the year, get yourself a little collection, and when it comes time to decorate any table, you’ll be happy you have a stash to go to! The candlesticks were filled with tall black taper candles. You’ll want a large stash of those too!
Just like the Purple Thanksgiving Table, Black Halloween Pumpkins filled the center of the table. I like using black pumpkins for Thanksgiving because the pumpkin is such an unmistakable symbol of Fall. I’m not one for truly traditonal tablescapes, but I do like bringing in traditional elements. With black pumpkins, I get to mix traditional with a dark twist… win-win. So, if you happened to use any black pumpkins in your Halloween decorations… don’t pack them away just yet. Even if you didn’t have black pumpkins, it’s nothing a can of spray paint can’t remedy. I opted to use a variety of sizes, and even a variety of finishes… some matte black, some glossy black, and some even coated in glitter.
I also added a gold leaf garland down the center of the table, winding in and out of the candelabras and pumpkins. This is another example of mixing a traditional symbol of Fall (leaves) into the table design. The gold pairs well with the colors of the table, while the subtle touch of leaves helps to create a table that is less Halloween and more Thanksgiving. I purchased the garland during Christmas clearance sales last year, but found this Gold Magnolia Leaf Garland
For the place settings, I kept the same charger plates. After the time I spent painting those Gold Chargers, I was definitely going to get my use out of them! Besides, keeping the same chargers was a huge win in terms of transitioning efficiently from one table to the next. Learn how to paint a Faux Antique Gold Finish to create the chargers yourself, or you can certainly use any gold charger you may happen to have. I replaced the glass dishes with solid Black Dishes.. after all – ALL Black & Gold was my theme. I replaced the black glass goblets with tall black wine glasses, and used gold flatware
I topped each place setting with a Solid Black Fabric Napkin. The only problem I faced was the monotone layering of the black napkin on the black dinner plate. I like for place settings to stand out, so I needed something else to complete the look. I tested gold napkins, but it almost looked like too much gold, and felt reminiscent of my Halloween table, so I went back to the black. After some brainstorming on how to add some gold to the place setting in order to not only break up the black napkin and plate, but to also make the place setting pop, I decided to pull in another traditional Fall element.
I went down to my local farm, and picked up mini Indian Corns. I painted them to match the gold garland, and tied each one to the napkin using black velvet ribbon. I know not everyone has a farm nearby where Indian corn is readily available, but if you plan this table far enough ahead (for next year perhaps)… most grocery stores carry the Indian Corn in the beginning of Fall. You can also order them online. If you opt to try this table this year, but can’t get your hands on the corn, there is one other thing you can do. Before picking up the Indian corn, my daughter and I gathered a ton of fallen leaves from the backyard. The plan was to paint the largest ones gold, and tie them to napkin. If you can find extremely large leaves, I think it would also be pretty to simply lay the large gold leaf on the plate and set the folded napkin on top of it.
Hope my table can offer a bit of inspiration! Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!!
Gorgeous. Gorgeous. GORGEOUS!!! 🖤 Almost makes me wish we celebrated Thanksgiving here. Have a. Good one, my friend. Sx
Thank you Sue!!!
Love your aesthetic! I, like you, am always so sad to see Halloween go. This year I decided not to pack up many of my Gothic treasures
and designed a beautiful Autumn mantle. My husband and I call this style for Fall “Gothumn”! I wish I could attach a photo, as I feel you would appreciate it.
Morticia…. Thank you so much, and I absolutely love “Gothumn”! That’s awesome!