A Woodland Thanksgiving – A Key to the Armoire

For Thanksgiving, I tend to gravitate towards elegant, but woodsy, forest-laden tablescapes. I had three options in terms of plate patterns but, ultimately, I decided on Spode’s “Woodland Turkey” and “Delamere”. I also added a Mikasa “Something Old” in between to tie-in the sterling silver of the other pieces. Of course, when the name is “Woodland”, the theme was easy!

Therefore, I decided to build a woodsy forest around a 5-arm candelabra that was beautifully restored by Oexning Silversmiths (the other half of Gryphon Estate Silver). For my woodland, I assembled 4 vintage porcelain bisque, handpainted figurines representing squirrels and chipmunks by Homco. They add a whimsical touch that I feel adds a sense of childish magic to the table. I also added glass blown pumpkins in coordinated colors and different sizes. To finish the centerpiece, I sprinkled different kinds of pine cones, acorns, pheasant feathers, and gold and silver-dipped leaves, as well as small bud vases with Fall foliage.

Instead of using 5 candles for the candelabra, I decided to add a nappy dish in the center to add two fruit ornaments by Michael Aram, together with more pinecones, acorns, dipped leaves, and flowers.

Long-time followers know that I love, and collect, antiques so, naturally, I got to use some of my favorite sterling silver pieces. The 5-arm candelabra by Mueck Carey is from the 1940s, as are the Wallace Grande Baroque flatware pieces. Since I wanted to add that woodland touch to an elegant table, I mixed the sterling flatware with vintage Sheffield antler flatware for contrast. The chargers and bread plates are also by Wallace and are from the Gilded Age. The water goblets are by Alvin and the bouillon cups are by Whiting, from the 1930s, lined with Lenox cups, and the salvers underneath are by Wallace in the legendary “Rose Point” pattern.

For the stemware, in addition to the sterling water goblets, I chose red because I thought it went very nicely with orange. The hock wine glasses are by Ajka in the “Marsala” pattern, and the cordial goblets are by Waterford in the “Clarendon” pattern.

Finally, I love following the Edwardian tradition of placing sweetmeats, nuts, and truffles around the table for guests to enjoy between courses. This time around, I added some champagne-filled chocolate bonbons in Gorham nut dishes in the “Cromwell” pattern.

As most of you may notice, I’m not one to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I always bring out my Thanksgiving Christian Ulbricht nutcracker as a wink to what is coming!

I really hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may you have a beautiful Holiday season too! Scroll to the bottom to shop many of the pieces featured here, as well as very similar ones. I even included some less expensive options that would look equally wonderful on your next Holiday table!