Create organic, elegant Thanksgiving centerpieces with these simple ideas

It’s hard to say just how the pilgrims decorated the first Thanksgiving dinner table in 1621. Did they plunk a cornucopia filled with fruits and vegetables in the middle of the table and call it a day?

Horns of plenty — as cornucopias are also called — have long been linked with Thanksgiving, but there’s no proof that one made an appearance at that particular fall feast.

Nevertheless, we took inspiration from the iconic imagery, surfed Pinterest and came up with simple ideas for Thanksgiving tablescapes that mix modern accessories with items that can be found in your backyard, farmers market or produce aisle of the grocery store.

We also came up with quick and simple ways to create eye-catching place settings and place cards. The result is inexpensive, organic-looking decor that requires little time and almost no design aptitude, yet looks elegant and modern.

To get a similar look:

▪ Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Several identical lanterns or floral arrangements lined up down the center make a big impact.

▪ Avoid tall candles or flowers. Low-profile decor allows guests to see one another across the table.

▪ Place a dark wooden plank atop a light tablecloth for an interesting and rustic table runner.

▪ Use a limited color palette by sticking to one kind of fruit plus greenery. It’s simple yet chic.

▪ Choose flowers in fall colors, though all-white would be beautiful.

▪ Add sparkle with lots of tea lights and votive candles, which also contrast nicely with the grittiness of the natural items. (They’re cheap at Ikea.)

▪ Use unscented candles that won’t interfere with the smell of food.

▪ Add a pop of color to a mostly monotone table with bright glassware like the orange Skoja glasses ($1.49 each, Ikea).

Other ideas:

▪ Use stacks of old books as pedestals for pieces of fruit or pillar candles.

▪ Cover the runner with other natural items such as wheat stalks, moss, pebbles, apples, mini-pumpkins, pomegranates, pinecones, dried hydrangea blooms, driftwood, tree branches, leaves, cinnamon sticks, cabbage heads, artichoke heads.

▪ Cover a few items with glue and Epsom salts or metallic paint for a touch of glamour.

▪ If you don’t want to splurge on a tablecloth like ours ($75.99 at Pryde’s of Westport), a canvas drop cloth from the hardware store looks great with a dark wood runner. Twin size bed sheets also work.

▪ Create several arrangements of fruits, veggies, nuts, berries, herbs, greenery and candles on cake stands and line them up down the table instead of lanterns or bouquets. Create the cake stands by flipping identical bowls over and placing identical plates on them. Secure the plates to the bowls with removable adhesive putty.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 2:00 AM.