Joanna Gaines' Tips For The Perfect Thanksgiving Centerpiece

For your Thanksgiving centerpiece, you might picture a large cornucopia filled with fall's harvest or perhaps a stunning bouquet with red, orange, and yellow flowers. The show-stopping pieces are sure to be talk of the holiday, but they might also speak to a design mistake you're making with your centerpieces. When it comes to your Thanksgiving table setting, less is more. Design expert and "Fixer Upper" star Joanna Gaines suggests short, low, and minimal centerpieces to keep the focus on your loved ones and avoid cluttering the table.

"When we're gathering around the table I like to keep the centerpiece low, this way guests can easily see everyone at the table and there is plenty of room to place the food," Gaines shared on Magnolia. This doesn't just apply to your Thanksgiving tables-cape, but any dinner party where gathering together and fostering conversations are a priority. So save the tall vases filled with autumn flowers for the desk or mantel, not the dinner table. A short centerpiece creates a more intimate atmosphere and will elevate your Thanksgiving table decor.

For Joanna Gaines' Thanksgiving design, she styled an off-white linen runner with faux green olive vines across the table and peppered in a few copper candlesticks, similar to the French Honey Gold Candlestick Holders. There wasn't a traditional bowl or vase smack dab in the middle of the table. Instead, the decor was spread across the tabletop. The candles offered height and dimension to the table setting, but they were still minimal enough where they wouldn't block any guests. It was the perfect layering of materials, texture, and color.

You can mimic Gaines' Thanksgiving dinner setting with a neutral color runner across the table layered with any faux flowers and foliage. Stick with the candles or swap them for decorative jars, slim vases with feathers, or lanterns. If you favor the traditional look of a centerpiece, with all the eye-catching decor in the middle of the table, you can still pull it off, but just keep the height at 12 inches or less. Try a glass bowl with string lights and mini pumpkins, or a stack of books with dried flowers, or a small wooden box with acorns and fruit. There are also lots of Dollar Tree DIYs to create a stunning centerpiece on a budget. Your table will be festive and you won't have to crane your neck to talk to your relatives — it's a win-win.