October 26, 2026
Photographs by Jim Henkens
Ask a designer to set a table and you get more than place settings. You get a story. This Thanksgiving, five designers invite us in, from antique imari and paisley linens to mexican wedding plates and pheasant feathers, sharing the heirlooms, recipes, and rituals that make the holiday their own.
Sarah Worden
Feathers, Family Recipes, and a Slower Season
Thanksgiving is such a cozy kickoff to the chilly off-season months in Litchfield County. I personally relish the slowdown of events season and finally being able to relax with friends and family. In our family, everyone contributes a dish on Thanksgiving— Dad’s creamed onions and Mom’s carrot soufflé are personal faves. I almost always make Bon Appétit’s New England Sausage, Apple, and Dried Cranberry Stuffing, and a shaved Brussels sprout and citrus zest salad to add brightness to the meal. My favorite way to decorate for the holiday (or anytime!) is to mix pieces with history with natural elements in a high-low style that isn’t too stuffy. In this tablescape, for example, we had fun mixing pheasant feathers with florals in antique stoneware crocks and pitchers. — sarahwordennatural.com
Schuyler Samperton
More is More at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get cozy with a rotating roster of friends and family—since we’ve moved to Litchfield, it’s been great to mix it up with our new local pals and old East Coast friends. For me, the table setting is just as important as the food. As was tradition in our family growing up, I always start the scheme with an antique paisley tablecloth and a pair of 19th-century antler candlesticks that belonged to my parents. In keeping with my “more is more” aesthetic, I add plates, pitchers, and serving pieces from my collection of antique Imari, and layer in a low arrangement of fruits, flowers, and pheasant feathers. Personalized name cards by artist Melissa Gamwell add a lovely touch. —samperton.com
Martha Fish
Same Recipes, New Table, One Thai Dinner
Thanksgiving, to me, is all about family, food, and tradition. The menu is written in stone—everyone looks forward to the same beloved recipes year after year—but the table is a blank canvas. Every Thanksgiving it takes on a new personality, layered with flowers, branches, fruit, candles, and whatever seasonal treasures inspire us. I love mixing pieces we’ve inherited with ones we’ve collected over the years, along with handmade pottery, glassware, and beautiful linens. My favorite part of the holiday is the days leading up to it. For decades, my mother and I have spent those days cooking, setting the table, and fussing over every detail together—breaking only for our annual takeout Thai dinner the night before, a delicious pause before the feast to come. —miltonmarketct.com
Joanna Seitz
Seitz Family Vegan Thanksgiving Fiesta
Joanna and Bill Seitz and daughter Amanda Seitz have owned J. Seitz in the village of New Preston for almost 40 years and have been going to their vacation home in New Mexico for almost as long. Living in Santa Fe has influenced Joanna’s Thanksgiving table setting in their Connecticut home. Dinnerware by renowned Mexican ceramicist Gorky González is the center of any holiday celebration at the Seitz family home. Vintage New Mexican table accessories, like the ceramic chicken casserole, recycled Mexican glassware, and Mexican wedding plates, make for a colorful holiday table. The Thanksgiving meal begins with a traditional New Mexican soup called posole, a uniquely flavorful corn soup. The Seitz family prepares all the trimmings like sourdough bread stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, garlic mashed potatoes with green Chile, mushroom gravy, and Amanda’s homemade cranberry sauce. In their meatless household, the turkey is replaced with wild mushrooms in puff pastry—a mushroom Wellington. Desserts are homemade apple pie and ginger cookies. Mixing the nontraditional with the traditional, the Seitz family blends the two cultures, East and West, for a festive holiday. —jseitz.com
Philip Gorrivan
Desserts, Devotion, and a Father who turned 94
Thanksgiving always brings me home to Portland, Maine, where my family has gathered around the same table for as long as I can remember. My sister and her family, my brother and his family, my wife and children, my father’s sister, my cousin, and my father all make every effort to be there. Through the years, we’ve remained remarkably committed to this tradition, even as life has taken us in different directions. The only person truly missing is my mother, who adored Thanksgiving more than any other holiday, and whose spirit is felt most deeply that day. We usually arrive with desserts in hand (tarte tatin, courtesy of my daughter Isabelle; a selection of pies, and some local NYC treats, including Veniero’s Italian cheesecake and a panettone), and enjoy helping set the table, bringing a few favorite pieces of my own to mingle with the china, silver, and traditions I grew up with. My father turned 94 this year, making every Thanksgiving together especially meaningful. Every year I can’t help but feel profoundly thankful for the family that continues to gather, for the memories that surround us, and for the hope that we’ll all be together again next year, just as we always have been. —philipgorrivan.com
