3 ways to set a gorgeous holiday table, starting with stuff you own

Long before anyone was “fridgescaping” their refrigerator interiors with vases of roses and artfully arranged fruit, people were decking out their dinner tables with greenery, fancy plates and flowers. “Particularly at Christmas and other holidays, I put more effort and energy into making my tables really special,” says Willow Crossley, a Cotswolds, England-based florist and author. “When you go to town with decorations, it’s a way to really welcome people into your home.”

Setting a gracious scene for Thanksgiving or winter holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa) doesn’t mean you have to shell out a lot of money – or head to HomeGoods or Target to buy up all the plates and glasses you can carry. Instead, consider using flowers, vintage or thrifted goods, or items you already own to make seasonal magic. Here’s how several pros recommend creating a memorable holiday tablescape.

Deck the table with flowers and greenery

Decorating with natural materials – dried corncobs for Thanksgiving or a fir tree in December – brings the outside in during colder months. At the table, this might mean creating a runner of sorts with plants.

“I fill low vessels with smaller things like the succulents, air plants, or dried flowers and weave them down a table,” says Anna Fuhrman, owner of Proper Topper, a gift, hat and plant shop in D.C. “Things that are green are both pretty and fit with most decor. Then just add something shiny like mercury glass balls or tinsel.”

Crossley also favors shorter vessels because they make it easier for people to see one another across the table. She often fills them with single blooms (ranunculus or anemones, for example) interspersed with forced-bulb flowers such as paperwhites and amaryllis. Crossley sometimes loads cake stands or footed bowls with tiny oranges, wrapped candies or pomegranates. “It’s like a Roman feast, and then the kids can nibble on things if they get hungry between courses,” she says.

You can buy cut flowers at the expected spots – grocery stores, flower shops – or at Costco, which sells blooms in bulk at bargain prices. Flower wholesalers in some areas allow nonpros to shop where the floral designers do, accessing lower prices, higher quality and more variety.

When choosing roses, carnations or other blooms, remember that you don’t have to go with traditional holiday colors . “Play around with all white, or mix deep purple and burgundy,” says Halima Adetona, a floral designer in Washington, D.C. “It doesn’t have to feel like a Hallmark movie.”

Set a sustainable table

More than a month before Thanksgiving, websites for big-box retailers such as Williams Sonoma and World Market overflow with pumpkin-shaped punch bowls, table runners emblazoned with fall foliage and platters festooned with turkeys. “But it’s wasteful to just purchase things you’ll use for one meal a year,” says Laura Fenton, a sustainability expert and the author of “The Little Book of Living Small.” So unless you own a poultry or Christmas tree farm, set your holiday table with items that evoke the season instead of blatantly depicting it.

You can transform autumn leaves into place cards (write names on them with a metallic marker) or put out earth-toned napkins on Turkey Day. “In December, ask your local tree lot if they can give you some spare branches,” says Sarah von Pollaro, a flower designer in Arlington, Virginia. “Then spread them down the middle of the table or put them in vases with flowers.” Keep other decor simple and reusable, such as colorful lengths of ribbon tied in bows around candlesticks or napkins.

Then break out items you already own – family china, everyday glasses and jam jars repurposed to hold flowers. “You don’t need to buy a bunch of disposable plastic cups and plates just because people are coming over,” says Laura Hodges, a Baltimore-based interior designer focused on sustainability. “I even use glass glasses for kids’ parties.”

Don’t have enough dishes/knives/napkins for your holiday blowout? Consider borrowing supplies from a friend or tapping a party rental outfit – many will hire out tableware even for smaller events.

Go for a vintage tablescape

Last December, Anna Weaver, a vintage dealer in Washington, D.C., dressed her holiday table with mid-century-modern white and silver plates, antique brass candlesticks, a 1980s ruby red vase and a 19th century textile repurposed as a tablecloth. “A table is like a room: It needs to be layered to be interesting,” Weaver says. Like many fans of retro decor, she advocates blending eras and styles to keep your tablescape hip and festive.

If you don’t have a cabinet full of family heirlooms, thrift stores and estate sales are good sources for storied plates, glasses or serving ware. “If you want to try estate sales, most have photos up online (try EstateSales.net or EstateSale.com),” Weaver says. “Look at the images before you go, because it’ll give you an idea of the household’s taste and style. Ask yourself, ‘Would I be best friends with this person?’ ” Weaver counsels buying things in sets – say, six plates or eight glasses – to be sure your table isn’t too mismatched.

Or amass multiple pieces in a single color such as yellow or green. “Vintage glassware can be a real heavy hitter,” says Libby Rasmussen, a D.C. social media consultant and owner of the vintage shop Libby and My. “Mix glasses in the same hues, but in different styles, with simple, modern plates from CB2 or West Elm.” She’s partial to the grassy green of 1930s Depression glass for a yuletide fete.

Another top vintage buy? Table linens, which tend to be higher quality and lower priced than modern stuff. “Older napkins can be so charming, and they don’t even all need to match,” Hodges says. “Just buy as many as you can in white.”

For the ultimate throwback touch, nestle a few vintage holiday ornaments along the table. “I like to fill a big bowl with Shiny Brites, these midcentury glass balls which are really colorful,” Weaver says. Or repurpose vintage postcards (snowy travel destinations, holiday scenes) as place cards.