Simple Thanksgiving Hutch Decorating Ideas

It’s time to move the needle from just fall decor to Thanksgiving decorating. This year, I’m starting in our dining room with our hutch. It is the main piece of furniture and focal point. Let me share my simple Thanksgiving hutch decorating ideas.

Whether you have a hutch in your kitchen, breakfast room or formal dining room, it is the perfect piece to decorate seasonally. Imagine walking into a room adorned with rich colors, natural elements, and cozy accents that evoke the essence of Thanksgiving.

A well-decorated hutch elevates the aesthetic of your space. It also provides a functional area for displaying cherished dishes and seasonal decor. 

Whether you prefer a rustic farmhouse look, a traditional or vintage style, or a more modern vibe, there are countless ways to style your hutch to reflect the warmth and abundance of the season.

Follow along as I explain my process and how easy it is to use these Thanksgiving decoration ideas.

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What Items Can You Use to Decorate a Thanksgiving Hutch?

To create an inviting Thanksgiving display, consider incorporating items that resonate with the holiday’s themes of harvest and togetherness. 

Here are items that can help you create a stunning dining room hutch for Thanksgiving:

• Mini Pumpkins: These come in various colors and sizes, adding a playful yet seasonal touch, and extra texture. These easy yarn pumpkins and these decoupage fabric pumpkins are fun ideas.
• Dried Gourds: Perfect for introducing texture and warmth. Again, if the gourds will touch the hutch, I recommend using faux pieces.
• Natural Elements: Incorporate pinecones, acorns, or branches to bring the outdoors in.
• Serving Dishes: Use your favorite dishes, such as a pretty platter or pitchers, as a backdrop for your decor. They will add color and pattern to your hutch.
• Candles: Flameless candles can add a cozy glow to your display. Even better if they have a remote.
• Fresh or Faux Florals: Fall faux florals can infuse life into your arrangement. They add color and texture and can act as “filler” between other pieces.
• Vintage Accents: Antique plates or bowls can provide character and charm.
• Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Other Thanksgiving Symbols: Thanksgiving-specific symbols add that special touch of seasonal decor.
• Metallic Elements: Copper and brass lend themselves to adding warmth. Use pitchers, cups, chargers or smaller pieces tucked in the shelves on your hutch.
• Small Signs: Signs with typography expressing Thanksgiving gratitude.
• Small Hay Bales: Use these to add texture and to vary the height of other items.

TIP: You can use fresh pumpkins, but I prefer to use faux to prevent any damage to your furniture.

TIP: Shop your home for all these items.

By thoughtfully arranging these items, you can create a hutch display that not only looks beautiful but also tells a story of gratitude and celebration. 

Guide to Styling Your Thanksgiving Hutch

Like any major focal point, stying a hutch should follow some tried and true guidelines.

Understand Texture Basics

Using different textures can elevate your space and add depth and interest. When mixing textures, it’s essential to consider the contrast between materials. 

For instance, pairing smooth ceramics with rough wood or soft fabrics with shiny metals can create a lively atmosphere. 

Heavier textures like stone or thick fabrics can ground your display. Lighter elements, such as glass or sheer fabrics, add an airy feel.

This balance is crucial for maintaining cohesion without overwhelming the viewer.

Layering for Depth

Layering is a powerful technique that adds dimension to your hutch.

Start by placing larger items at the back and smaller pieces in front to create a sense of depth.

For example, you might use a large platter or piece of art as a backdrop, then place a cluster of ceramic vases in varying heights in front of it.

This arrangement not only draws the eye but also allows for the showcasing of various textures without overcrowding the space.

Incorporate Natural Elements

Adding natural elements can significantly enhance texture and warmth.

Consider incorporating fall foliage – both real and faux – such as small potted plants or dried flowers in beautiful vases.

Additionally, using wooden bowls, woven baskets or a stone vase can introduce another layer of texture that feels inviting and homey.

Mix Old and New

Combining vintage and modern pieces is an excellent way to create character in your hutch decor.

Use antique or vintage dishware and accessories alongside contemporary glassware to tell a story through your collection. This mix not only adds visual interest, but also reflects your personal style.

Each piece should complement the others, contributing to an overall cohesive look that feels curated rather than chaotic.

Color Scheme

While focusing on textures, don’t forget about color coordination. In fact, choosing a color scheme is my first step.

A cohesive color palette unifies different textured items, making your hutch look polished and intentional.

Choose colors that resonate with your overall decor style. For example, if you’re using neutral tones, varying shades of white, cream, and brown can create an elegant backdrop for more textured pieces like woven baskets or ceramic vases.

Use one or two accent colors for interest.

By thoughtfully combining these elements -texture basics, layering for depth, incorporating natural elements, mixing old and new, and coordinating colors – you can create a stunning hutch display that is visually engaging.

Follow along as I explain my process and how easy it is to use these Thanksgiving decoration ideas.

First Steps to Styling Your Hutch –  Spring, Summer and Fall

My first step in designing any major area of our home is to decide on style and color.

The style of your hutch can match the style of your home or go in an entirely different direction.

My style for the hutch is primarily a traditional one, with hints of vintage and transitional elements. I also wanted to bring in natural textures on the shelves.

Next, I choose my color scheme. Since our hutch is a dark brown walnut, I wanted my color scheme to contrast and pop against the wood.

My Thanksgiving hutch color scheme is a white foundation with pops of orange and natural elements.

Then, I gathered items by shopping our home. We pull out our plastic bins of seasonal decor.

Decorating the Hutch through the Seasons

My hutch design started back in the spring. At that time, I combined our everyday white dishes with natural elements. I added several pieces of my blue chinoiserie as focal points and accents.

For summer, I removed the spring elements, such as the tulips, bunnies, and eggs.

In late August, I removed all the blue pieces.  Now I could start fall with a white and neutral background.

To start, I added a few white pumpkins, wood candleholders, burlap covered books, a stone vase, and a vintage French coffee pot.

All these elements add texture with different materials.

In September, I was ready to add more fall decor to the hutch.

I used the following items:

• DIY yarn pumpkins
• ceramic pumpkins
• copper pitcher and mug
• cup cake stands for height
• white pitchers, plates, and vases
• tall wood candle sticks
• DIY small plates with stenciled leaves and pumpkins
• faux florals in orange
• minature hay bales
• faux gourds

The copper pitcher and mug are vintage pieces from thrift stores, but the white plates are our everyday china. The yarn pumpkins and stenciled plates were DIY projects. I bought the small orange pitcher at a flea market in Waco, Texas.

I focused on varying the heights, the materials, the size and the shapes of the items. I wanted to create a nice mix of items that I had on hand. It’s great to be able to reuse items in new ways.

Once I finished styling the fall hutch, I stepped back and took a look. I also looked at the hutch through my camera lens. The orange faux foliage, pumpkins and the copper metallics really popped.

Creating a Fall Dining Room Table Centerpiece

After I styled the hutch for fall, I decided to style a simple centerpiece that would last for several weeks.

This centerpiece was so easy. Almost everything was items I already had:

• wood dough bowl 
• various faux fall foliage
• four twig pumpkins
• four faux green hydrangeas
• pomegranate stems
• faux bittersweet stems

The only new items that I added were the faux pomegrantes and the bittersweet. I love the pop of red they bring to the centerpiece.

Transitioning from Fall to Thanksgiving Hutch

With the end of October, I was ready to transition the hutch to Thanksgiving.

The first thing I did was gather a few Thanksgiving turkeys to be the focus of the hutch. I love the ceramic fox, but I ended up not using him.

The ceramic turkeys came from Roundtop several years ago.

All it took to switch the hutch from fall to Thanksgiving was to add the ceramic turkeys on four different shelves.

I rearrange several existing items to balance the overall look of the hutch.

The cabinet door in the center of the hutch seemed like an empty hole. To fill it in with more color and interest, I rearranged the centerpiece.

To redo the centerpiece, I removed two of the twig pumpkins and added the folk art turkeys.

Then I removed some of the mini-pumpkins that were now hidden.

To style this simple Thanksgiving hutch, I did two things:

• added the turkeys
• removed some pumpkins and gourds and rearranged others

That is how easy it was to change a fall hutch to a Thanksgiving hutch. I bet you can do the same.

I hope these simple Thanksgiving hutch decorating ideas inspire you to style your own hutch.

Take a look at some other ideas for styling a hutch here:

• How to Style a Hutch for Fall with Whites and Neutrals
• Chinoiserie Topiaries on a Spring Hutch

Check out and follow these Pinterest Boards: Thanksgiving Decor Ideas, Thanksgiving DIY Projects, and Holiday Inspiration.