Thanksgiving allows us to look at the glass half full and reflect on the positive things in our lives, no matter how big or small, just like Moment of Luxury, which invites us to discover the beauty around us and find excellence in the everyday. Host and award-winning interior designer Bill Stubbs specializes in “affordable luxury” and shares his tips, along with secrets from top designers, in every episode – Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on WLIW21 and nationwide on public television (check local listings). You can also watch full episodes on WLIW21’s new video portal.

Here are a few of Bill Stubbs’s Thanksgiving decorating tips to spice up your dinner table arrangements this holiday:

As we’re all out preparing for Thanksgiving, I just wanted to pass along some last minute luxurious table setting ideas. And remember our motto at Moment of Luxury, “Luxury does not have to be expensive.” These ideas will create personal, memorable Thanksgiving traditions for years to come, and in some cases cost no money and do not require a trip to the store.

Table 1 – “A table full of memories”
Start with a shoe box in the middle of the table; take a remnant of fabric from around the house, i.e. a bedspread, pillow case, Hawaiian shirt, whatever you have that will get your color scheme going. Cover the shoe box and gather up the extra fabric in an opulent way. Set a potted plant or fern, or some kind of live thing in a serving bowl, on top of the shoe box. Search around your house and find photographs within a certain theme. It could be pictures from family Thanksgivings; it might even be pictures of the family pets. This table could have a cat theme, a dog theme, or a holiday theme. Frame the pictures using frames from around the house and nestle them into the crevices of the fabric. Set your table as usual, but the end result will have a luxurious and personal touch.

Table 2 – “The cornucopia table”
Thanksgiving is a time where we pay homage to the abundance in our lives. How about creating a table filled with local produce. Once again, start with the shoe box, put a remnant of fabric over the shoe box, and put a nice serving bowl filled with fruit, such as apples, pears, peaches or whatever is locally available on it. Decorate the rest of the table with colorful fruit and vegetables, such as squash and bell peppers, asparagus or broccoli, until the table feels like homage to the abundance we have in our life. The nice thing about this table decoration is that when you’re done with the beautiful meal, it’s time to make soup out of the table decorations.

Table 3 – “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
So let’s do a table that gives thanks to our health. Once again start with the shoe box, cover it with a white sheet or a piece of fabric bunched up around the base of the shoe box. Fill a nice bowl with red apples, and then gather them in the crevices of the fabric. Take six apples and core the center out, turning them into beautiful, fresh candlesticks by placing white candles in the center of each. With white dishes and plain clear glasses, this is a table with a stunning effect.

My Thanksgiving wish is that each of you will find your moment of luxury today.

Bill Stubbs
Host, Moment of Luxury