Ask A Boston Expert: How To Decorate Your Home For Thanksgiving

Designer Lisa Ahern of Cedar Grove Gardens in Dorchester is especially talented in floral design and fun giftware. In her 25 years at Cedar Grove Gardens, Ahern's role has evolved to include the creation of an eclectic gift shop and all of the unique merchandise selection for the shop. Her eye for design makes the giftware and fun holiday design pieces a wonderful addition to any home holiday decor.

Ahern recently shared a few of her decorating ideas to transform anyone's home into a special Thanksgiving canvas. Thanksgiving and fall happen to be her favorite times for which to decorate. She says that it is "so easy to decorate for Thanksgiving with the abundance of colorful leaves and gourds and pumpkins." Her ideas are simply elegant and can work in any home. They start at the entryway and continue throughout the home.

Make the entry welcoming to guests and pleasurable for your own daily arrival home. The lamppost and walkway are good places to start. Vertical elements like cornstalks add height and drama and can be tied directly to the lamppost. Clusters of pumpkins, as opposed to a single pumpkin, at the base of the lamppost are a finishing touch.

Hang A Wreath

The outside doorway is a great place to hang a wreath. It's the norm and people may think it is mundane, but a round shape on a rectangular door is a great composition and very pleasing to the eye. The threshold is another good place to add a cluster of pumpkins and gourds. A tall potted flower works well here, too.

The Inside Entryway

Bringing the holiday theme inside can be achieved by wrapping a colorful silk fall garland around an entryway mirror. A vase full of one type of flower is a favorite of Lisa's. How about a vase full of nothing but richly colored antique looking hydrangeas, or a vase chock full of dried Japanese lantern blossoms?

Related: Best Ways To Spend Thanksgiving Morning With The Family

The kitchen windowsill is an area that you spend a lot of time looking at, so why not make it pretty? Three or four four-inch plants in pretty seasonal pottery or, if you are not good with plants, just get three or four small acorn squash at the grocery store and rest those on top of the pots. Viola! Instant decor! 

Fall is a great time to bring out the candlesticks and votives to add a little warm candlelight to the table. Unify an eclectic collection of candleholders by clustering different heights and shapes down the center of the table atop a pretty table runner with a sprinkling of fall leaves and acorns.

Related: Ask A Boston Expert: Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids

Don't forget fragrance! Something as simple as a pot of water with cinnamon sticks and cloves simmering on the stove when guests arrive can make a home instantly warm and cozy.