Are you familiar with a cornucopia? A cornucopia or the horn of plenty is a quintessential Thanksgiving decoration. A monochromatic styling for a Thanksgiving cornucopia gives a traditional piece of Thanksgiving decor a more edgy and current vibe. The woven horn brings the old school Thanksgiving vibes, but the monochromatic styling gives the piece a more current look.
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Celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday with Incredible Inspiration
Not only am I sharing this fun cornucopia styling today, but other blogging friends are also sharing more Thanksgiving inspiration. Thank you to our host Carol from Bluesky at Home for bringing us together and sharing all things Thanksgiving for our home. Please make sure to visit all the additional bloggers sharing in the Celebrate the Holiday series at the end of this post.
If you’re coming over from visiting Missy @ Sonata Home Design, welcome, I am so glad you are here! Aren’t Missy’s Thanksgiving dessert ideas amazing? If you are a regular reader, you know Fall is my favorite season. If you don’t know me, I am looking forward to getting to know you.
All about the Cornucopia
What’s a Cornucopia?
A cornucopia is a container shaped like a goat’s horn. A hallow horned shaped basket tends to be the most common although cornucopias come in many forms, including ceramic, fabric and more. The cone shaped receptacle is filled with edible and useful things in abundance. Although the cornucopia is an American Thanksgiving icon, it was derived from Greek and Roman mythology.
What does a Cornucopia Symbolize?
Deriving from ideas in classical Greek and Roman mythology, the cornucopia represents abundance, wealth, and prosperity. It’s frequently referred to as the horn of plenty, overflowing with food and decorations. The plentiful cornucopias are symbolic during the Thanksgiving holiday, and here we are.
A Cornucopia Up-Cycle
I found my cornucopia at a thrift store last year and gave it a fresh look. You can see all the details on how I refreshed it and styled it here {Thrifted Goodies – the Thanksgiving Cornucopia edition}. I used a more traditional styling with classical Thanksgiving colors. This year, I wanted to change things up a bit with a new look.
Side Note: I stopped by a local thrift store today, and I spied a couple of basket cornucopias, which would be prime for a project like this. Unfortunately, the pricing was more than double what I paid last year, which speaks to what I was talking about in my last Thrifted Goodies series post here {Setting a Thrifted Fall Garden Table}. I will be going more in depth into these thrifting emotions in a post next week.
How to Layer a Monochromatic Styling for a Thanksgiving Cornucopia
The key to a cohesive cornucopia styling is to layer all the elements, building an interesting display. The idea behind the horn of plenty is to have it spilling out in abundance, reinforcing the wealth and prosperity symbolism. Let’s get busy with this monochromatic styling for a Thanksgiving cornucopia.
Determine the Setting
Start by determining where you want to display your cornucopia. I prefer to style my cornucopia basket on a tray so I can move it around with ease. It makes a fabulous centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner or it can also be a great accent piece on a sideboard.
Create a Lining
Once you determine your setting, create a lining for the horn to rest on. I created a double lining with a large French Tea Towel and a faux greenery vine for the basket to nestle in. I like the tea towel to drape over the edge of the tray to create movement and allow for a bigger footprint.
Form a Bed
Once you have the horn nestled firmly in place, create a bed inside the horn for all the decorations to rest on. Once again, I doubled up with some green striped burlap ribbon, topped off with reindeer moss. The reindeer moss spills out of the cornucopia so you can add more of the food and decorations in abundance.
Layer Decor Accents
Now that you set the stage you can start adding your decor. I only used gourds, predominately in the green family. Although the color palette is tight, keeping the monochromatic theme, the gourds are full of texture with different shapes and sizes to keep things interesting. Continue to add gourds in and around the cornucopia until you are happy with the placement.
Add Finishing Touches
Once all your decorations are in place, in this case the gourds, add any fillers and accent pieces. I simply used some dried seeded eucalyptus leaves, Once again, I added them inside and around the cornucopia basket until I was happy with the composition. There are many possibilities for fillers including acorns, walnuts, pine cones, feathers, wheat and more.
When I added the burlap ribbon inside the basket I also tied a piece around the body with a knot on top of the horn. Once I was done with the styling, I decided I did not care for the look of the knotted burlap ribbon. I thought it hid too much of the basket. I simply undid the knot and allowed the ribbon to drape on the tray.
Always adjust your stylings as you work on them, editing by adding or taking away pieces until you are happy with the composition. Sometimes stepping back and looking at a project at different angles helps. Also, take a picture and look at it on your phone. Your eye sees things differently in an image rather than in real life.
Closing Thoughts
Do you host Thanksgiving in your home? A cornucopia is a fantastic decor accent as a centerpiece or on a sideboard or even on the kitchen island. It immediately provides festive Thanksgiving vibes. You can decorate it in any style to match your interior design aesthetic. The color green is a favorite around here, which brought the monochromatic cornucopia styling together.
I know the blue & white decor trend is a major thing and a cornucopia styling with blue&white chinoiserie pumpkins would be stunning. Also, a farmhouse styling with white pumpkins, Spanish moss and pine cones would give all the cozy vibes. Have fun and create a styling that matches your personal style.
Below you can see our cornucopia styling from last year as a centerpiece for the celebratory Thanksgiving dinner. It was a perfect Fall harvest infused styling. The cornucopia adds so much interest and traditions to our Thanksgiving spaces.
I’m not sure where our horn of plenty will end up this year, but I’m loving the monochromatic look. It’s prefect for our home and that’s the fun part. Create a cornucopia styling, which fits your personal style and home decor aesthetic. Make it yours!
Thank you for being here and next please visit Michelle @ Thistlekey Lane for more Celebrate the Holiday inspiration. Michelle is sharing a Thanksgiving dough bowl styling you do not want to miss.
Shop the Cornucopia Look
- Cornucopia Basket
- Grapevine Cornucopia
- Garnier Thiebaut French Jacquard Kitchen Towels
- 5″ Wide Burlap Green Stripe Ribbon
- Assorted Faux Gourds
- Reindeer Moss
- Silver Handle Tray
More Thanksgiving Celebrate the Holiday Inspiration
Make sure to visit my blogging friends for more Thanksgiving Inspiration.
More Related Posts
Thrifted Goodies-the Thanksgiving Cornucopia edition
A Guide to the Thanksgiving Table
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Be filled with gratitude for each blessing you can name, and be filled with gratitude for no particular reason at all.”
Horn of Plenty – The Cornucopia of your Life: Blythe Anya
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