This Thanksgiving Tablescape is Guaranteed to Wow Your Holiday Guests

“I really think it’s one of the biggest luxuries to be entertained in someone’s home.” —Jared Hughes

Decorative painter Hayden Gregg, Hughes’ fiancé, handpainted the dining room walls to resemble stone.

Designer Jared Hughes and, sleeping behind his chair, Mr. Fitz in the living room of his Georgian townhome.

Colored glasses and orange Spode china follow a seasonal color story. below In the kitchen, a Le Creuset pumpkin is a festive piece of cookware for fall flavor.

The designer describes his home’s style as a collected English Country house.

A hand-embroidered tablecloth and napkins from the designer’s collaboration with Loretta Caponi adds a whimsical element to the autumnal setting.

In the kitchen, a Le Creuset pumpkin is a festive piece of cookware for fall flavor.

The designer recommends a test run of spending one night in the guest bedroom to ensure a guest would have everything they need for a comfortable stay. The duvet is from Hughes’ collaboration with Loretta Caponi.

The guest bathroom is drenched in a cheery yellow.

Hughes mixes up his iconic Cynar spritz.

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles: Thank you for welcoming us into your home today! Sitting with you now, a Cynar spritz in hand, it’s clear to see you have a passion for entertaining. What do you enjoy most about hosting?

Jared Hughes: Sharing my home and my things with people. I like people to use the china, the linens, and all the pretty glasses that I buy in Murano. I want them to be enjoyed—I don’t buy them just to sit around.

AH&L: From dinner parties to holiday gatherings, hosting involves quite a few moving pieces. In your opinion, what is the most important thing for a host to remember?

JH: Things will go wrong, and there will be some kerfuffles. You are going to burn the bread. Somebody is going to spill wine on something. And at the end of the day, it’s all okay if everybody is happy! I really think it’s one of the biggest luxuries to be entertained in someone’s home as opposed to being entertained at a restaurant or a bar. People are happy to be included and they’re not going to notice that there was a gap between courses or that something wasn’t cooked just right. You have to use and know things are going to get spilled on, and that’s just part of the patina of the item over time. How funny is it to think, “Well, that stain was the Thanksgiving that Grandma had too much red wine.”

AH&L: You’re debuting a new collection with Loretta Caponi, featured today on your table and in your guest bedroom. Tell us about it.

JH: One of the biggest things that we hark back to constantly in our design work is supporting artisans and craftsmen. We’re really lucky to have started a collaborative design collection with Loretta Caponi, an embroidery workshop in Florence, Italy, that has been around for over 50 years. It’s nice to carry that detail from design work over to tabletop and entertaining and really showcase beautiful, artistic creations.

AH&L: Your table setting is the epitome of autumnal bliss. Walk us through your design.

JH: When we started pitching designs to the team at Loretta Caponi, the first design that everybody really landed on was an autumnal, harvest-inspired table. I think about Thanksgiving as celebrating abundance, so wanted there to be elements of things that were grown, beautiful, and celebrated. We have birds, fruits, vegetables, pumpkins, and beautiful foliage throughout the embroidery. Sitting on the table, there are roses in various colors mixed in with beautiful, unpolished sterling silver. I don’t feel like silver always has to be polished; leaving its natural wear feels less formal and fussy.

AH&L: Give us a Thanksgiving day sneak peek! What essential menu items are served in the Hughes household?

JH: I do Thanksgiving with my parents every year and there is something that’s very important to have: it’s called pineapple casserole. I think it’s like a Depression-era South Carolina recipe that is made up with canned pineapple, butter, Ritz crackers, and cheddar cheese, and it’s all made into a casserole and baked.

AH&L: It’s always a relief when autumn arrives, and looking around, you certainly go all out for the season. What do you look forward to most during this time of year?

JH: Oh my gosh, fires! We have a real working fireplace here, so in the cooler months, there is a fire here nine times out of 10. I love the smell of a fire and it’s so cozy to entertain in the evenings when it gets dark earlier. And with the cooler weather you can have your windows open. I think the Swedish call it “burping the house.” That’s what I miss more than anything when it’s hot.

AH&L: With the holidays approaching, many of us will have family and friends in town. How do you prepare for an overnight guest?

JH: I love having overnight guests. Specifically when it comes to preparing the guest bedroom, I always want to make sure there are pretty flowers and an ease of access to water. We always have a carafe and some glasses. A luggage rack is also great in a guest bedroom just so you’re not having guests shove their suitcase on your upholstery or on your duvet.

AH&L: Tell us about a special Thanksgiving tradition of yours.

JH: I was always the one who set the table. From a young age, that was always my task, my tradition, my little responsibility for Thanksgiving. I think that’s what really made me like to start setting tables and entertain. jaredhughesdesign.com

Mr. Fitz’s Autumn Spritz
(serves 3)

2 Ounces Cynar
3 Ounces Prosecco
1 Ounce Soda Water
1 Orange
Ice

Pour the Cynar, prosecco, and soda water over ice. Stir together. Garnish with an orange twist! Optional: Top it off with an extra dash of prosecco. “The perfect, slightly bitter but refreshing spritz for fall!” —Jared Hughes