Brown + White = Autumn Delight

When Kathleen of Cuisine Kathleen challenged us to set a table with ONLY white dishes plus one other color for linens and other elements, I knew I was in trouble.  You see, the only white dishes I own are plain dinner plates from Pier 1.  No salad plates, no bowls, no serving pieces, nada.  I love color and pattern, and all my other dishes reflect that preference.  But!  I was determined to join Kathleen's Let's Dish party this week, so here goes.

I thought about colors that would work with white dishes for a fall table, and I finally settled on brown.  Brown sounds dull and boring -- or should I say dull and dutiful?  I pulled out some white placemats with a brown border and brown napkins and tried those with the white plates, adding my silver flatware and clear glasses.  Not very exciting, huh? I did wish briefly that I had some lovely brown stemware in my collection, but quickly remembered that I do not want to find storage for any more glasses!

So, I remembered some open-weave brown placemats that my sister gave me and added those to the mix.  Better!

I knew I wanted to add white pumpkins, and a surprise trip to Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country over the weekend yielded a big one and several mini ones from a well-stocked produce stand.  I should have taken a photo of all the wonderful varieties they had for sale.  A mini pumpkin perked up the placesetting a bit more.

Finally, I pulled out two etched hurricanes and poured coffee beans into them, adding white pillar candles.

The large white pumpkin completed the centerpiece, and here is the result.

I rarely set a table without flowers, so I also tried a jug of white hydrangeas in place of the pumpkin. 

 Which look do you prefer?

Although I like the big white pumpkin, I think I prefer the jug of hydrangeas.  The fluffy flowers add a little additional texture.  Thank you for visiting my table this week!  Be sure to check out the other tables set for the White Dish Challenge at Cuisine Kathleen!