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!
