50 Shades of Brown

Fall decorations are not just gold, yellow, brown or orange anymore. Popular magazines and social networking boards and blogs show fall-accented rooms in colors of creme, gray and pale green!  Pumpkins are not just orange:  they're white, blue, gingham, decoupaged, velvet, have autumn scenes painted on them; they're even made from mercury glass and can be bedazzled in sparkles!  I'm sure these trends are not new for most people; I'm just one of those people who is SLOW to embrace decorating trends after being even slower to realize that things have changed!!  Give me the colors of the falling leaves I used to rake up into piles, jump into and scatter before my Dad would pile them into the street by the curb to burn (so much for air pollution control!)  But....there is growth in change, so today I venture into a new land.  A challenge has been issued:  create a fall table with WHITE dishes only and ONE accent color for linens, etc.  So, I got out whatever white dishes I could find in the house, and decided that brown would be my accent color (at least ONE of my colors had to be traditional!)  But, I used SHADES of brown, so there's chocolate, amber, creme (that's in the brown palette, just brought down many levels, right?) and variegated browns of pine cones, straw and willow branches.

Here's the "new" fall table.  I've moved my tablescape location into the living room so I could share my fall mantel decorations.

Here's how it was developed:

I started with white placemats from Macy's.  I wanted something that was "non-fussy" for this new look.

My stack began with my basketweave chargers from Michael's. Boy!  Are these these chargers getting a workout this fall season!

I then added my white "Metceramica" dishes from Portugal, purchased at Home Goods.

Next, I added white salad plates recently purchased at the Pier One Clearance sale.  It is their own ironstone and the pattern is "Madeline".  Once I got home, I realized how much I liked them, and since I only got four, I'm going back to get eight more so I have enough for family dinners.  I like the subtle swirl of pattern on this plate and slightly irregular "roundness" of the dish:  it is almost scalloped.

This next white plate I found at Home Goods.  It is labeled as "Tabletops Lifestyles Castleware".  I absolutely love its shape and texture.  All of my white dishes are smooth, and I thought it would be a nice contrast to have some plates with a bit more "personality".

I topped the stack with white bowls that I found at Williams-Sonoma. They were advertised as "chili bowls", and came as a set of four.

The flatware is "Treble Clef" from Old World Market.  I wish I had a sleeker pattern for a flatware set for this place setting.  I wanted a more "modern feel" for this particular setup.  I don't have flatware that is without a pattern, but I may have to rectify that for future contemporary looks.  Any thoughts from anyone about this?  The amber glasses are stemless wine glasses (another new trend, so I'm told), and they were purchased at Dollar Tree.  I placed the chocolate-brown napkin the way I did, because I thought it resembled corn growing on a stalk and seemed "fall-like" (or have I been testing the stemless wine glasses too much?!)  My "horn of plenty" napkin rings were used so that the table said,"fall".

My centerpiece consists of a white ironstone soup tureen, filled with pinecones that were collected on "nature walks" with my grandchildren!  The white ceramic pumpkin is from Dollar Tree.  I added a branch of a pussy willows for some height and style. The owls came from Home Goods:  can you believe how popular owls are this year for decorating?  I placed them on dishes found while antiquing:  they are from a company called "Two's Company".

Other accents include amber glass turkey candleholders from Williams-Sonoma.  I had to include this teacup I found at Home Goods. It is labeled "Grace Tea Ware".  I LOVE its three-dimensional leaves and leaf-shaped saucer!

Yup, this tablescape was a challenge and a real eye-opener.  You know what? Although, my eyes will always be drawn to brightly colored plates, designs and patterns, and my tables will reflect this, I discovered I actually appreciate this more minimalistic duo-hued decorating trend.  It is a sleeker, less cluttered look.  Even a fall table can be updated to reflect a more modern feel.  It's a nice change.  I'm even considering this look for my Thanksgiving table this year.  Won't my family be surprised?!

I'll be linking up to Susan's Tablescape Thursday at www.betweennapsontheporch.net.
Thank you for hosting, Susan!