STACK THE SPECTRUM

Look to nature's vibrant hues to spice up fall tabletops with tantalizing impact

- KRISSA ROSSBUND

Design's nomenclature deceptively assigns the term "natural colors" to quiet tones of brown, mushroom, stone, and sage.

Sometimes, it implies the Earth's palette is void of vibrance. The colors of nature, however, encompass a broader spectrum, especially in autumn. Deep blue skies and remnants of greenery welcome fiery foliage to challenge this assumption. A harvest of pumpkins and butternut squash cozy up to mums in deep purple, and dry leaves land below exposed tree bark, suggesting the tones of gray days to come. As the season for gathering around the table commences, use this kaleidoscope of vivid dishes—a mix of new and vintage—as inspiration to personalize your place settings. Visit websites where cherished discontinued patterns are available for a new chapter of love. (We found the vintage/discontinued pieces featured here at Replacements.) Or hunt tag sales and flea markets for gems to mix with current motifs. (Our discoveries are noted as “found.”) A creative tablescape will make a memorable and beautiful experience.

Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Mottahedeh "Chelsea Bird" dessert plate (set of four, each with a different bird). R. Haviland & C. Parlon "Colette" scallop-rim porcelain plate with 18-karat gold trim. Royal Crown Derby "Red Aves" English bone china salad plate with intricate birds and vines on Mottahedeh "Gabriel Current Red" dinner plate with gold vine decoration on the rim.