THANKSGIVING TABLEAU

To transform her Halloween centerpiece for a Thanksgiving gathering, René chose brown and green hues to warm the scene and give it an elegant look. She started the changeover by replacing the black leaves in the box with green ones. She prepared for the swap in advance by gathering several stems of the same foliage and spray-painting some of them black and leaving some green. She added oak leaf clusters to bring in more fall colors and substituted orange and green pumpkins for the dark metallic designs. René also removed the previous orange and yellow candles, bringing in green pillars as well as batteryoperated birchbark tapers.

For the cabinet makeover, she began by setting the Pfaltzgraff dishes aside. Then, she removed the black-and-white striped bowls and added stacks of green-edged bowls.

The black dishes and silvery black pumpkin were culled in favor of transferware pieces that match the place settings, green plates to carry the color across the room, and harvesttoned pumpkins.