Long-time readers will know that Halloween isn’t usually my favourite holiday. The appetite for destruction that sometimes accompanies it leaves me cold. But when Pottery Barn introduced The Scary Squad (which is anything but) series a few years ago, I was won over. I picked up two boxes of the appetizer plates at the end of the season at a steep discount and tucked them away, leaving the planning of the table for another day.

Well, that day has come. And aren’t the little ghosts adorable? Some have brought pumpkins, others are sipping on beverages, and one has borrowed a witch’s hat and broom. With their cheerful expressions and sociable ways, the Scary Squad looks unlikely to cause much trouble.

The runner, which had been discontinued and took some tracking down, does most of the work.

There is quite a lot going on down there. Bats swoop overhead and crows keep watch. I particularly like the little fellow with the broom and accompanying crow. Presumably, the black cat is supervising.

The bare tree has been decorated with strings of orange lights and tiny jack-o’-lanterns.

Ghosts mill about with their Halloween accessories.

Even the graveyard seems to have joined in the festivities.

At each place, a black plate introduces a member of the squad. Their white silhouettes stand out beautifully against the dark background, and each has its own small occupation.

This one has come equipped with both a hat and a broom. A practical guest. If the flying doesn’t work out, perhaps we can put it to work after dinner.

This one has brought his own beverage, sipping from a striped straw inserted in a skull. My daughter Lauren, who adores all things skull-related, would be delighted.

Another seems content to drift along, trailing its sheet behind it with bats floating overhead.

And, of course, someone has remembered the pumpkin.

I debated how to style the plates, but settled on my tried-and-true striped and checked Provence Noir dinner plates by Royal Doulton as the base. Hutschenreuther Baronesse White salad plates provide a visual break between the patterns.

Mixing the two settings gives the ghosts slightly different stages on which to perform. The colours hold everything together, leaving the patterns free to mingle.

Dark-handled flatware continues the black around the table, and silver-toned napkin rings gather the rolls of orange gingham.

Down the centre, the orange-panelled lanterns and tall, slender candlesticks leave lots of room for the black cats, bats and crooked branches on the runner.

Clear wheel-cut goblets add a little sparkle, and a pair of small orange salt & pepper shakers settles in beside one of the lanterns.

And a view from above reveals the whole gathering: a procession of ghosts and enough orange to keep even the darkest Halloween evening cheerful.

The Scary Squad is ready for dinner. Let’s hope they leave a few treats for the rest of us.

Sources:

• Dinner Plates: Provence Noir by Royal Doulton (discontinued 2010, available at Replacements)
• Salad Plates: Baronesse White by Hutschenreuther
• Appetizer Plates: Scary Squad by Pottery Barn
• Runner: Scary Squad by Pottery Barn
• Napkins: discontinued
• Spooky Cat Lanterns and candlesticks from Pier 1 (defunct)
• Flatware: Williams Sonoma (discontinued)
• Goblets: Antique Wheel Cut (Elise Abrams Antiques)