Pumpkins aren't just for carving and pies this season. They've turned into a design statement. And style-savvy nesters aren't automatically opting for traditional orange, with a cornstalk or two.
They're going ghostly and minimal -- as in white pumpkins.
Pale pumpkins have been popping up at pumpkin patches and stands for several years, but now there's a bumper crop of them in style magazines and websites.
New York trend forecaster Stacy Garcia sees white pumpkins as a soothing reaction to trying times. "With so much unrest and difficulty in the current economy, people are looking for peace at the holidays -- even at Halloween. White is calming and centering."
Plus white is neutral, so it's practical, matching all decor styles and transitioning beautifully into Thanksgiving, she notes. Garcia offers ideas for using white pumpkins in home decor at her blog (www.stacygarcia.com/blog-news/white-pumpkin).
New England tastemaker Matthew Mead opens his latest "book-azine" "Autumn" with a White-Magic Halloween party featuring white-on-white food and decor, including pasty pumpkins. ("Autmn" is sold on Mead's website: www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com).
You can buy naturally pale pumpkins -- hybrid white ghost varieties -- at many places that sell traditional orange pumpkins. (Expect to pay a premium.)
Or, you can paint your own, going shiny or matte -- whichever suits your mood and decor.
