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Food on brown dishware is generally not very appealing.

Yeah, those dishes look great, but then I imagine my dinner sitting on them. And that doesn't look so great.

The housewares biz sells lots of seasonal stuff. Do people really swap out their plates and cups and all that for the change of season? The only people I know who actually use more than one set of dishes are observant Jews. Yes, people have the daily stuff and the good china, but how many people, especially with an apartment size kitchen, have summer, winter, fall, spring, holiday themes, etc.?

Or am I just totally plate-deficient? This could be.

Well my parents have a kitchen table and a dining table in a separate room ... and my mom gussies up the dining table with seasonal stuff. The kitchen table (which is actually in the main large room of the house) has the everyday stuff.

I could see her putting these out on the dining table as decor, but using the fancy white china when we have guests over.

According to the web site, they come in green as well, which might be more appetizing.

The patterns are sooooo pretty.

I once had a friend who dragged me along on a 3-hour shopping excursion for the sole purpose of finding "Summer Dishes". I thought the idea was cute.

The brown color really doesn't bother me (though it would love them on a dark cool grey instead). What DOES bother me though is that these plates are 7.5 inchers. I would love these if they were 12-13 inch dinner plates.I've been over the cute little party appetizer plate thing since the Mid-90's (when appetizer plates were with art-deco posters plastered all over them were all the rage).

how many people, especially with an apartment size kitchen, have summer, winter, fall, spring, holiday themes, etc.?

I've often wondered this myself. Every design source, including AT, seems to assume that one has seasonal plates along with theme plates for assorted occasions, from "4th of July Clam Bake" to "Ladies' Pink Luncheon." And table linens to match! And multiple types of wine glasses to match the Riedel to the wine!

Perhaps the ability to fit that much stuff into an 8' x 5' kitchen is what you gain with a high-end kitchen rehab...