You May also use lay or set
1. Batches
2. Couches
3. Parties
4. Sandwiches
5. Bunnies
6. Dresses
7. Pies
8. Wishes
And for the description you could say something like there was a plate of sandwiches next to the cozy brown couch.
A survey of the cultural function of the Chinese writing system, from a classic textbook (I used it in college) by two of the deans of modern American east Asian studies. The piece is now dated in some ways and it would be worth discussing just what its limitations are, but it is also a good short synopsis