Decorating Guides
Easy Decorating: Great Plate Arrangements
How to Get Your Pretty Plates Out of Hiding and On Display
Do you have a collection of plates wasting away in a cabinet, just waiting to be used? Chances are you have an extra set you inherited, a collection of flea market finds, or portions of sets. Take them out and incorporate them into your decor. Earlier this week I interviewed a designer who edited and arranged many of her client's collections, which included a lot of pottery and china, into this home.
There is quite an art to displaying plates, whether in a cabinet, on a rack or on the wall. The good news is that after you play around with them a bit it's easy to create a good arrangement. After you've pulled out your favorite plates and figured out your plate arrangement, check out The Secret to Hanging a Plate Collection for some technical advice. Pair that ideabook with this one and you're ready to start hanging!
There is quite an art to displaying plates, whether in a cabinet, on a rack or on the wall. The good news is that after you play around with them a bit it's easy to create a good arrangement. After you've pulled out your favorite plates and figured out your plate arrangement, check out The Secret to Hanging a Plate Collection for some technical advice. Pair that ideabook with this one and you're ready to start hanging!
Liz Williams is the designer who got me thinking about arranging plates. She told me, "when hanging plates, I always try to think of them as sculptural and want to compose an arrangement that is interesting." In order to accomplish this, she plays with combinations on the floor to find the right one before she starts hanging the plates.
The texture, color and style of these hanging plates negotiates between the traditional table and mid-century modern chairs. They are arranged like a clock, with the smaller plates encircling the large center plate. You can use this strategy without being so tight; tape an asterisk out from a central point, place the largest plate or platter in the center, and measure out an equal distance for the placement of each smaller plate.
Plates may also create an arc around another object, like this rectangular mirror. The circles of the plates break up the bold stripes and other straight lines.
Here a few plates fit right into a composition of a collected mix of vintage objects.
A plate rack like this makes it easy to experiment without making a lot of holes in the wall. Scandinavian design blogger Jeannette Lunde describes this image as "my white Scandinavian home. Splash of colors. Old & new. Always in change." She's not kidding...
Here is some more clean and white Scandinavian-inspired style. This plate rack carries the wood from the counter up the wall; white plates keep the Scandinavian style intact.
Plates do not need to be relegated to areas where we dine; in this living room they add ornamentation over the windows, similar to the way medallions would.
No, this isn't a dining room, it's a guest bedroom. Note the way the designer started out with a background of white platters and plates and added punches of green Majolica pottery. The three small plates across the top add a sense of order, but overall the composition still has a casual feel. This is a balancing act you'll get a feel for as you experiment.
In this mostly unadorned kitchen the three black and white plates add sculptural interest to the wall. Arranging three identical plates like this makes them appear as one art piece rather than three separate objects.
A plate collection can draw the eye to the otherwise dead space above upper cabinets. All this arranging will require is a few plate stands, a ladder, and quite a few trips up, then down, then standing back to take a gander. I recommend doing this with an assistant who can hand you plates and take some of the steps back while you're up high on the ladder (or vice-versa).
Here the chocolate brown in the transferware plates and platter picks up on the brown from the cabinets; the light wall needed another punch of chocolate up high.
Framed paintings, prints or photographs would have cluttered this wall too much. Instead, the collection of plates adds just the right amount of ornament and symmetry. They also detract from the television.
A lone crab plate draws the eye up and fits right in with a few shells over the stove. It's a charming detail that completes the room.
Here, the plate collection is an important part of the kitchen's design. The kitchen's designer Susan Serra says, "plates can be used as a fun (even important) decorative layer in a kitchen design. Pay attention to size, color, and texture to support the overall design of the space."
A plate rack right over the dishwasher and sink makes the dreaded "putting away" much easier. Note how the smaller plates dot the shelf underneath, adding order to the display of collected items.
Interior designer Tracy Murdock says: "I love to display plates and china collections prominently when they are available to me on a project. It is a good way to incorporate personal items into a home." She recommends starting out the arrangement with a symmetrical base and then randomly dropping in odd pieces that don't have a mate. She also recommends making these arrangements a focal point,and utilizing art lights to enhance the display.
This client's extensive collection of Chinese porcelain required a design solution that incorporated display shelves and lighting. While the overall arrangement is not strictly symmetrical, note the way the plates at the top add a sense of balance.
More:
DIY: The Secret to Hanging a Plate Collection
Collecting without Cluttering
Keep Your Collectibles Without Losing Your Sanity
More:
DIY: The Secret to Hanging a Plate Collection
Collecting without Cluttering
Keep Your Collectibles Without Losing Your Sanity
When you look at this arrangement you can practically see a square border around the composition. Use painter's tape to create a frame border for reference when hanging the plates.