Plates on the Wall

By Kate Riley July 28, 2016

I was catching up on blogs yesterday and browsing some lovely home tours. This one popped out at me (gorgeous tile throughout!) and then I noticed the lovely arrangement of plates on the wall.

I’ve never arranged a group of dishes on a wall in my home, but I find the look so charming. Being a collector and lover of attractive dishes, I’m certainly considering one now!

 plate wall

 

This one stood out, I loved its composition and the medley of patterns in this breakfast room, plus it’s mostly blue and white so there’s that too. :)

 plate wall composition

 

Much like a gallery wall, you can display plates in a symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangement, both are equally eye catching. Dishes aren’t just for the kitchen, they look lovely in a sunroom, entry, etc.

The look can also be more traditional in style or take on a more modern vibe depending on the arrangement and the chosen dishes. I found several well executed plate wall displays around the web to inspire!

 decorative plate wall

sunset magazine

 green white breakfast room plate wall

ghislane viñas interiors

 eclectic plate wall

the design files

 blue white red plate wall

patty kennedy interiors

 dark background plate wall

west elm

 powder room plate wall

kati curtis design

 plate wall driven by decor

driven by decor

 pewter platters on wall

kemp hall studio

 asymetrical plate wall

mm crafts

 dining room plate wall

horton & co

 traditional dish plate wall

kingston lafferty design

 white plate wall liz marie

liz marie blog

What’s the best way to hang them on the wall? There are several options, you can purchase hangers for each plate like Kris (find them online, or in art & craft supply stores).

 white hangers

If you prefer the hangers to be hidden you can use superglue to attach hangers, or

 glue hangers

purchase disc plate hangers (a better option for larger plates and platters).

 disc plate hanger

 

Have you hung plates on the wall in your home? What’s your style, a traditional arrangement or more eclectic?

25 comments

  1. I have a row of them on the wall just behind the washer and dryer, but I would love to start collecting them and display on a bigger wall. Such unique pieces of art!

    • Hey, that’s a great idea. I have been searching for the just right long skinny horizontal poster to put on that blank ugly spot, and it’s not showing up. My plate collection is boxed up collecting dust. I think I have a project today!!

  2. Just a note of caution on the discs – I had a plate wall and used them. Eventually two of them came off which resulted in the plates dropping onto the credenza below, knocking several things off and everything falling on my ceramic floor and breaking. I finally took all the plates down. Just be careful when using the discs.

  3. Love this post on plates! Have you seen the July issue of Architectural Digest? In an article about Todd Merrill, there is a glimpse of a plate wall. The design is by Molly Hatch. Go to his website and you can see the whole wall in a slide show. Blue and white fans will love it!

  4. Used sparingly, and on a wall painted with an accent color, perhaps it would display as something other than “hung by a granny”. Honestly, though, the overall idea, no matter the color or style, still screams “granny”.

  5. I have done this off and on for years with my collection of blue and white plates, china from my mom and grandmothers, the dollar store and yard sales. And my children’s baby dishes. It pretty much screams granny but that’s OK. A little granny is good. Symmetrical with at least one platter is my favorite. The wire hooks are the only ones I would use. If I didn’t love them I would never keep them and I don’t want them crashing to the floor. You know they would eventually.

  6. I think it’s a great idea, obviously, since I have several walls w plates.
    I’m especially intrigued by the plates in that small bathroom…Unexpected and interesting!
    I have seen several all white arrangements that look great, too. I don’t think it looks dated, especially if the plates/platters are attractive and hung creatively! Fun reason to collect plates/platters of all shapes, sizes and designs!

  7. Plates are a fun idea and there are so many styles out there to choose from. I have used the disc hangers with no problems so sorry to read someone else had trouble. I love that the plates hang so flat with them.

  8. I hung plates on the wall of a previous house that was much ‘prettier’ than my current home. The plates lived in harmony with the Laura Ashley fabrics and wallpaper borders. It was the early 90s! Trouble with the plates and a detailed gallery wall is the nail holes left behind. I have tried the removeable sticky tabs system for art and after a while whatever is on the wall comes crashing down. Plates can look a bit Nana but only if they are the wrong plates. 90s are long gone but I still like the look.

  9. Love this post! I worked in an antique store in high school and we always came across incomplete sets of plates. Antique or thrift store finds could easily take this form of “art”

  10. I’ve seen plates hung in bedrooms, too, in various magazines. The right plates hung in an attractive way don’t look granny to me, but quite elegant. Currently, in my kitchen, I have a row of five matching cream plates hung in between the four inch granite back splash and the upper cabinets. Since I can’t put subway tiles there, I wanted something glossy, and these add the right amount of glossiness. Plus, they add sculptural interest, a bit like a frieze.

  11. I really like this style – although I do agree with other commenters that you have to be very careful to avoid it looking too old fashioned (some of the less symmetrical examples above fall into that trap in my opinion).

  12. Plates are for more than just eating! Decorative ones can easily become wall art. The ones pictured here look especially good together even though they aren’t a matching set.

  13. Whoa!! Hanging plates are always alluring. I bought some blue pottery when I visited Jaipur. It has some animal and bird motifs printed on it.
    I just love this idea to decor my home :)

  14. I’ve ALWAYS loved the look of plates on the wall near the eating area. They look their best when each plate is different & the grouping looks as if it has been collected for a long period of time. I love when they arch over a door or window & come out onto the wall. So beautiful! Just have to be ready to take them down often & hand wash so they stay shiny.

  15. Normally I find plate arrangements to be too traditional for me, but some of these are fun and youthful. So glad you shared them!

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