Decorative Plate Walls: How To Show Off Your Style

Decorative Plate Walls feel like they are having a moment. They are on trend but rooted in tradition. And they aren’t going anywhere soon as they are based on your personal preference with a collected feel.

This post covers: three rooms with different approaches.

The Dining Room — Where Plate Walls Feel Most at Home

The dining room feels like a natural place for a collection like this. I just started collecting vintage oyster plates for our window sill. The one on the left is from the Lyon flea market and the one on the right is from Etsy.

Oyster plates feel personal since we love an oyster roast in Florida. When I have collected more plates I may display them on the wall facing this one.

Choosing your plates I believe that mixing heirloom china, flea market finds, travel souvenirs, and artisan pieces makes the mix better than a matched set. But a matched set can have a calming affect, too.

Arranging for impact: the “anchor plate” method — start with your largest or most meaningful piece, build outward

The above Vintage Wall Plate Ironstone Transferware collected set is available on on Etsy.

Hanging tips: Use spring loaded hangers plate hangers or adhesive hooks. Just make sure you buy the right ones for the size and weight of your plate. I used these plate ledges in our dining room.

Composition options ideas: Your preference–tight salon-style grid vs. loose organic cluster vs. single-row (which can be defined by the wall space).

And a vintage dish cabinet is definitely appealing.

Mally Skok via Luxe photography by Sarah Winchester

Below is an antique display in the Hermann-Grima House from 1831 in New Orleans.

You may like New Orleans: Three Things You Must Do If You Love Historic Homes.

The Bedroom — An Unexpected Display

Plates can work beautifully in a bedroom too. They can be quieter, more personal, and less expected.

Above, in our daughter’s Newport Beach bedroom, we put hand-painted plates that we purchased in Mexico around a shell encrusted mirror.

James T. Farmer, a southern interior designer, decorates with plates often.

Placement ideas:

• Above the headboard as an alternative to art (usually not in earthquake prone areas however)
• A small cluster on a narrow wall between windows
• Around a mirror or art

The Patio — Taking the Trend Outdoors

What works outside: ceramic, stoneware, and metal plates with bold patterns that read well from a distance

Weather considerations: ours are not in direct sunlight and I remove them if we are having serious wind storms

The vibe to go for: relaxed, eclectic Mediterranean (many of mine are from the Amalfi Coast) or Spanish Colonial feel — colorful Talavera-style plates are perfect here.

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Sources & Shopping: Where to Find the Best Plates for a Plate Wall

• Antique & vintage: estate sales, flea markets, local antique shops
• Artisan & handmade: Etsy (search by style — transferware, hand-painted, botanical)
• Retail: CB2, Hudson Grace, Pottery Barn
• Travel finds: the best plate walls always have at least one piece with a passport stamp…and it makes for a fun hunt. I especially love Portugese Bordallo Pinheiro ceramics…like the cabbage plates and bowls.

Annie wrote an interesting post: Why We Love Plate Walls. And be sure to check out her store when she gets back from her French market trips.

Some Pretty Plates: