Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy video: plate wall display how-to

yesterday afternoon i hopped in a zipcar (and promptly got a parking ticket, grr!) and headed up to williamsburg to visit the lovely ms. amy merrick’s house. in addition to being the d*s editor in charge of “made with love” and “living in” (did you see yesterday’s godfather post? so cool), amy has one of the coolest homes i have ever seen. thankfully she’s going to let us have a peek for the d*s book, but until then she’s sharing some of her styling expertise with us today.

i’ve been dying to figure out the art of plate walls for some time, as they always seem to look so casually cool and sophisticated in everyone else’s homes, but not mine. i have a tiny one in my kitchen (which you’ll see in lonny mag tomorrow!), using a super simple symmetrical layout, but today amy is going to show us how to create a plate wall that’s more free-flowing. this project is a fantastic way to make the most of collections that have been relegated to dark cabinets somewhere- and is a great chance to save some money by purchasing cracked or chipped antique plates that aren’t food-safe. i hope you’ll enjoy amy’s project as much i did while filming it. looking to pick up some china like amy’s? try searching for “blue & white china” and “flow blue” on ebay.

[Today's video is brought to you by HomeGoods. Find your personal style by taking the HomeGoods Stylescope Quiz. Join the discussion at HG Openhouse.]

joy

if you want extra support behind your plates, you can try securing the backs of the plates with “quake secure”: http://www.safetycentral.com/qusereeapuad.html

my friends in SF swear by it ;)

grace

I really like the look created here & I’ve done something similar in my kitchen.

But- and this might sound completely daft- I wouldn’t want plates above a bed where the headboard’s against the wall. If you use the bed for anything besides sleeping, I’d be wary of one clocking you on the head!

That “quake secure” sounds smart! sounds

hi guys!

just a quick note- if you’re concerned about- err- movement and the plates, just stick a dab of the quake sure putty behind the plate backs- they won’t go anywhere. if a quake can’t move them, a couple doesn’t have a chance ;)

Thanks for the process for this effortless look.

I have lots of plates that have unusual shapes (scalloped, hexagonal, etc.). Having never done this, are those hangers able to be used for them or are there special plate hangers?

lydia

we prepped all sorts of amy’s plates for the shoot and the hangers definitely work on most shapes- scalloped plates are especially good because there are deeper dips for the hanger arms to sink into. :)

THANK YOU!! This is awesome and perfect timing! I have been collecting plates for a plate wall and then got too scared to put them up – not quite sure how. This piece was great – and now I feel fully confident to finish this project!

This may be more of a “dear design sponge” query, but I inherited a set of “Sound of Music” themed plates and I can never decide if they’re kitschy cool or just kitschy. here’s a link to what they look like: http://www.mamierich.com/sound-of-music-collector-plates.htm

I’m thinking they may stay in the box until I have a little girl’s room to decorate.

catherine

we used regular wire ones- my camera just doesn’t pick up all the details in these shots. but you can buy a kind that doesn’t show, i just don’t trust them because they stick on- makes me nervous ;)

http://www.dischangers.com/

I am about to start my own plate hanging adventure and came across these small foam discs that adhere to the back of your plates (without causing damage, so they’re safe for antiques and valuables) and then… well… the wall.

Bonus: They’re inexpensive!
http://www.dischangers.com/

oh, I love this post! I have Greek Spode china that’s not being produced any more. I wasn’t sure what to do with it—UNTIL TODAY! Wahoo! I can’t wait to put this up somewhere in my home…but wait, I gotta get a new home first–rats!

Oh wow, I have a similar wall of blue and white plates in my kitchen and eerily my walls are the same color as Amy’s! My paint is Martha Stewart’s Rosemary, btw. And to everyone that’s wondering about those plate hangers, they are EXTREMELY secure. I live in California and my plates didn’t move a millimeter during an earthquake we had a few months ago.

I also live in earthquake country and did a similar display in my first apartment in LA. I used Quake Hold with the plate hangers and never had any problems- and the plates were above my bed, so I must have been very confident!
Here is a link to the photo of my plate wall:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/inspiration/bird-bedroom-wall-art-018405

That was so fun and incredibly informative. And Amy is really charming and natural. I love that!

Grace, can you tell me what kind of video camera you used to film that? The quality was perfect. I need one this week!! Thanks.

My mother would die for that rooster lamp, she collects only white ceramic roosters….but not in that creepy way where they take over the house, she only has about 30 of them, and she lives on a farm so its appropriate…

The plates and wall color are fantastic. I also would love to know the color. Another idea would be to use a collection of different patterns of solid white plates and platters. A grouping of the Juliska patterns Berry and Thread white, Jardins du Monde and Petit Singe on that wall color would be outstanding! In addition to the contrast of the white on that dark wall, the different shapes of these Juliska patterns would give a lot of interest.
Patina

I have to thank you so much. I just read your entry yesterday and immediately decided to do this with my staircase. Here are the results:

http://domesticnotions.blogspot.com/2009/10/plate-wall-display.html

A quick tip for anyone looking for inexpensive plate hangers. It doesn’t get anymore inexpensive than making them yourself! I used thick floral wire and it worked great!

I found the adhesive hangers online at http://www.allplatehangers.com. They seemed to be the least expensive since I needed quite a few of them.

If you are worried that the adhesive hanger may come off the plate, then you could also use Duct Tape to help hold the hanger to the plate. I have never had one detach from a plate.

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