A big concern for my home staging clients is that they have not gotten around to purchasing art for their home and now that it is time to sell they need to add a pop of color to make their rooms feel complete.
Since budget is always a concern I encourage them to look around their home for things that can be used to give their walls a warmer look. The first place I try is the kitchen cabinets. Painted plates, platters and saucers can be used as wall accents in almost any room.
Plates are easy to hang on the wall. You can use a decorative plate rack or purchase plate hooks that fasten onto the plate and then hang them with a picture hook. Do not worry if the plates do not match- you can create a fun look by grouping plates together that have different sizes, shapes, colors and patterns.
Here are some ways that you can use plates for instant art in your home:
• A row of plates over a window is a great alternative to a window treatment.
• A grouping of plates can dress up a dining room- take your unused china out of storage and add it to the wall for a formal splash of color.
• Add plates to the backs of bookcases to give them a more stylized look.
• Hang an arch of plates over a bed in place of a headboard.
This season I love hand-painted Tuscan plates and urns with vibrant colors. Sometimes I see an extra plate that does not have a mate and I have to buy it so it can have a home on my kitchen wall.
Have you used plates as art in your home? If so please share!
1. Kate ~ Great idea! I use plates in my own home. I happen to know Home Goods carries some of those great Tuscan pieces as I am working with a client who has a collection.
by Kathy [...] — 3/16/08 at 10:20 am #
2. It’s fun using plates on the wall; my mother used to mix them in with artwork and make it looks really good. I like one or the other, personally. Oddly enough, the only place we have hnug plates in our home at the moment is the kitchen. Here’s a photo of my little guy on his way to bed tonight.
by Juliet [...] — 3/16/08 at 9:13 pm #
3. Great idea! Plates are so great because they add texture and dimension to a room as well as providing great artwork! I particularly love the PINK room above……
by Melissa [...] — 3/16/08 at 9:38 pm #
4. I didn’t use plates per-se but used chargers. I wanted a pop of red in my kitchen and found some great inexpensive chargers at one of the home decor stores in the area. No, I didn’t have a Home Good’s store to visit in my area and actually didn’t even know at the time they existed. I happen to discover Home Good’s while watching the new HGTV show Myles of Style.
Back to the chargers. I found red charges, great size and not a lot of weight plus plate stands and placed these on top of the cabinets in my kitchen and on a lower level. They look great! I carried these same chargers in the same red over to the dining table on the other side of the kitchen. Now the touch of red really pops. Plates, chargers and platters all make great decorating items.
by A F Ticker — 3/16/08 at 10:51 pm #
5. I have used plates for decorating in my kitchen. One I am especially fond of looks like an old Italian fruit patterned plate with simulated cracks on a wrought iron stand on the granite counter. I also have a couple of Mexican “Talavera” patterned plates in our glass fronted display cabinets. All of this seems somehow connected with other decorations to give the kitchen an old world look.
by Chrys — 3/16/08 at 11:31 pm #
6. Kate, you are so right. You never know what kinds of treasures you’ll find packed away in the sotrage areas of a clients home. Linda has had me hang plates on several occasions. The plate hangers are very inexpensive and are so easy ot hang. Great tip.
by Gary [...] — 3/17/08 at 9:49 am #
7. Kate, as a fellow stager we use plates and we also place them on plate stands to be located in the kitchen. Great ideas! Keep us the good work!
by Marci [...] — 3/17/08 at 10:29 am #
8. Kate, I just read your post and wanted to comment on it. You have such innovative ideas. Your suggestions for using plates in a decorative manner are brilliant! The tip about using plates in place of a headboard sounds really interesting. It’s wonderful seeing you on HomeGoods.
by Charlene [...] — 3/17/08 at 11:12 am #
9. I love the plates!! I remember using baskets on some walls to decorate. But this idea I like much better.
We used your techniques of a splash of color with plates. Here is a photo
by Shell [...] — 3/17/08 at 12:35 pm #
10. Kate,
We have used plates in our home. And, of course, we love the effect they bring. Mom had the few remains of her favorite aunt’s blue willow ware and they looked wonderful in Mom’s dining room. Various pieces of my Fiesta collection have found their way to the walls also in our many different homes.
Once we even used various bread plates in a small guest bathroom because the colors worked so well.
Thanks for the inspiration, now I feel like playing with plates again!
by Yvonne [...] — 3/17/08 at 1:22 pm #
11. Kate,
Definitely a great idea. I found this glass tray at Marshalls and decided to use it as a piece of art. It was fairly easy to do. I just bought a kit specifically made to hang glass as art. I love the results. It’s definitely unique and the vase I found there as well was a great compliment. Now I just have to figure out something to compliment the other half of the wall that’s not in the picture.
by SG — 3/17/08 at 3:03 pm #
12. Kate;
Great post! Your savvy ideas are well matched to the wonderful selection that HomeGoods offer. In fact, my own personal dining room was decorated completed around the focal point of two beautiful plates I purchased at HomeGoods. Being a decorator I change things up quite often in my own home, but those plates and that decor have remained unchanged for a few years now. It’s one of my favorite rooms in the house. A beautiful plate can literally be the focal point for an entire room make over. Looking forward to reading your additional posts.
by Gina [...] — 3/17/08 at 3:09 pm #
13. I submitted this picture with my last post. I’ll give it another try…If this doesn’t work, I apologize.
by SG — 3/17/08 at 4:29 pm #
14. Hi All ,
Thanks for all your comments. I knew this would be a popular post.
Kathy- I too love the Tuscan look. It is sophisticated and always on trend.
Juliet- Sometimes I mix them with art too- for instance if a home seller does not have a horizontal piece of art that is large enough to go over the sofa then I add some plates on either side to make it visually longer.
Melissa- great point! I love the pink room too- it is my overly personalized dining room!
A.F. Ticker- That is great! I think chargers work even better since they add a bigger punch of color. You are working the rule of 3 concept I wrote about in my other post. Using the color in different places really makes the eye go to that focal point.
Chrys- I love the Old World look too. I especially love that you mixed them with Mexican pieces. A global feel is so warm and inviting in a kitchen.
Gary- I am glad that you find this idea useful too. I always keep the plate hangers with me for an emergency in client’s homes.,
Marci- Thanks for commenting again. I am glad you find these ideas useful.
Shell- The basket idea is great! I have so many clients that have tons of baskets and now I know what to do with them! I cannot see your pic so you may want to send it again.
Charlene- Thanks for your comment. The plates for the headboard was an accident. I really needed something to anchor the bed and there were no large pieces of art that would work. The client had a lot of mismatched floral china and floral linens. It ended up looking very Cottage/Shabby Chic- we loved it.
Yvonne- Fiesta Ware is one of my favorites- the colors are lovely and can work with traditional or contemporary homes. The bathroom idea is one I need to try.
SG- I cannot see the picture you sent. Can you try submitting it through customer finds? I love that you used a glass tray and I am so excited to see how you hung it. Glass can look so elegant and I think this is a perfect thing to use to give a space a more formal look.
Gina- I completely agree with you about finding the perfect item to design a room around, the wonderful thing about HomeGoods is that you can find items that inspire an entire room and change them season to season. Thanks for sharing.
by Kate Hart — 3/17/08 at 5:41 pm #
15. Kate-I recently staged a home with a Tuscan decor and used sage colored square plates on the bathroom walls from Home Goods. On the counter area I used a sage ceramic urn with a silk lavendar plant from Home Goods and the room looked so calm and inviting.
by Cathy Lee — 3/18/08 at 1:27 am #
16. I finally got the pic to upload in customer finds. It’s from “SG in St. Louis, MO”. Enjoy and I welcome your feedback. Thanks!
by SG — 3/18/08 at 10:16 am #
17. The plate idea is great! I like to add them on kitchen counters to add color. I also like to change them with the seasons or the holidays. Quick, easy way to change up the decor.
by Janice [...] — 3/18/08 at 1:52 pm #
18. Hi all,
Thanks for your comments today
Cathy- I would love to see that bathroom- it sounds so tranquil!
SG- I am going over there now to take a look!
Janice- I love the idea of changing them with the seasons. That is a great idea. thanks for sharing,
by Kate Hart — 3/18/08 at 5:28 pm #
19. SG- I just saw your photos- they are lovely! The colors are great and the tray gives the space a more contemporary feel. thanks for sharing- you are so talented. KH
by Kate Hart — 3/18/08 at 5:35 pm #
20. HI again-I am going to send the photo of the bathroom to your email address as I am having trouble getting it on this site-this is why I am a stager..HA!!
by Cathy Lee — 3/18/08 at 7:00 pm #
21. Years ago, I found a complete set of red and white toile plates at an estate sale. I designed my whole dining room around them and filled a wall with different sizes. Soon after, I inherited some toile plates from my great grandmother and saw that several of them had hanging hooks on them.
I was thrilled to realize she had hung them on her wall as well!
by Heather Durren — 3/18/08 at 10:56 pm #
22. kate,, i love your dining room wall color..i can see from the picture that your curtain fabric was the inspiration for the wall color…would you mind sharing the color and manufacturer? hopefully in love with pink! darlene
by Darlene [...] — 3/18/08 at 11:10 pm #
23. Hello Kate,
Enjoyed the post. Great subject - cant have too many plates or pitchers.
Funny I am staging a bathroom that has no character and had decided to use fun blue plates to add interest and will bring in the blue from the duvet cover. I picked up some cool modern blue and whites at TJ Max and of course some striped towels to jazz it up. Will bring the look into the bedroom by having some plates in bedroom or tiles.
I agree that plates add texture color and POP.
Good luck on the new blogging spot.
by Jennifer [...] — 3/19/08 at 3:00 am #
24. Kate:
Your ideas are always great and I am glad to see you on the Homegoods website!
Jill
Hollywood, Maryland
by Jill — 3/19/08 at 10:29 am #
25. Hello all,
I am so glad that this post has gotten so much feedback. Plates are such a fun way to accent a home
Heather- I love toile ANYTHING such a great look that is timeless. Thanks for sharing.
Darlene- I am glad you like my dining room. It was actually inspired by the chandelier- it is French with porcelain flowers that are pink and green. The wall color is Dragon Fruit by Sherwin Williams. It looks amazing at night. The window treatments are a Kravet silk. I have always wanted floor length puddling buffalo check window treatments and when we moved to this home I was able to do panels on either side of the French doors framing the garden view.
Jennifer- Thanks for sharing. I have had many people say that they use plates in the bathroom. I will have to try this look too. Blue is such a great color this season.
Jill- Hello! I am so glad that you stopped by the site. Please take a look at my other blogs too.
by Kate Hart — 3/19/08 at 4:13 pm #
26. Thank you for submitting a comment to Openhouse, the HomeGoods Blog.
We at HomeGoods Customer Service cannot receive attachments via email, but there is a section of the site called “Customer Finds” where you can upload your photos for all to see!!
Thank you for your comment.
Sincerely,
Katie
HomeGoods Customer Service
by Katie — 3/19/08 at 4:56 pm #
27. Thanks for being located in Dallas, my family recently relocated and I was unhappy that I could not find your store . Thankfully I walked into a TJ Maxx and their you were. Now I can add to my teapot collection and decorate my new home
by gilda — 3/19/08 at 10:20 pm #
28. Hi Gilda,
One of the things I love about HomeGoods is that you can always find a store in your local area. Best of luck with your new home- your teapot collection sounds great. KH
by Kate Hart — 3/20/08 at 6:34 pm #
29. We have used some gorgeous plates we found at HOME GOODS. I immediately fell in love with them and we hung them in our kitchen.
We bought four small plates (almost the size of tea saucers) with blue flowers on a yellow background.
we have them up the wall in the kitchen.
by Andrea — 7/31/08 at 7:16 pm #