IDEAL INTERIORS: Decorating bare walls with beautiful plates

When my friend sent me two beautiful vintage plates two weeks ago I didn’t know what to do with them until when I was reading one of my magazines, and saw an article about displaying plates on the wall, that an idea to spruce up my bare office walls came up. Hanging plates was a traditional way of displaying decorative dinnerware or serve ware and was seen in many cultures, from European to Asian. Centuries ago, elaborate displays of plates in a home was a sign of wealth and high social status. Hanging plates these days, however, can make a bold statement in a simple way. Whether your tastes are traditional or modern, you can bring an interesting twist to a room through plate display. It is also an effective, and often inexpensive, way to fill large expanses of blank wall space in an interior, adding texture, dimension, pattern and colour Have you ever had that one room in the house that is hard to decorate? You can’t find the right framed art or you already have enough framed art or candles. What about the hard to match fabrics or bedroom sets that cost an arm and a leg to accessorize? Plates may be the inexpensive answer to your decorating dilemma. Plates are often overlooked when decorating a home. Yet, it’s the details that really make the elements of a room come together—and decorative plates are a detail present in most rooms. While there are decorative plates that are solely functional in purpose, most have the potential to add to the ambiance of a room. Match your decorative plates with cabinets, doorknobs, and furniture hardware. With the wide variety available, you can also tailor them to table lamps and other light fixtures. Since wall plates come in all shapes and sizes, you can match them to the curves of your furniture placement. Matching will cleverly enhance featured pieces in a room without distracting from their appeal. In addition to decorative plate style, you may want to consider changing the switch itself. Dimmer switches are available as dials, slides, touch pads, and combinations of each. The ability to adjust lighting in each room of your home provides you a way to highlight specific room features or set the appropriate mood. Decorative plates, often taken for granted, are a versatile design element. They can be romantic, sophisticated, sleek, or fun. First decide what you need your decorative plate to do for a room, and then shop for it as seriously as you would shop for furniture, wall coverings, or carpet. From classic sets of antique porcelain to mismatched collections of thrift store finds, plates make excellent wall art. The repetition of round shapes is graphic on its own, while the patterns of the plates add to the allure. China collectors have displayed their dishes on walls for decades, and these days, plates are having a renaissance as wall art. However, the new trend is anything but traditional. You can hang plates anywhere in the house, not just in dining spaces. The composition may be from formal and gridded or completely natural and free-formed. More and more people are also using hanging plates as their kitchen decor than any other kind of decorations including pictures, shelves, or other designs. The best thing about decorating a kitchen wall with hanging plates is the flexibility it offers. You are not limited to only one form of design. You can hang the plates in any way that suits you. For example, you could border the room with hanging plates if you like. On the other hand, maybe you might want to place the plates in a diamond, arched, or rectangular pattern. Horizontal and vertical lines are a great way to display hanging plates as well. The only limitations you have is that of your own creativity. You even get more creativity in the type of plates you want to hang. Decorating a kitchen wall with hanging plates is a fun and very personal way to spruce up any kitchen. You can use plates of any design, shape, or colour that you want. However, it is a good idea to make sure the colours of the hanging plates will work well with the colours of your wall treatments. Plates are not limited to the kitchen! As you see above you can hang plates in an outdoor area, a bedroom, or even a bathroom! Ends

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IDEAL INTERIORS: Decorating bare walls with beautiful plates