Home Style: Decorating With Plates

I was doing some window-shopping during a rare break from the store during a particularly busy holiday retail season when I spotted them: the set of fish plates that spoke to me.

I decided on the spot that if these antique Lamoge china plates, each decorated with the picture of a fish, were still there in January, I would treat myself to them as a reward for surviving another crazy holiday season.

Years later, I'm still enjoying my fish plates and I have used them time and again in my decorating, and always with dramatic results. They have hung on the thick molding between the French windows in my dining room. I've showcased them on my walls, below wall pockets, above wall brackets and on either side of a lovely china platter.

Plates are masterpieces that look smashing when mixed in with framed art.

But one of my favorite ways to display my fish plates was to prop them on easels on my mantel. However, this plan backfired when our cat sent one tumbling when she paraded back and forth across the mantel.

I think of all the plates in my cupboard as lovely pieces of art, and I display them all over my home. So does Dillon, one of the designers at Nell Hill's. Give Dillon a hammer and nails, and he will transform a stack of dishes into a thing of beauty. So I asked Dillon to join me in sharing a few tips for decorating with plates in your own home.

MIX PLATES WITH ARTWORK: Whether they sport a design -- like a scene from an English village, a flower, an animal, are embellished with a unique geometric pattern or gold trim -- or are simply creamy white, your dishes are masterpieces in their own right. So hang them on your walls, either in a grouping by themselves or mixed in with other pieces of framed art.

The other day, Dillon created a show-stealing display with a tall mirror, two sconces and a stack of plates. He flanked the mirror with the sconces. Then he hung a dinner plate to the side and bottom of each sconce, placing a dessert plate in between them. He put an oval platter above the mirror, with two smaller plates on either side. The effect was stunning.

REPEAT A COMMON THREAD: Whether it's a wall covered in blue-and-white transfer ware or a small column of plates painted with birds, when grouping plates, make sure they share a similar color scheme, theme or pattern so they look harmonious. While variety is the spice of life, when you group together too many colors and patterns, you end up with a look that's chaotic and disorganized.

EXPERIMENT WITH SYMMETRY AND ASYMMETRY: Dillon says symmetrical arrangements are the easiest to pull off: Simply create a design you love on one side of a piece of art, a doorway or on your mantel, then repeat it on the other side.

But don't just play it safe: Be willing to experiment with asymmetrical arrangements. The key to pulling together an asymmetrical look that's exciting, unexpected and visually appealing is to ensure it is balanced.

USE PLATES IN EVERY ROOM: Instead of confining plates to the kitchen, use them as art all over your home. Put a set of botanical plates in an unexpected spot, like above the doorway in your living room. Use a collection of similar plates to create a chair rail in your dining room. Cover your study wall with a tapestry of transfer-ware pieces. Surround your powder-room mirror with hand-painted dessert plates. Find some beautiful platters to display above the headboard in your bedroom. I've even hung plates on my front door.

(Mary Carol Garrity is the proprietor of three successful home-furnishings stores and is the author of several best-selling books on home decorating. Write her at nellhills(at)mail.lvnworth.com. For more stories, visit scrippsnews.com.)

Taken From CourierPress.com