5 Thrifty Ideas for Plates as Decor

I’m so exciting to share with you my 5 thrifty ideas for plates as decor in your home! If you have been around my blog or instagram for any length of time, you know how much I love decorating with plates and platters!

This post is serving as somewhat of a part two to my previous post – How to Find Plates for Decor at a Steal. If you love the idea of decorating with plates, but still need to build up your collection, start with that post. I share all my best tips in there for finding beautiful vintage plates at a really low price!

stacks of white ironstone dishes with two teacups on top

Plates are such an easy and super affordable way to add instant character and charm to your home. Specifically, I like to use vintage plates and platters as they often have a little crackling and patina to them which only enhances their beauty and charm in my eyes.

For those of us who love to create a historic feel in our home, plates as decor is a perfect touch. They have been used for centuries as both a practical and purely decorative way to add beauty to the home.

I specially remember watching the 2008 BBC mini series of Sense and Sensibility and feeling so inspired by the Dashwood Women’s cottage by the sea. There is so much elegant yet rustic charm to take in from the cottage in that film. They have a large china cabinet with open shelving in which all of their dishes are not just stored, but on display. The dishes were beautiful and they used their beauty to enhance styling of the home.

a scene form the film Sense and Sensibility

Using dishes and plates as decor is part of our history and therefor I believe a truly classic way to decorate your home!

Why You Will Love Using Plates as Decor

There are 3 main reasons I love using vintage plates for decor –

They can be incredibly inexpensive, yet they are a high quality decor piece and never look cheap.
They add instant character and charm.
If using a plain plate, they add visual interest with shapes and edging without adding too much busyness.

Idea 1 for Using Plates As Decor

My first idea and perhaps most obvious of all is to hang your plates on the wall. I love to hang mine with invisible adhesive disc hangers and I’ve listed more details about where to find those below.

one brown transferware plate and white geometrical plate hanging on a wall next to.an antique hutch filled with dishes

There are so many options as to how to arrange your plates. I’ve seen beautiful elaborate collages of plates and simple geometric patterns.

If you are a little intimidated to begin, one simple way to hang plates that always looks beautiful is to hang two or three vertically in a row. This look is beautiful on either side of window, large mirror, or hutch.

How to Hang Your Plates on the Wall

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:

Hammer

Nails

Tape measure

Pencil

Paper and tape (if using the proper plate hanging method)

One of the two plate hanger options listed below

Adhesive Disc Hangers

This is my favorite way to hang plates on the wall because they are completely invisible. They are also extremely sturdy. I have yet to remove one of them from a plate, but the package say they are removable.

I order them from amazon here. As is typical with amazon the price can fluctuate. So at times this is the cheaper option, other times not so much. A good price for these is around $3 or less per disc.

Wire Plate Hangers

Wire plate hangers are another great option and are often cheaper than the adhesive disc hangers. Get them in gold and they can also provide a pretty little pop of metallic!

These wire hangers on amazon have great reviews and you get 10 of them for around $10.

How to create an arrangement of plates on the wall

a collage of white vintage plates as decor hung above a vintage dresser — This arrangement was made using the “eyeballing it” method.

There are two ways to do this really. The proper way and the eyeballing it way. I tend to eyeball it and save myslef the time so I can complete my project before the baby wakes up.

To hang plates on the wall properly, you want to trace each plate and cut out their shape. Use these cut outs and some tape to create an arrangement you like, taping them on the wall as you go. You can mark your nail holes with a pencil right through your paper and then hang your plates accordingly.

To eyeball it, I start with the one plate that I feel the most confident about where I would like it to go and hang it. Then I build from there, stepping back often to view the entire wall. You can recruit a child or husband to hold up the plate for you to be able to get the whole view before you nail it into place.

The eyeballing it method is great, but know this – I always end up moving and re-nailing a plate or two. If empty nail holes give you anxiety, then definitely stick to the proper method of hanging plates on the wall. 😉

Idea 2 for Using Plates as Decor

Prop plates upright as layering pieces on mantles and shelving.

Antique ironstone platter used as decor on a mantle

a spring mantle decorated with plants, vintage art, and a vintage plate as decor

I love this look! As I have said before, if using a plain plate they add such visual interest without adding busyness.

They create beautiful hight and dimension when layered behind other pieces. Plates, platters, and saucers all offer different shapes and sizes to work with giving you many options. My strategy is to collect beautiful white plates that speak to me and then I always have a small stock to pull from when I’m needing decor.

vintage shelf decorated with entirely thrifted deorations in shades of white and brown

To prevent disaster, secure your propped plates to the wall with a little bit of removable poster putty. You can grab some on amazon and get it just a few days here.

Idea 3 for Using Plates as Decor

stacked collection of white ironstone dishes in an antique pie safe

Simply stacking your beautiful, collected vintage plates can have such an impact. There’s something so much more substantial when you see a stack of three platters as opposed to just one stand alone. The idea of decor having more impact when grouped together as a collection definitely applies to plates and dishes.

low lit cottage shelving with stacked plates as decor, copper, candles, and bowls full of apples

Take my vintage white pitcher collection for example. I feel happy everytime I see all those creamy white silhouettes a top my antique pie safe. They have so much more impact displayed together as a collection as opposed to being diplayed individually throughout the house.

The entire hutch provides both a functional and a beautiful display of whites dishes that I think most certainly add to the beauty of the space and serve as decor.

Antique hutch full of white ironstone dishes — As you can see, I continue to use propped platters here to create height and interest .

Idea 4 for Using Plates as Decor

Use small vintage saucers and bowls as jewelry or soap dishes.

french inspired bedroom with roses and moody art

It’s so hard for me to pass up pretty little antique bowls and saucers so I’ve come up with uses for them. They are so sweet and add such charm to your dresser or bathroom vanity.

It’s not nearly as beautiful as soaps and jewelry, but I will also use them on my desk to hold my extra SD cards and other little nick-nacks.

There are so many uses for beautiful little saucers! If you come across one that touches your heart and it’s a good price grab it! You will find a use for it. Trust me.