Meghan's Request: Hanging Plate Arrangements

I was at my friend Meghan's house the other night, and she asked for advice on how to arrange plates on a wall in a fun, modern way. I think she is afraid of 1.) the plates making her space look too formal, and 2.) the plates making it look like grandma's dining room.

Well Meghan, here are my thoughts. There are 2 ways to modernize your plates. The first way is HOW you hang them, in other words the arrangement. Second, the colors you choose for the plates AND the walls can make a big difference.

I have scoured blogland and the internet and rounded up some of my favorite modern/quirky/fun hanging plate arrangements just for you, my dear!


via Imperfectly Beautiful

I like the one above because of the striking and classic black/white theme. I think it would pop more if it were on a colored wall, but the white one makes it a little more traditional, especially because the animal print could get out of hand.


via Decorpad

This one is a little bit of a mishmash of colors, but what makes it cohesive is the strong visual line the plates make as they make your eye go across the room. I like the quirky arrangement next to the very symmetrical and traditional botanicals on the other wall. This has a very "collected-over-time" feeling, like the plates might have sentimental value. Also you COULD add to it easily since it is in a free-flowing pattern.

via Flikr
This is one of my favorites. It is trendy right now with the gray walls, but you could do this on any color and make a bold statement with the all white plates. It has formality because of the symmetrical arrangement, but the bed keeps it from being fussy. This wouldn't be NEARLY as fun in a formal room.

via Erica Good's Facebook Profile

Another example of an arrangement that keeps your eye moving. This is practically the same idea as the one above from Decorpad, but with all white plates. Also compare this to the one from Flikr to see how white plates can be used in a traditional symmetrical arrangement, or in a more flowing way.


via Sunset

Love this one. This is almost like a Kate-spade-esque salon art wall, but with plates instead of art! The white chair and white walls make the designs on the plate the stars. I think this one is very modern, but quirky rather than bold like the hotel bed above from Flikr.

via Canadian House and Home

These plates are VERY traditional, but the arrangement makes it hip. Very sweet. They remind me of bubbles heading up the wall.

via Harper's Bazaar

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Yes, because it is yellow, but it would get at least 2 loves if the walls were turquoise or kelly green or even coral. This is an outstanding example of how to use color to make your plates a statement.

via Apartment Therapy

A symmetrical arrangement with traditional colors, but it has a gothic, moody feel because of the dark walls that keeps it fresh.

via Burke Decor

This is sweet, but the asymmetry and bold contrast of the plain plates to the bright ribbon keeps it from being dated or boring. (p.s. you can buy this set as-is.)

via Country Living

This one isn't my favorite, because if it weren't for the text it would be kind of boring. However, I do like that the arrangement has movement. I guess the plates aren't really my style!

via Apartment Therapy

And finally, this one from apartment therapy shows how, with a little bit of planning, you can really incorporate hanging plates into a larger design plan for your room. THIS ONE GETS MY VOTE MEGHAN!!!

What do you guys think? Does anyone have plates on their walls? Any words of wisdom??

Project: back yard

Here is a drawing of my yard from above:

As you can see, its pretty big, and has a nice fence for the doggies. However, it drives me nuts that the landscaping looks like someone started to terrace and take care of the left side, but stopped years ago. Chaos has taken over! I really want to make it look like someone cares about it. The grassy part of the yard is good for the most part, but the far right side by the fence gets really boggy. Since we have moved in, we put in the bed to the left of the porch, planted the daylilies outside the fence by the road, and planted the redbud tree. I really like the forsythia and the holly, but there are FAR too many trees in general. I love that we have established, mature trees, but 11 is a bit much! Especially because most of them are oaks which make the soil very acidic and the yard very shady. I want to take down some of them, but Brett and I disagree about which ones and how many.

So to make a long story short, I am in the midst of planning out my dream yard. Does anyone have any suggestions? I want to keep a good bit of the grass, and make the rest of the yard look cared for and planned. The grassy part tends to get too wet, so any suggestions about what would suck up a lot of water on that side of the yard would be great!