It was a random visit to the Jew street, in Mattanchery, Cochin, over fifteen years ago that spurred me to buy an old endearing Chipped round plate, that was the precursor of my plate collection. Shapes and size don’t matter and the quirkier it is the better.
Having collected plates over the years, I then decided to display the same and the wall was going to be the canvas for my favorite plate collection. Here now sits my favorite plates, each capturing a moment in my life just like how photographs capture a moment that encapsulates a memory. I even have a Melamine one. Can you guess which one?
The art of plate hanging is usually tied to the time of our grandparents, where walls would be decorated with plates. Unlike a single artwork or painting, a plate wall is a collage of sort, with various and different types of plates having the collective piece of one “art piece” and at the same time each plate being an independent piece of its own. The plate wall allows for flexibility and the freedom to change the plates over time and hence a constant changing piece of wall art. In this article, The White Lotus explores the art of plate wall hanging. A step by step guide for those who would like to create a plate wall for their space.
Depending on the plates, say if there is a particular theme of your travels or personal moments, ask yourself, Travel plates can be a great conversational piece and can be placed around the drawing room or areas where guests are entertained. Plates with intricate patterns can be placed in the dining area or even the kitchen. Colorful plates with a burst of energy and vibrancy can also be placed in the waiting area or even a niche in your home. The possibilities are endless and size of the wall really doesn’t matter as you will be using the wall as your canvas and working around that.
Below are some examples of areas and placements one can create a plate wall.
Once you have decided the wall you are going to use, then Measure your BACKGROUND/ WALL
ARRANGE YOUR PLATES
Here use a flat surface and arrange your plates, say a large table or the floor. Keep in mind the measurement you have taken of the wall and you can use a tape to cordon off the area on the flat surface. Then it’s all about placement, there are no hard or fast rules just bear in mind that larger plates could take the lower end of your plate collage.
TAPE OUT YOUR PLAN
Once you are satisfied on how the arrangement would look you could even use Masking Tape, to tape the area on the wall to give you a preview of how the end result would look. Remember to use tape that does not damage the
paint on your wall.
I found the painters tape to be an incredibly useful must have item to create the outline sketch for the plate wall. It has a variety of uses and it does not damage a finished wall surface.
Sourced : https://thecraftshop.in/adhesives/64534606-scotch-safe-release-painter-s-maskingtape.html?search_query=tape&results=80
ATTACH HANGERS
The big difference between framed art and plates is that art, Framed arts-usually comes with a wire or hanger. Plates, obviously, do not. That’s where your new best friend comes in: PLATE HANGING WIRES.
The wires come in various sizes for every kind of plate, and most come with hooks and nails to hang them on. Attach the wires to the plates.
There are two kinds of plate hangars that I use, one that is shown in the successive pages and the other which is a sticker. https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01FMHUQQ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I suggest you use the sticker for the less expensive plates.
EXPANDABLE PLATE DISPLAY HANGER
Hooks gently over the top and stretches to hook over bottom – protective vinyl end coverings protect delicate plates from unwanted scratches.
VOILA
Now it’s time to hang!
For each plate, measure the distance from the top of the plate to the wire that will catch on the hook behind it, then nail a hook into the wall that same place on your taped outline of the plate.
IDEAS FOR EVERY ROOM
THE RIGHT (AND NEVER WRONG) WAY TO HANG A PLATE
For more options on placing Wall Plates,
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/327285097914704063/
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/742953269751792859/
Start your amazing collection, now!
I started this piece asking you to take a guess which was the Melamine plate. It’s the orange plate at the lower right corner.
Happy sourcing!
Source: Hadley Keller, Kathryn Wirsing, Margaret Kirkland, Maggie Griffin.
