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Hanging Vintage Plates In The Kitchen

July 17, 2024

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Pretty dishes have always been my weakness.

When I walk into a retail store or a thrift shop, the dinnerware aisle is my first stop.

And we I see a plate that catches my eye, I can't resist.

Country Living Red Rose Plates on a wooden table

Over the last three decades, I've had more sets than I can count.

Well, several years ago, I caught a glimpse of the prettiest plates on the blog of my friend Brenda, from Cozy Little House.

They were given to her by a reader and once I saw them I couldn't get them out of my head. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them anywhere. And I looked.

For years.

Then one day, this spring, I was hunting online, as usual, and suddenly there they were.

Country Living Belgium Rose. So I snapped them up.

At first, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. I certainly wasn't going to use them, I wanted to display them...like I did with the plates on shelves in the family room.

But where would these go?

They needed a place of honor and a place where I could see them every day. That's when I decided to put them in my kitchen nook.

Over one of the windows since I was able to make that center bracket disappear.

Cottage Style Kitchen Nook

Now, I'd heard about the peel and stick plate hangers, people have been posting them online and you can see them here if you like

However. These plates cost me about $70. That was a major splurge for this second hand bargain shopper. Plus, in the last 5 years, I've seen them for sale that one and only time.

So I wasn't taking any chances with peel and stick hangers. They may work fine, but I wasn't willing to risk it. 

You may remember that I found these hooks at the thrift store. You can find them online here, but I did see these exact ones at Hobby Lobby though for buy one get one free.

That's a better deal for sure.

Gold Metal Plate Hangers

Yes, up close you can see them, but I don't care, I wanted tried and true hangers that I knew wouldn't fall off the wall if someone slammed a door...not that anyone around here would ever do that

Or if the stickiness wore off.

How To Hang Plates with wire plate hangers

Hanging them up was so simple. 

I started by making paper circle templates, so I could work out the spacing on the wall.

I didn't want to make holes in the sheetrock and then find out I didn't like the way everything looked.

Making A Paper Template For Hanging Plates

Once I was satisfied with the placement, we used nails with large heads to grasp the plate hanger hook and popped them on the wall.

At first, I put all the floral ones up there and I loved the way they looked.

SIMILAR RED PLATES

So pretty.

Then about two weeks later, I thought it might be much more interesting to mix it up a bit and add two of my coordinating Country Living rooster plates to the arrangement.

They were part of the same set and had been hanging on the wall nearby.


I just swapped them out with two of the floral ones.

Decorating The Kitchen With Vintage Plates
ROOSTER PLATES

The new arrangement seemed so much more cohesive.


Now the entire corner was wrapped in those fabulous plates and I gained a lovely new view from my charming desk area.

I think they fill the area so nicely.

Decorating The Kitchen With Vintage Plates

Plus, I can actually see those plates from every corner of the room, which was really my goal.

I'd say mission accomplished.

Unless of course I find some tiny plates that will fit above the other window.

I guess I'll just have to keep my eye open next time I'm out there shopping again.

I mean, come on, tiny plates?

There's no way I could resist those...and now that I have a spot for them, I don’t have to!

😉

Do you have plates hanging around your house?

If you'd like to see more plate posts, you can check these out.

And if you want to keep up with my DIYs and decorating tips, sign up for my emails.

Happy Decorating, Friends!
Kim Signature


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  1. I have a very inexpensive plastic plate from back when Christmas Tree Shops was open locally. It has a beach scene with puppies playing & acting silly. The beach looks exactly like the Jersey shore. It’s just my level of kitsch. I figured that once I hang it up, no one will know that it’s a cheap plastic plate. It’s sturdy enough. I have never used it, so it’s not scratched. Everything is ready to go, including a hangar l, but I can’t figure out where to put it. I have one other plate hanging up. That was gifted to me and it’s not plastic. It has a picture of a dachshund and it looks just like the one that we had for 14 years. Sometimes it’s tough to integrate the smaller pieces within what we already have, but I know that I am going to find a place for the plate that simply makes me smile when I look at it.

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    1. It sounds like a charming piece of memorabilia, Kerie! I’m sure it’ll look great when you get it up on the wall. I agree that it takes time to find the right spot, especially since we’ve lived in our houses so long. Not a lot of room for new stuff!! ☺️

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  2. Kim, they are so pretty, and I love how they're displayed! You are lucky to have found them since you've searched for them for so long. They are definitely your aesthetic!

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    1. Thanks so much, Ricki! I know you’re a plate collector, too. It’s always fun to find a place to display the favorites when they’re not on the table. ☺️

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  3. Absolutely perfect.

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  4. They look fantastic and are such your whole vibe in your home! Truly lovely!! Congrats on finding them!

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    1. Thank you, Debbie! Once I saw them I had to have them and I’m so glad I had a space to display them! I so appreciate you taking the time to comment!

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you for the sweet red heart! ❤️

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  6. I think you are smart to use those plate hangers. You'd be sick if they fell and broke.
    Your rooster plates look like they were made to go with the others! I really like them mixed with the other plates. It's perfect!

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    1. Thanks Mari! I agree, I just don’t know about those sticky hangers. I also wonder about what they’d do to my walls if I wanted to remove them. In my daughter’s apartment complex no sticky products are allowed. They said they rip the paint and sheetrock off…patching a small nail hole is easier.

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  7. These look fabulous Kim! Always best to go with tried and true! I’ve had 3m strips fail (not with plates of course) and it’s not worth the aggravation. Still can’t comment using my name on the iPad lol! Sara @birdzofafeather.ca

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    1. Hi Sara! Thanks for weighing in! Yes, I’ve had those hooks fail, too. Luckily nothing breakable was hanging on them, but you’re right, not worth the chance.

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  8. You know I love the plates...they're RED!!! Love where you placed them. They match your room perfectly.

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    1. Thank you!! ☺️ They’re even prettier in person…and yes, very, very RED!! ❤️

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  9. I also loved those plates from the first time I saw them on Brenda's blog. I'm glad that you finally were able to find them. They look so beautiful in your cozy nook. - Briana from Texas

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    1. Brenda has such great taste, I love so many of her decor pieces, but like you these really caught my eye! I’m so glad I found them…don’t you just love the internet?!? 😂

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  10. Kim that is most certainly the perfect spot for them! They look like they have been there forever!

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    1. Thanks so much, Mary! What a lovely compliment.

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  11. Art comes in so many forms! These are lovely where you have them. Yes, I have some plates hanging on my laundry nook and they make me smile when I see them. Have a good weekend!

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    1. I love that comment, Gina! Yes, I guess decorating and decor placement is an art form…and beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

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  12. Kim, hanging plate collections are the epitome of cottage charm! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm--pinned!

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    1. Thank you my friend! Well, I certainly am a plate collector so I guess there’s no shortage of cottage charm around here! Hahaha!

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  13. Perfect, I love how it looks. :-) I have a plate hanging in our kitchen. It was hanging in my grandparents kitchen.. I got it after they passed away.
    xx oo
    Carla

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    1. Oh Carla, that sounds so special. I bet you smile every time you catch a glimpse! ☺️

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  14. They really are just perfect on your walls!

    Deanna Rabe

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    1. Thanks Deanna!! They do make me smile every day!

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  15. The plates look wonderful, Kim! I’m glad you found the ones you were hunting for. My mom always used those metal, stretchy type plate hangers. I bought the plastic ones, but haven’t used them as I’ve been too afraid like you. I just have my plates propped on my buffet and in two vertical plate racks on either side of my buffet. They hold my painted ones done by my Great Aunt Kitty.

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    1. Thanks Kitty! I’m really happy with the way they turned out. How lucky you are to have your Great Aunt Kitty’s plates. You have such a lovely collection of plates and cups. I don’t think I’d trust them to the stickies either! Thanks so much for the visit!

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  16. PERFECT! I love the mixture with the roosters in the mix and the two plates by the cabinets are the perfect finishing touch. I would LOVE to sit and have a cup of coffee with you in your sweet cottage home. The first kitchen we had moving back here from Florida was red and white and I loved it....it had red and white 'ticking' for wallpaper on one wall. xo Diana

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  17. Kim, those plates you bought are gorgeous and now the kitchen looks beautiful! Enjoy!

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    1. Thanks Julie! It was so nice of you to come by and visit so many of my posts this week. It really made me smile! I hope you have a super weekend!!

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