Friday, May 13, 2011

corners of my house: foyer plate wall

Note: the paint color is Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

Hey, thanks for your nifty party game ideas. I'll blog her party eventually. Right now I'm shirking my party prep duties to write this post. I should be making the cake. So I'll be quick.

I've been doing little decor spruce ups around the house and you'll probably see several posts about it. I tend to leave things the same way for far too long, then suddenly I have this maniacal urge to change it all. It's happening bit by bit. This is one part of it, my new foyer plate wall. Just pretend that door bell box is not there. Man, I hate that thing.

I've seen this done several times on the web, including this beautiful example by Lisa Congdon. Plates were the perfect way to bring some interest and color to my foyer wall. Pretty cheap too, since I already had most of what I needed.


I love looking at it. I didn't think about it too much, just did it. I had the idea the other day, so I dug around in cabinets and gathered a bunch of plates I've accumulated over the years. Some were gifts, some souvenirs, and some thrift store finds. And a few I bought recently just to fill in the holes.

Then I started with three large plates in a triangle. Then I just randomly added more plates one by one until I felt it was finished. Having assorted plate sizes is a big help in giving it direction and swoop. Making new holes in my (freshly painted and mended) wall usually makes me nervous but for some reason I was able to just let go and whack the nails in without a second thought.


I like the effect at night too. Ok, I gotta go make party stuff.

56 comments:

  1. I love your plate wall so, so, so much! I think what I love most is that it is not so uniform and it curves to give it movement. So pretty!

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  2. Very pretty! I love the color of the wall too!

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  3. I'm a little in love with this. I need to go find some plates

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  4. turned out great! love the colors!

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  5. This looks fantastic!! You did a great job! The layout is perfect

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  6. This is such a clever idea. It's colorful and playful but neat at the same time.

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  7. Like this a lot - bought myself a pretty plate just last week that I´ll have in the bedroom, combined with other things. :-)

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  8. The plates are beautiful and so is the wall color. Would you mind sharing the information on the paint? Thanks in advance!

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  9. Love this idea! As far as your doorbell box...have you ever thought about matching a spray paint to your walls and spraying the color to help it blend in? Kind of like what you would do to hide an access panel in your wall. It might blend it in a little more. Keep the great ideas flowing! :-)

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  10. Thanks everybody!

    Kristine, sure: Sherwin Williams Rainwashed.

    pdisandro - THAT IS A CAPITAL IDEA. I could probably just use some extra wall paint and see if it will stick to the plastic.

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  11. totally amazing larissa. I've been meaning to try something like this in my dining area but haven't gotten around to collecting plate yet, haha!

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  12. Gorgeous! So clean and fresh and happy and peaceful and inviting. I think I may need to try this in my foyer, too. Such a nice way to welcome visitors.

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  13. This looks so great!! Would you mind sharing where you found that adorable little apothecary cabinet?

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  14. I LOVE it! It adds so much to your foyer!!! Texture, colors! Beautifully done!

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  15. This is absolutely gorgeous. I love the asymmetry and how it balances with that chest. Good eye!!! :)

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  16. Thanks, everyone! It makes me happy every time I happen to look in that direction. Big pay off for a very little amount of trouble.

    Lauren, I'm glad to share the info but not sure it is available now. I found it many years ago at a Sam's Club in Alabama. I fell in love, and it was only $99! I hope you can find something similar.

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  17. Lauren, whatdyaknow? I got curious and started googling 'apothecary CD cabinet' and yes, it (or something that looks very similar) is available:
    http://www.thesimpletvstandstore.com/x-23-apothecary-style.aspx
    And not just from that store. Try googling it and see what you can come up with.

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  18. wow! I LOVE this! good job, yours is beautiful!

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  19. I love it! The curve to the placement makes it so much more interesting than a lot of plate displays that I've seen.

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  20. I love your corner, it is prefect!

    Einen schoenen Abend xx

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  21. I love this corner in your house! :) The plates look great all together!

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  22. Love your plates! Funny that you mention your doorbell box, I had no idea what that thing was til you said that. We have a partial wall that would be perfect for a photo wall or large piece of art that the builder stuck the air/heat control smack dab in the middle with the doorbell box right above it. I've often wondered if I could still do a wall grouping and conceal those two items somehow. Anyway happy party prepping :).

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  23. I love the colors! And the randomness! Must start shopping for new plates...hmmm...maybe in AUSTIN??? See you tomorrow! Woohoo!

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  24. Katie, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the placement of all of the vents, returns, boxes, and light switches in our house. I can just hear the builder saying "Oh, just slap it there. That way we won't have to run any extra wire."

    Robyn, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! See you there, Lord willing.

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  25. We're loving your plate wall...so much so that it's part of our new weekly round-up. Here's the link:
    http://bit.ly/kxF3xI

    Thanks--we're enjoying your site!

    Allison

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  26. Just wanted to let you know that I made a messenger bag from your free pattern. I really enjoyed it and the pattern was easy to follow. :-)
    Here it is: http://helena74.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/det-bidde-en-vaska-till/
    Thank you for sharing your pattern! :-)
    /Helena

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  27. Oh Larissa I LOVE this! Maybe this is what I need to be thinking of for our blank dining room walls. I better start collecting!

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  28. I want to use your plate idea with some colorful plates I bought from Anthroplogie, but how do I mount them on the wall? Please tell me. Did you use ribbon to hang on a nail? What is the best way! I am terrible at hanging stuff. I hope its easy!

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  29. leslieeva, it is easy. Go to the hardware store or the hugemongous everything store and purchase a bunch of plate hangers. They are thingies that have two sets of hooks attached to springs along with a place for a nail. The two sets of hooks go around the edges of the plate to hold it, and then it fits over the nail in the wall. That's how I hung all my plates, except for the ones that already had a hanging loop in them. Good luck!

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  30. @Larissa - I am definitely going to try this idea, I love the way it looks! Question - I am planning on doing it on a slanted wall, my apartment is the second floor/attic so the ceilings are angled in. Do you think they will stay on the slant and not fall off?

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  31. Laura, I wouldn't recommend this method for a slanted wall. The kind of hangers I used would not work for that. You'd need something to adhere the plate to the slant so it doesn't hang off. Maybe explore the possibility of 3M picture hangers? They are kinda like velcro that you can peel off later without marring the paint.

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  32. Thanks Larissa! I tried the 3m strips and they work pretty well...I had to double some of them because the bottoms of the plates had that indented ridge, but it worked well and seems to be holding up. Thanks so much for the great idea!!

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  33. Laura, I'm so glad it worked for you. But be careful, I don't want you to get konked in the head by a plate!

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  34. Gorgeous... I love your plate wall so much! :)

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  35. Love this! And I love that the plates don't have to be matching!

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  36. hi there,

    i linked to this post on my blog, hope you don't mind :)

    i credited you, of course.

    ashlee
    www.238windsor.com

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  37. WoW! I love your style and I especially love Who you stand for. I don't ever follow blogs from people I don't know but you had me in the first sentence of your bio. Plus Girl, you've got style!

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  38. Cheryl, made me laugh! Thanks and welcome to the blog!

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  39. Your wall is gorgeous, it's all over blogland too! I've linked it to my plate walls post as well today, for inspiration!

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  40. I love the free-flowing layout of your plate display - it's perfect for the tall wall :-) And for sure you can paint your doorbell cover with some leftover wall paint :-)

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  41. I found your 'plate wall' design here
    http://www.addicted2decorating.com/how-to-arrange-a-decorative-plate-wall.html.......and yours is the prettiest !! (me teefing your pattern)

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  42. I love, love, love your plate wall. You managed the perfect swoop up and around the chest and lamp.

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  43. Thanks again, y'all, for all the kind remarks. I'm still loving the effect of the plates on the wall. Still haven't painted the doorbell box though. LOL.

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  44. What a neat idea. I have a few plates that I collected last year, but then I decided that I had nothing useful to do with them and figured I'd give them back to the thrift store I purchased them from. lol

    This gives me incentive to possibly use them in my studio.

    Your wall is fabulous!

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    1. Hi, Carole! Thank you! Yay for getting to use something stowed away in the cabinet. I was happy to finally use mine too.

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  45. LOVE your display of plates for wall art! Gorgeous! Pinned for inspiration! Thanks for sharing!

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  46. Thank You Thank You for sharing your faith on your blog. Just today found you from the 9/13 LHJ. I love doing odds & ends of plates I get from all over. I have a bunch but for some reason the plate hangers just don't work on some of the plates. Any idea why not? they just stick out from the wall too much I'm afraid they'll fall off.

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    1. Hi, Carol, thanks for stopping by and for encouraging me in my faith. Not sure what the problem is with the plate hangers unless they are the wrong size for the plate. They typically come in a large size (good for dinner plates) and a small size (good for saucers and dessert plates). And there's always this as an option: http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-English-Hanger-Disc-5-5-Plates/sim/B001FVG25K/2

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  47. Lovely way to welcome life into your home.

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  48. I love this display of your plates. I am a lover of plates as well and have just inherited my mother's collection of plates. My daughter pinned this post and sent it to me and I will follow your creativity (hopefully, as best as I can). One thing that I do wish to ask you, is for the brand and color name of your wall paint. Please let me know if you care to share. Thanks! Roz from La Bella Vita Cucina

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    1. Hi, Roz! That's so nice of you to say! Thanks so much! My wall color is Sherwin Williams Rainwashed.

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  49. So what is the Paint color of that wall!? I id love it in my foyer

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  50. I especially like this decorative wall. This is really creative. I am also ready to try. I have never seen this plate sticking to the wall for art.

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