This Old Design Trend Is Making a Big Comeback Right Now
Talk about new uses for old things!
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We’re calling it: It’s time to dust off your wedding china that’s likely been hanging out in storage. Los Angeles-based interior designer Michael Graham-Smith of Graham-Smith Designs is dishing on the latest decor discovery on TikTok: plate walls are now trending.
“We’re seeing a lot of china displayed,” Graham-Smith says in the video. “I’m seeing it a lot in kitchens, so over a kitchen sink is a great spot.”
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Beyond the kitchen, the designer shares that these ornate pieces are also arranged on walls in living rooms, bedrooms, and over fireplaces. You can source these from your own collection, as well as Etsy, vintage shops, and estate sales, according to Graham-Smith. However, it’s important that you don’t dive into every trend that pops up on your For You page.
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“My usual reminder with trends is don’t try to over-rotate them,” Graham-Smith says in the video. “Instead just pull the concepts or inspiration that you do like, that you do love, that resonate in your own space.”
And Graham-Smith isn’t the only one talking about it. In a December 2022 interview with Architectural Digest, interiors stylist Mieke ten Have shared, “I hate the idea of beautiful plates [being languorously] unused or unseen in a cupboard.” You can find plates on walls and displayed on bookshelves all over her barn in upstate New York.
There’s also the question of how to figure out how to lay out your plates. Lillian Grey, known for sourcing vintage pieces, showed an organic-looking setup on a grassy area. This is one way to determine the best arrangement before officially hanging them up on your walls.
“These little details and character moments can go a long way,” Graham-Smith says before going on to share even more of the latest trends, including paired-back bedding and gold frames with vintage artwork.
So, if you’re not eating off of them, why not create a thought-provoking, conversation-starting design with your special plates?
