DOG HOUSE DECOR – CAT PLATE WALL
Hang plates on a wall? Why?
Ricky’s Wall
That’s what I used to wonder. Until inspired by my work of art by the ‘Crazy Plate Lady.’
“My business is adding personality to peoples homes. When you bring a smile to someone’s face, before they even get to the table, that’s what it’s all about.” – The Crazy Plate Lady
Notice the little red angel on Jacqueline’s shoulder? Or is he the devil? Meow!
I wanted our newly renovated farmhouse to be a ‘modern farmhouse.’ Yesteryear charm mixed with modern colours and patterns.
Canines primarily run my house; toys and dog beds are scattered throughout. I figured why not give Ricky a whole feature wall of his own?
It took months for me to figure out how and where to display my Ricky plate in the new house. The layout is relatively open-concept, and I wanted a cohesive blend with all the other displays of art in the area: colour, shapes, materials, style, etc.
Colour Theory
Most of the time I go by instinct when it comes to picking accent pieces and colours. If I like it and it makes my house feel homey, I’m good. I have chosen décor themes for rooms based on the smallest accent piece instead of the other-way-around. Backwards? Perhaps.
Sometimes my choices make sense without me having to put much thought into it. I love when that happens, and I can pretend I knew what the heck I was doing.
My favourite colour is not one of the three primary colours: red, blue, or yellow. I love the many different shades of turquoise, teal, and sea-foam blue (secondary or tertiary colours). LOVE these blues. You’ll see reflections of this throughout my little nest.
On the colour chart, blue is complementary to orange. Therefore, I figured ginger kitty with blonde highlights would work well with my choice of turquoise and cornmeal yellow plates. The connection between colours only occurred to me as I started laying plates next to each other.
Plate walls are a great, inexpensive way to create an artistic display within your home. I love the look of monochromatic themes but chose to mix some colour in with more traditional, vintage pieces for my arrangement.
This ain’t your Granny’s plate wall!
Two of the plates did, in fact, belong to my Grandmother. I stole the small, shapely, yellow plate and the round, off-white plate from my mother’s cupboard. The remainder of my collection came from local thrift stores, Homesense, and the grocery store (President’s Choice – Everyday Essentials).
LOVE the blues.
If you’re struggling to figure out the look you want, check online for plenty of ideas. I recommend not being in a rush to create your display. It might be more of a challenge and take longer to match an online design. You will have to find similar plates, colours, and patterns. Coming up with my vision was a test of patience for me but ultimately, worth the wait. I’m thrilled with how my arrangement turned out.
Part of the fun of this project was finding the perfect pieces to tie into my theme. It was a treasure hunt!
Now that you have your concept and plates, it’s time to attach them to the wall.
But first, you might want to trace them out on kraft paper. I picked up several rolls at Dollarama.
- Measure the wall area where your display will be featured. If it’s not going to be wall to wall, be sure to mark the area where the template will sit.
- Create a template of that space out of kraft paper.
- Decide on the layout design of plates and trace around them on the kraft paper. If you’re using similar sizes and shapes, you might want to write a description on your plate outline to note any differences. Especially if you’re not completing this project in one go. Now, where was I…………..
- Wash and dry plates thoroughly, removing any scratches. See below.
- Attach your hooks to the backs of your plates according to the direction you will display them on the wall. Yup, that was nearly an Ooops! Glue takes plenty of time to dry. See below.
- Measure the distance from the top of your plate to the ‘nail’ area of the plate hanger and mark this on your template.
- Tape your template to the wall and insert nails or fixings appropriate to wall type. See below.
- Remove the template carefully. You may still need to refer to this as a reminder of which plates go where.
- Hang your plates and admire!
Removing scratches
I’m all for ‘charm’ but some of the dark scratches across my light, vintage plates was not the look I was going for. This was easily remedied by using a gentle yet mildly abrasive cleanser. I only had liquid Vim which turned out to be abrasive enough. You could also use Comet, Bar Keeper’s Friend, or good old Baking Soda. Since Vim was in liquid form already, I was good to go. If you choose one of the other options, you’ll need to add some water to make it into a paste. Then rub the solution into the scratches with a cloth or scrub sponge to remove them.
Hooks
I recommend these hooks – they are durable, easy to use, can be purchased in packs of four or more, and can also be easily modified if your plates are different sizes. I was happy to go larger and take comfort in knowing that Ricky wasn’t going anywhere. I tried a different brand initially – impatient me didn’t want to wait for these fabulous fixers to arrive. That ended in a casualty. Thankfully, I tested the subpar sticky device on an easily replaceable plate. Something to keep in mind.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a small commission if you use these links to make a purchase. I use these funds to feed my cats. Thanks for the cat food.
Once the plates are clean and dry, decide how you will adhere your hooks on the backs of your plates. Take into consideration any exaggerated rims and ridges. Directions provided by this company include a workaround for such instances. Using some water on your fingertips, work the glue into goo and let it sit for a few minutes to become tacky before attaching disc to your plate. Once disc is applied, you don’t have much time to adjust.
Leave to glue to set entirely before attaching them to the wall.
Waiting patiently…..
SIMILAR TO A PHOTO FRAME, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF YOUR PLATE WILL BE HORIZONTAL OR LANDSCAPE!
My husband was not so thrilled when I told him my idea for this area of the kitchen. After all, this brick wall was more than a century old. No pressure (gulp). This is why I suggest using a template. Special screws were used to fix the plate hooks to the brick wall as standard picture hook nails would not do the trick.
Like it? Please Pin it.
I love walking through my kitchen door and seeing Ricky on the wall.
Check out more of Jacqueline’s work on Instagram!
Amy Shojai, CABC says
July 27, 2018 at 6:05 pmAwww, this takes me back. Both my grandmother’s and also my mom had plate collections — also collectible spoons. I have a few but they’re stored away and not displayed. I may need to change that.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:37 amIt’s fun to come up with an idea of how to display such things in a way that reflect our unique personalities. Good luck!
Hindy Pearson says
July 27, 2018 at 6:24 pmDecorating with plates is not something I ever considered, other than decorating my dinner table I should say! Seeing your pictures reminded of a friend I haven’t seen in too long. She had a couple of walls in her apartment of vintage plates, those from family and it did add a cosy feel, plus it was a nice reminder of home for her.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:38 amLOVE the vintage look. I’m glad my post reminded you of a friend. I hope you were able to reconnect.
Ruth Epstein says
July 27, 2018 at 6:53 pmMy Mom has plates on her wall BUT love your post with this idea, am going to see if I can make some for here although LOL am scared to hang anything on my wall just in case there is an earthquake
Ruth Epstein recently posted…What are we up to !
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:39 amAn earthquake would be a test for these plate hooks. I’m sure they could withstand!
Cathy Armato says
July 27, 2018 at 8:03 pmThat Ricky plate looks incredible, it almost looks like it’s in 3D, he really jumps out at you. Great job on the plate wall, I love how the colors work together. Great idea to trace out the place on craft paper first, I bet that was a huge help.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:41 amThanks, Cathy. Yes, Ricky does look like he’s about to walk off the plate and down the wall MOL.
Adriana Lopez says
July 28, 2018 at 4:27 amHow cute I love this idea and allows to give homage to our lovely kitties. Great decoration piece too. I want to make my own.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:42 amYou should! I’m glad we could provide inspiration.
Michelle says
July 28, 2018 at 3:51 pmI love your modern take on this old idea. I love your colours and the plate with Ricky on it too, it’s like he is ready to hop down onto the next plate. The photo should be an interior design magazine. I love it!
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:43 amWow!!! Thank you so much, Michelle.
Holly says
July 28, 2018 at 5:21 pmI love your color choices, I’m drawn to the same colors. I used to have a plate wall in my old house but it was all commercial cat plates.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:44 amOooooh! Did you take photos? I would love to see that, Holly.
Beth says
July 29, 2018 at 12:02 pmYour plate collection is great! I am the same way about decorating around a special piece. I really love mixing vintage and personal pieces together. Your home sounds just perfect, I love the blue-green shades best too. I hope you’ll give us a virtual home tour!
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:46 amThanks, Beth. I would love to invite you into my home. Great idea about a virtual tour!
Lola The Rescued Cat says
July 29, 2018 at 12:16 pmI had never thought of decorating with plates. I love the look and the feel it gives to a room. Hmmm….. maybe I need to consider re-decorating my kitchen now!
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:47 amI was nervous but now I am glad I executed my idea. It does make the room feel cozier. Let me know if you create a display.
Dash Kitten Crew says
July 29, 2018 at 4:27 pmI have a collection of plates and we arranged them as part of a larger decorative theme. It makes things look a lot better when some thought and planning, like yours is put into an arrangement.
Planning ahead means the results are definitely going to look better, just like yours.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:49 amThank you. I would love to see a photo of your theme, too!
Jana Rade says
July 29, 2018 at 5:40 pmOh, lol, I love the first photo with the cat “sneaking into” the plate wall. That’s so cute and funny. I think having all the other plates plain makes this absolutely precious.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:50 amThanks, Jana. Yes, I had a couple of plates with patterns and it did make it look ‘busy’.
Maureen says
July 29, 2018 at 10:20 pmWhat a great decorating idea! The cat plate is adorable too.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:51 amThanks, Maureen.
Kamira says
July 29, 2018 at 10:47 pmAs an art fan I love this wall she put together. Wow! I honestly would never have thought of that. Very precious and heartwarming with all the cute faces. Very unique.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:52 amJacqueline is incredibly talented. I’m glad you enjoyed her work.
Sweet Purrfections says
July 30, 2018 at 1:12 amMy grandmother always had place hanging on the wall. I remember when they used to do caricatures of family members on plates and my grandmother had caricatures of her family members. I’m not sure I would hang lights in my house but these are beautiful that you’ve done.
Sweet Purrfections says
July 30, 2018 at 1:13 amThat should say plates on the wall.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:54 amThank you. I have seen some beautiful displays since starting my initial research. I guess it depends if we find something that inspires us. I’m glad this brought back memories of your Grandmother.
Tenacious Little Terrier says
July 30, 2018 at 4:06 amThis is a cute idea and the plates really pop against the wall. I love those blue colors too and I’m lobbying for one of them as a new paint color.
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:55 amOooooooh! Good luck with your paint campaign.
Sonja Montecristo Travels says
July 30, 2018 at 2:39 pma fun idea for sure! I have a photo wall and used that template idea to figure out the spacing. The frames are all different shapes and sizes so … good way to go! I don’t have a plate though ….
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:56 amI did my photo wall next! I will share those results soon.
Debbie says
July 31, 2018 at 10:48 amI love your plate wall! It came out great. What a fun way to add some personality and color to a space
Sadie says
August 9, 2018 at 11:34 amThanks, Debbie