A plethora of plates. And doors.

 On a whim, I covered this little wall in my kitchen with plates.

Just a random pattern. I got my hammer and nails and just started hanging. No pre-planning, just haphazardly slapping some plates on the wall.

For this wall, in the dining room, I laid out and measured and got things just so.

In the kitchen, it was a spur of the moment decision followed by willy-nilly craziness.

 
That ugly ceiling fixture's days are numbered. It's outta here, as soon as I can paint the replacement.

The door with the ugly brass knob is to the master bedroom.

The doorway (I removed the door) to the left of that is to the laundry room. The door in the foreground is the pantry. Lots of doors huh?

Well that aint all folks.

Lets back up a bit, look from a different angle.

 
Count em. That's five doors. Well, four doors and one door way.

Now that you've seen my plethora of doors, give me your opinion.

Before I painted, (you know I means Mitch) the exterior leading doors had dark bamboo roman shades.  I haven't put them back up because I don't like the look of them against the black door. Any suggestions for what to replace them with?

Remember I have these curtains on the bay windows.

They are from IKEA. I guess I could get another panel and make roman shades, but I worry that it would be a bit too much.

Thoughts?? I'd love to see some examples of treatments on black doors. I've searched around the net, but not really found anything.

I wanted to share how I was able to hang all those plates without going out and buying plate hangers. I first saw this at the Nesting place.

Glue a ribbon hanger right on the back. First put two globs of glue on the plate. Place the ends of the ribbon in the glue, then put another glob on top of the ribbon. Let it cool completely before hanging. 

I've done this all over my house and never had one fall, but please don't do this with your grandmother's wedding china or on a plate you plan to hang over your bed.

 

Comments

[Karen]

Ahhh....You smart lady! I wondered how you hung those plates. I have all my plates hanging on those tacky (sorry, my opinion) wire hangers. I am firing up the glue gun now! Thanks!
As for the door question, our oldest daughter found an option for theirs at Lowe's. It's sort of a boxed in blind that fits over the window part of the door. Here's the link. (I hope) http://www.odl.com/blinds_shades_photo_gallery.htm

[Karen]

and I just have to say....I LOVE your kitchen. All my favorite colors and style.

[Betsy]

I love plates on the wall! My mother-in-law gave me a hard time once about having a plate! hung in the bathroom! (I guess they should only be hung where you eat in her mind), but I love them everywhere.

As far as the door goes, what about a simple roman shade made from a light fabric that matches the background of your other curtains - white or off-white - with a green ribbon trim? Like this - http://yellowbrickhouse.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pottery-barn-velvet-ribbon-roman-shade-trim-border-white-linen-cotton-violet.jpg or like this - http://yellowbrickhouse.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/traditionalhomebedroomoffice.jpg

[Autum]

Betsy,
I love those examples! I was leaning toward making a roman shade, and I love the idea of something simple but not plain. A wide band of grosgrain ribbon would be perfect!
Thanks for the links : )

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Karen.

My friend Kelli and my sister in law have those kind of blinds on their back doors. I checked into them once, but they didnt come wide enough for the full glass back door. They are very convenient though.

When I first saw that hanging method at the Nesters blog, I was thrilled! I hate wire plate hangers, (almost as much as wire clothes hangers).

Have a wonderful day!!

xo Autum

[Kimberlee @ SD]

I love all the plates! As for the doors... how about fabric that picks up the aqua/teal in the closest plates and some of the green you have in the other curtains? Or you could use the same bright green fabric and make some straps/ribbons of aqua/teal fabric to use with the door curtains to add the color. Just my two cents, LOL!
~Kimberlee
www.TheSpunkyDiva.com

[LeeAnn]

My little one received a plate as a gift when she was born. It is heart shaped and I have never worked out how to hang it!! Now I know! Thank you !! By the way, she is almost 5!! I have waited a loooong time for this post! :) x

[Autum]

LeeAnn,
Im so glad to have helped. Be sure to glue the ribbon really well. I always apply a big glob and push the ends of the ribbon down in and let it sit a few seconds, then put another big glob on top. This way the ribbon is sandwiched in there and not going anywhere.

xo autum

[Aunt LoLo]

Oh, LOVE!! How on earth do you amass so many lovely plates?!

[Autum]

Thrift stores! Most of them came from the thrift store. The square plates came from Ross or TJ max and were only a couple dollars.  The smaller aqua ones were white and I spray painted them as well as the aqua platter. Spray paint is your friend.

xo autum

[Catherine]

I would be terrified of hanging plates with hot glue. I think other people must have a better type of hot glue than me as I see all sorts of applications of it that I can never get to work. Anyway, I have always used these disc hangers (http://www.dischangers.com/). They are so easy and strong and work brilliantly.

[Autum]

Ive seen the disc hangers Catherine and have heard great things about them.

Ive honestly never had any problems with the hot glue. Like I said, Im not hanging precious china though and dont live in an earthquake prone area. The glue really does hold well.

Ill  pick up a pack of the disc hangers next time I see them and try them out.

Have a great day!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thanks for the suggestions Kimberlee. I love getting fresh ideas. I am liking the idea of a solid color, probably ivory roman shade, trimmed in ribbon to pick up on the other colors.

Have a great day!

[Annabelle]

Love all your plates! Also, love the EAT letters you made the other day. I'll have to try the hot glue/ribbon method. I've used paper clips & hot glue but like the ribbon idea better. I have no suggestions about the doors because I never know what to do either. I don't have anything on my kitchen door but it only leads to a screened porch...so no privacy issues. Can't wait to see what you do!

[lisa]

I was about to ask how you hung the plates! Ha! I'm not sure what to suggest. At first I was going to say maybe you should look for a something that would pull out the teal from the ikea fabric, but then you have a lot of robins egg on the other side of the room. I have no idea. I can't wait to see what you pick though, because I'm sure it will be lovely. And I like roman shades too. I'm thinking about making one to replace the vinyl blinds over the sink. Are there any good tutorials you would recommend.

[Autum]

Thanks for the suggestions Lisa. Those IKEA curtains are making it kind of tough. I love them but they are so bold.

Roman shades are super easy. Its basically a pillowcase with plastic rings sewn in rows on the back, then you run cording through the strings. Ive seen many tutorials, but I dont recall any specific one. Im sure a google search will bring you  plenty to choose from.
Do you want it to be functional or will it be stationary?

[Nancy L.]

Wow, that's a lotta doors!! I say paint 'em all white so they'll blend in.

If it's privacy you need - maybe try the window film that still lets light in but blurs the view?

Can't wait to see what you do with the laundry entrance. Mine is a perpetual pain in my derriere & I'm on a never-ending quest to find the right solution (24" doorway!!)

[Holly]

Hi! I love your kitchen! Your plates look great. I have some plates on the wall in my family room and one day I heard my 8 yr old daughter's friend ask "why are there plates on the wall?" and my daughter said "she thinks it's decoration". I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be insulted!
I think somebody else may have mentioned it, but how about a white or off-white (whichever works best with the rest of the room) roman shades on the doors?

[margot]

I think we have the same kitchen lights, the ones over your breakfast bar? Are they from Lowes?

[Autum]

Hi Nancy! Im not letting my husband read your comment, I just had him paint all those doors black : )

Privacy isnt so much a concern for the doors. They just seem like they need a little something.

I took the laundry room door more than a year ago. The room is really small to begin with and having the  door open to the inside just took up more space. Down it came. I dont plan to put it back. I guess I need to remove the hinges and fix the frame with some wood filler.

Have a wonderful evening!

Autum

[Autum]

Oh that is so funny about your daughter.

I am thinking the roman shade suggestion is the way to go.  Thanks for the input!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Hi Margot. Yes they are from Lowes, a recessed light conversion.  I love them.  I need to replace the ceiling fixtures with something else. There are two. I have been looking at semi-flush mounted schoolhouse lights, but am not sure.

I hope you are doing well.

xo Autum

[Eco Chic Housewares]

You are really very smart in ur work.. I adore all those plates. I wanna hang those plates like you in my place too...me firing up the glue gun now.. www.vivamagonline.com Kitchen light is absolutely stunning..Great to c ur review...

[Jenn]

I love the plates. I love those curtains and that window. I love non-square rooms. But mostly I love your blog :)

[Autum]

I love waking up to nice comments from nice people! Thank you Jen : ) What a nice way to start my day.

xo Autum