~back to neutrals~{how to hang a plate wall}

So, as much as I loved the pear, the rest of my family did not.

So I went back to something I love, a neutral plate wall.

I have a huge collection of ironstone, so that was a good starting place.

I always pick these up at garage sales or thrift stores she I see them.

Here is how I came up with an arrangement.

I laid some pieces on the floor in a pattern I thought looked good.

Then I roughly measured the height and width.

Mine came out to be about 38" wide x 61" tall.

Then I taped off that height and width on my wall, centered with painters tape.

This is the area I would be working in.

To find the center you need to measure the height and width of your wall.

Mine is 53 1/2" wide by 95" tall.

Now, subtract the width of your plates by the width of you wall.

In my case that number is

15 1/2.

Now divide that by 2 which is 7 3/4"

That is your mark you will make on the left and right with your tape.

Do the same for the height and mark with tape.

You now have your area to work in.

Then divide the width of your "tape wall" in 2.

Mine was 53 1/2 , so that makes it 26 3/4"

This is your center line. Using a level and a pencil, make a light center line down your wall.

I started with the top plate. Almost to the top and then right on that center line is where my nail went in.

Next, do the bottom plates.

Then I did the center one….

And then just started filling in from there.

And here is the most helpful tip when doing this plate wall so your walls don't look like swiss cheese.

Put a dab of toothpaste on the center back of each plate where your plate holder will hold the nail.

Hold your plate where you'd like it go without touching the wall until you find the perfect spot then gently tap the plate against the wall. This should leave a small toothpaste mark to indicate where you should insert a nail. Wipe away any leftover toothpaste once the nail is in.

It makes things so much easier and your kitchen will smell minty fresh :)

Once all your plates are up, remove the tape and stand back to admire.

At this point you may see places where you'd like to fill in the gaps.

I did, and quickly went to the dollar store and TJ Maxx to get some small plates.

I still may add a few more over time.

I also like this idea that Layla did with layering.

Ok, phew, I think I am done redecorating this room for a while now!

xoxo