FAQ: How do you hang plates on a wall?
A: Using standard plate hangers available at home improvement stores or online.
FAQ: How do you plan and measure for a plate arrangement—do you use a template?
A: Sometimes I do, but often I don’t. Here’s how I actually approach it.
We recently repainted the dining room and the space is still evolving. I’ll share the full plans after the holidays, but in the meantime I was seized by a sudden urge to rehang the white plates that had been sitting on the floor. I didn’t have a grand plan—just inspiration. That’s often how things happen around here.
I liked the previous arrangement, but repetition isn’t my style. I prefer to follow a whim, so one evening, right before guests arrived, I grabbed a hammer and some nails and hung the plates around the existing Christmas wreath. I didn’t remove the wreath or create a template; I wanted the plates on the wall immediately and didn’t have time to measure. I simply picked up a plate, eyeballed a spot, and nailed it up. It took about five minutes.
Is it perfect? No. There may be a wreath-shaped void once the wreath comes down, and there are likely to be extra nail holes in the wall. My impulsive method can make meticulous people nervous, and my husband prefers not to watch when I’m hammering. But this spontaneous approach works for me, especially with plate and gallery walls. Sometimes a careful plan is useful, and other times I decorate on a whim—often around holidays or just before guests arrive.
“Seize the whims” is a motto I live by.
They’re just plates—not brain surgery—so I don’t stress over absolute precision. My previous spontaneous plate arrangement lasted for years, so this one might too. The dining room will likely change as furniture and styling evolve, so I may remove or rehang plates later. When I take the wreath down I might replace it with plates that fit the gap, or perhaps a seasonal wreath—there are plenty of possibilities.
Most importantly, I had the plates on the wall before dinner that night, which made the room feel ready for the meal and for the holidays. It may look random and reckless to some, but to me it made perfect sense in that moment.
Update: After removing the wreath I filled the wall with more white plates. The completed wall appeared in my 2014 Christmas house tour.