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Designers Auction Off Commemorative Will and Kate Plates For Charity

Julia Millay Walsh — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:00:35 PDT

To celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton's upcoming big day, UK shelter magazine LivingEtc asked nine British and American top designers, including Jonathan Adler, Rob Ryan, and Donna Wilson, to create a one-off commemorative plate or pair of plates. The plates will be auctioned off with all proceeds benefiting Shelter, an English and Scottish housing and homelessness charity. Bidding begins at £50 ($81) for a pair and ends at midnight on April 29, 2011, the couple's wedding night - head here for details on how to bid. Let's take a look at the designs, and then tell me which one is your favorite!

Roundup: Wall-Worthy Plates

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:00:25 PDT

I adore the look of this wall of plates. The clustered arrangement looks decidedly modern, while the various shades of blue remind me of my grandmother's collection of Danish Christmas plates. Hanging plates instead of paintings is a fun way to decorate your home, and it's usually much less expensive than artwork.

If you need advice on how to hang your plate collection, read these tips. I recommend accumulating your plates over time and sticking to a colorway or theme that's close to your heart. However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with snapping up a few gorgeous plates to establish a palette or theme. Get your collection started with a few of these lovelies.

Lil Exclusive: Sneak Peek of Avent's Tableware For Tots

babysugar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:00:46 PDT

Grab a plate - it's meal time. Phillips Avent is making eating educational with a new line of tableware set to debut next month. The collection includes BPA-free plates, bowls, and silverware ($4 - $20) to take babies from the weaning stage through self-feeding and is designed to spark family conversations about numbers and food. Each piece from the colorful line comes with a nutritionist-created recipe, and the items for younger eaters are backed with non-slip silicone to prevent meals from ending up on the floor. The cute line will make its debut at Babies R Us stores next month. What do you think of the products?

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Trend Alert: Monogrammed Dinnerware

partysugar — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:00:17 PDT

There was a time when monogrammed dinnerware was reserved for Southern Belles and traditional homemakers. Today, everyone is getting in the game of having their everyday plates and fine china painted with their initials. As wedding season gears up, you may even find a few ambitious registries seeking out their own personalized tableware. Monogramming is pretty, but pairing personalization with porcelain does not come cheap - these lovely Birds on a Wire Dessert Plates are $75 for a set four ceramic dishes. In the end it's just a small price to pay for eating off your very own words.

Here are a few more of my favorites.

Cool Idea: A Découpage Plate Wall Arrangement

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Découpage artist sisters Michaelle and Margie of Dorset Decoupage were recently approached by a family friend who wanted help decorating her first post-grad apartment. With backgrounds in interior design, the duo had no trouble hunting down chic, affordable furniture, mixing Ikea furnishings with estate sale and flea market finds for a fresh, youthful style.

But when it came time to put art on the walls, they wanted something one-of-a-kind and statement-making that would give the space a polished, grown-up aesthetic. So, they looked no further than their own découpage studio, creating a wall arrangement with handmade plates and dishes featuring antique floral, botanical, sea, and wildlife prints. With a mix of round, oval, square, and rectangular shapes, they composed a symmetrical layout that garners attention from all of their friend's guests. I adore the eclectic mix of imagery; from a heart and arrow to a flamingo and butterfly, it beats store-bought artwork any day.

Yum's April Must Haves

partysugar — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:15:30 PDT

Wow - can you believe the first three months of 2010 are already over? I can't! Time is certainly flying by, but hey, I'm not complaining. The arrival of April means the days are longer and the flowers are blooming. If you're anything like me, this Spring you're as busy as a bee. So let's quit wasting time. Here are six items that we're currently obsessed with. Check them out; they'll make your month a little more fabulous.

Cool Idea: Spell Out Your Name

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:00 PDT

This is one of the reasons I can't wait to watch Selling NYC! Manhattanite Stephanie Hubbard granted the NY Daily News a peek into her swank Tribeca loft and it does not disappoint. The spunky NYC banking mother of two knows how to use pop while bringing sophistication home. I could point out a thousand fun things that she's done with the place but one of my favorites may be her simple use of plates.

While monogramming may be what some people prefer, I like how this modern lady takes pride in her moniker. Instead of engraving silver frames or stitching pillows, the chic mum showcases her last name on a series of plates mounted on her living room bookshelves. Accompanied by other whimsical objects - a Babar book, a spinning globe, bits of Jonathan Adler, choice vases, and yummy trays - these stand out and will be the perfect family heirloom, if not Thanksgiving dinnerware.

The rest of her place is très swanky and worth a click through the gallery. To check out how she decorated her other rooms, just

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Pop-Off Utensil Party Plate: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:00:55 PST

Never worry about having your hands full at a holiday soirée with this snap-off party plate ($8 for four). Perfect for cocktail parties, each of these 10-by-10-inch plates comes with a knife, a fork, and a spoon that detach - and reattach - onto the plate. And yes, there's a notch just for your wine glass, too. I think the concept beats that of the wine necklace - although I generally avoid plastic servingware if possible, and question how reusable and eco-friendly these plates are. What do you think?

DIY: Hang Plates on a Wall

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:46 PDT

If you read my slideshow on how to decorate on the cheap with pretty plates, you might be feeling inspired to hang some in your own home. Before you get started, there are a few steps you should learn, so you don't wind up with shattered materials for a mosaic instead. While you can just hang a trio evenly spaced on a wall, you'll make more of a statement if you group them in a more unique arrangement. To learn how to hang plates,

Lay a large piece of craft paper (or even tape a few pieces together) on the floor, the size of the space where you'd like to hang them.
Place around with the arrangement of the plates on the paper before you begin hanging them. Once you've settled on design, trace the plates onto the paper. If you want a more traditional look, go with a symmetrical arrangement. For something more eclectic, arrange them asymmetrically, in a flowing pattern or a cluster as shown here.
Leave a half a foot or so between the arrangement and the ceiling to give it visual balance.
Use your traced paper as a guide to mark the placement of each plate on the wall with a pencil.
Then, hang away! For a free-floating look, you can use these heavy-duty, peel-and-stick Disc Hangers, which are available in range of sizes. Or, you can use a traditional wire plate hanger, readily available at your local hardware store. In either case, you'll need to hammer a nail into the wall to hang it from, and remember to adjust your marks on the wall according to where the plate hanger's hook is.

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How-To: Decorate on the Cheap With Pretty Plates

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:00:09 PDT

If your budget is a little tight right now for wall art including painting, prints, or simply getting that favorite photo properly framed and matted, relax: there's another inexpensive option for dressing your walls with style and flair. Beautiful, graphic plates can look just as stunning as an expensive painting when they're displayed well. Check out some of my favorite plate displays, as well as tips on getting the look.

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