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I'm having second thoughts about my lily pad plates. Not that I don't love them! I've just been turning something over in my mind and would appreciate input from other folks who display decorative plates. I'm a newbie to plates. I'm going to have to make several consecutive posts in order to post the photos that will make what I'm turning over in my mind clear.

Now, you all remember what the lily pad plates look like? There's one on the table in the photo below. I ordered one 11" plate to see if it was nice as it looked on the web. Love the plate!

I'd planned to buy four 11" and two 8" lily pad plates and put them to either side of the dining room painting. Three on each side. I wanted to "occupy" more of that wall without getting too "heavy" on it and the plates seemed to be a perfect solution. I thought it also didn't hurt to have a display of "green" there too since there's a large lump of green (the sofa) in the living room. (ETA: Of course, the drapes in the dining room are green and match the living room ones.)

I simply couldn't get far enough back in the dining room to shoot the entire dining room and living room but the shot below should give you an idea of what I'm talking about. You only see a portion of the dining room painting but it's centered in the room so there's equal wall distance on the side you don't see.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Whitdobe,

OK, here's where my plans sorta went off into left field. I started looking for some small art or plates to put on either side of the front bay window. I found the Sadek Imari style plates and the more I looked at them the more I loved them. I've put a photo of the plates below.

A very interesting thing happened while I was looking at plates and prints. I started to really find myself drawn to some plates. At first I thought it was generally Asian plates but I've come to the conclusion that I really like Japanese porcelain. Really like it!

This made me start re-evaluating my decision on the lily pad plates. Not that I don't love them, I do! But I started to wonder if it might be more visually interesting to actually collect other Japanese porcelain plated for the dining room rather than go with the 6 lily pad plates. The up side to that is that I do think it would be more visually interesting the lily pad plates. The only down sides I see is #1 that it's going to take time. I love the Sadek plates and it so happens that they come in a set of 4 that works perfectly but, if I decided to go with 4 or 6 plates in the dining room I would collect them separately. Might take weeks, months or a year. No clue. The other down side is that I do think the green of the lily pad plates helped balance the green of the sofa....but maybe that's not something that I need to worry about. I don't know.

Anyway, I'm wondering what the folks who have and display plate collections think about this. Do you think it would be best to go with the lily pad plates in the dining room or should I work on collecting some Japanese porcelain plates for in there?

Oh gee, I just thought of something else. Perhaps the Japanese porcelain plates also coordinate better with the traditional decor of the rooms? My mind has been turning this stuff over for the last couple of days and I'm just having a very difficult time making a decision.

If I do go with the Japanese porcelain for the dining room, I do have a perfect place to put the one lily pad plate that I already have. There's a spot in our foyer directly ahead of our front door that needs something smallish on the wall over a plant stand.

I spy "The General"! LOL!

I wondered who would pick that up first!

Whitdobe, I am not a plate collector or plate displayer! (I am too lazy to dust.)

However, those fabulous Imari-inspired plates are just the ticket. IMO, they would work better in your formal traditional decor than the lilypad "majolica" style plates, which evoke a more casual English country style.

Just tell me where you found the Imari style plates. I would love to have some myself, but to eat on, not to hang on the wall

quote:

Originally posted by robinandmarty:
I spy "The General"! LOL!

Yes, and isn't that the third place we've seen him????

Gee...I guess I really did make it sound like I didn't want opinions from anyone who wasn't a plate collector and that's certainly not the case! Sorry about that!

Thanks so much for your input scarbrough. What you've said is sort of what I'm struggling with. I love the lily pad plates but I'm thinking the other plates would suit my rooms better....but I'm such a design dunce that I'm not sure.

The Sadek Imari plates are available here. Sadek Plates I've found a lot of other Imari style plates on ebay.

I think all the lily pad plates "too matchy" and overkill. Vary your plates, and mix them with other types of art pieces--is it Froo that has a long list of things that serve as art?

I personally like the Sadek Imari plates with your traditional style.

The "general" gets around, doesn't he?

BTW, where did you get the plant stand in your foyer? I've been searching local shops for one to go in my DR.

Yes, The General does get around!

That plant stand is about 12 years old and I'm sorry to tell you that I got it at Bombay. It's a shame that store isn't around anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by Whitdobe:
That plant stand is about 12 years old and I'm sorry to tell you that I got it at Bombay. It's a shame that store isn't around anymore.

I do miss Bombay. It seems that when I finally admitted to my addiction to traditional style, and stopped trying to keep up with everyone who changed their decor to the latest trend, Bombay closed.

you just made me grin....

I'm a plate collector but wouldn't call myself a connoisseur. I just collect whatever I find at a good price if I like it. Many of my plates are from yard sales. I only have one Imari style plate but do love the style. Just haven't found more as I don't search them out. Enough plates seem to find me.

I like many arrangements of plates, similar styles/colors/sizes or mixed. The "trick" I think to a nice arrangement is to choose harmonious colors and styles and place them equidistance apart in an esthetic arrangement. The larger the plate the more space you can leave between and the smaller, the less. I'm just looking at my most recent effort at putting holes in the walls for plates and they are about 4 1/2" apart. Too lazy to measure but it's a tad more than 4". It's a mixed arrangement of large, medium, and small plates but are all in tones of brown. I did it for my fall mantel arrangement but am leaving it for Christmas as well.

When initially planning a plate arrangement it's wise to use large sheets of paper and arrange plates on it on a large surface or the floor and then mark location. It takes a bit (really a lot) of measuring to get it right. I've done it so many times I now just eyeball it and it works for me as I've never had anyone ask for a measuring tape to check my arrangement.

I think your lily pad plates and the Imari style will work well together and one suggestion would be to place your one large lily pad in the center and the Imari surrounding it. Perhaps you could find some smaller harmonious plates to add as well. As you can see once one starts collecting plates it's difficult to stop!

Whitdobe, thanks for the link to the Sadek Imari plates -- it's now bookmarked.

Add me to the list of those disappointed about Bombay Company's demise. I have several small pieces of accent furniture and accessories that I bought many moons ago: they still look elegant and timeless in my home.