Good Questions: Displaying Heirloom Plates?

Apartment Therapy DC reader Stephanie needs help showcasing heirloom plates:

"I have four antique china plates that I inherited from my grandmother. I want to display them in an interesting way...in other words, something a little more fun than just hanging plate holders on the wall. Also, they are high in sentimental value (I have no idea about the actual value), so I need a way to display them that is low risk for breakage. Any suggestions? Thanks!"

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Decorating with plates is a popular technique- here are a few ideas we've highlighted before:

Do any readers have personal experience displaying heirloom plates to share with Stephanie?

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.
Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to:
dc(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)

Comments (8)

You could have fun making an assemblage in a shadow box, adding some old photos, jewelry, fabric, silverware, dried flowers, vintage seed packets, whatever things remind you of your grandmother. Hard candy would be pretty but you might need to seal it to keep out moisture. Seems like dishes a grandma would serve candy in on a coffee table.

If you don't want to just put them on plate hangers you could actually have them framed in a shadow box with a lining of fabric. Of course, this would be more costly but would really turn them into art! Good luck

also consider using the plates, esp. for special occasions. we have a small collection of antique china & make use of them, serving dessert or tea/coffee. i just don't like the idea of museumizing objects & like to put them to good use.

I think they'd look cool on a sleek, modern and/or industrial looking shelf. Something completely opposite of their feminine, delicate look. CB2 has this cool vintage-y one:
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=587&f=3677 even has a little lip on it.
As far as safety, a small dot of museum wax on the two points of contact. Or that poster hanging putty stuff, which I've used to cat-proof a tippy lamp on an end table with great success. Stronger than museum wax, but harder to hide because it's colored.

There's a fellow on Ebay who makes clocks with plates. The upper left plate would make a beautiful clock. But you might not want someone drilling a hole through your grandma's dish....

I'd love to see them displayed very simply. Four in a row, centered on your dining table to dress it up when not in use.

Use them! If you don't want to serve food on them, consider using one in your entryway to hold your keys, etc., so you see it every time you come in. Another could be on the center of your dining table; a third could be beside your bed to hold your glasses/jewelry at night. The one with cut-outs is for holding fruit -- you can keep it right on the kitchen counter.

Thanks so much to everyone for the suggestions! I think I'll do a compromise approach...shadow box three of them with some pretty fabric or wallpaper, and keep one out for use. Great ideas!