on trend: pass me the plates, please.

not at all your granny's antique plate wall, pretty serving pieces are making their way up in the world of design — quite literally.

definitely a part of the whole modern maximalist trend, i’ve been seeing a whole lot of decorative plates popping up — not just at table settings but quite literally climbing the walls. decorative plates of all kinds are covering the walls of the most stylish homes lately, but my favorites are the quirky, eclectic collections that might not make a whole lot of sense all on their own but look great together. a few of my favorite online sources for these types of unique, artistic plates come from shops like la double j, studio rivera, artefacto on etsy, and designers like luke edward hall, reclaimed objects by swarm home, and i really admire the designs of desimone wayland's altered perspectives plates. there’s even a wallpaper print of plates should you be just a tad too lazy to hang your pretty plates upon the walls. but never fear, there are so many easy tools to help you hang your plates, check out these more traditional wire hangers or even these invisible adhesive hangers, which look pretty easy to use. whether you simply like your plates planted firmly on your table serving up food, or displayed on your walls, unique colorful plates are definitely on trend – check my pinboard for more ideas to celebrate your table settings.

clockwise, l to r: fox hunt plate collage from anthropologie; shell plate by richard ginori and luke edward hall from matches; collage of dishes via better homes & gardens; anthropologie house of hackney dessert plate; lunch in deià oil on paper by artist gabrielle penfold; anthropologie lou rota nature table dessert plates; plate collection photograph by maya visnyei for covet garden home; zebra plate via anthropologie; victim of love platter by luke edward hall; plate collection via historias de casa; pastel plate collection via toast uk; lover's eye green fine china plate from artefacto on etsy; zara floral earthenware dessert plate; dining room plate wall from the design files; gucci set of two odissey porcelain dessert plates from matches; anthropologie lou rota nature table dessert plate; art print by all the way to paris created exclusively for stilleben.

clockwise, l to r: bar cart with wall plates via lonny; vintage eye plates from the lucky fox on etsy; oiseau salad plate from tory burch; plate collection on green wall via home freak; hotel excelsior platter by luke edward hall; pink lettuce ware round platter from tory burch; Decorative Leaf Plates from tory burch; dining room plate wall from the design files; lunch and dinner by artist gabrielle penfold; plate design by polly fern; vintage transferware collection by photographer matt armendariz; bornn multi swirl enamelware dinner plate from anthropologie; nude spoon rest by liv & dom; wedgewood 100 years of royal albert plate collection; sardines in manarola by artist gabrielle penfold; jacques grange’s apartment via architectural digest; la double j set of six 18kt-gilded porcelain dessert plates from matches.

• photography credits: click on the image, which will take you to its original source. in the case of my collages, the links are listed just below, clockwise from left to right.