The Boomer Decor Staple That's Getting A Modern Comeback

It's strange when you hear your grandma's stern, albeit loving, 'I told you so,' in your head while picking out your home decor. But if current trends are any indication, she is about to feel vindicated because her treasured decorative plates that you may have lightly snickered at are making a splendid comeback. Once dismissed as Boomer kitsch, wall plates are becoming the go-to choices for those looking to show their personality and move away from cliché Instagram-worthy formulas.

While many consider wall plates as a strictly boomer relic, Craig Gritzen, founder and principal designer at Curated Style Collective, told us differently in this House Digest exclusive interview. "Wall plates as decor goes back to 17th century Europe, where plates and other ceramic objects were collected and displayed in the home as symbols of taste and status," he said. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that U.S. homeowners caught on to the trend and began displaying ornate plates on their formal dining room walls or in plate rails. But soon design fatigue set in, and as people got tired of looking at the always-dusty plates, they shunned them to their china cabinets, never to be put on display again — until today. "Now, as interiors are moving towards collected, character-filled spaces, plates are being used in designs to create a curated feeling," Gritzen said. Apart from social feeds, they're also making rounds in celeb homes, with Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow amongst them.

During his exclusive interview with House Digest, Craig Gritzen chalked up the resurgence of wall plates to the desire to bring back warmth and soul to homes. "Their rise in popularity is being driven by a shift away from minimal interiors with lots of negative space towards homes that feel warm, layered, and collected." But to do that without immediately dating the home, the design has been crystallized through the lens of intentionality, allowing homeowners to give wings to their curatorial skills and creativity. "Today's trend feels very curated and collected," he said, "whereas the trend in the mid-20th century was uniform with matching plates being displayed."

The biggest breakout from the past is that wall plates are no longer restricted to formal dining areas or the kitchen. Instead, they're being used in any crook, corner, or room that requires a refresh. Homeowners are creating an affordable entryway display with thrifted plates or spares that are wasting space in their cabinets. Wall plates are also bedecking nooks, stairways, living rooms, and bathrooms. Another differentiator is that the design isn't uniform anymore. Gritzen shared, "People are mixing color, form, along with old and new pieces, to create moments that feel styled and intentional instead of dated."

The best part of this comeback trend is that it is relatively inexpensive to incorporate. You can simply make use of your heirloom collection and modernize it by adding a few contemporary pieces. "If I have a client who wants to display heirloom plates, I usually recommend mixing old and new pieces to create arrangements that have depth, character, and a sense of story," Craig Gritzen said during his exclusive interview with House Digest. This lets you imbue a sense of whimsy and newstalgia into your home. Even if you lack an inherited collection but have the gumption to find steal deals at estate sales or vintage stores, you can put it to great use by turning vintage thrift store plates into beautiful bespoke decor. "If the plates are very uniform, I would layer in additional pieces that vary in size, shape, texture, and color, while aligning with the room's overall aesthetic," Gritzen added. Unless you're into clutter-core, aim to bring a thematic cohesion so the overall design feels curated and intentional rather than a humdrum collection of whatever you could get your hands on.

While sharing his tips for perfectly hanging decorative plates, Gritzen made the case for pilasters. "Plates can be styled throughout the home, but some of my favorite placements include pilasters, the rectangular columns that project slightly from a wall." If not them, you can thoughtfully mix in plates with the artwork and decor already gracing your gallery wall.