Now that you have some porcelain in your collection, how do you show it off? The figurines need horizontal space for display, but, luckily, plates can be shown off in wall plate racks. Although most china cabinets have built-in features to allow you to stand the plates up at the back of the cabinet, anything in front of them obscures you view of the plates. So, a plate rack or two is the perfect solution. The plates are all clearly visible, and the horizontal space in the china cabinet is saved for figurines.

Plate racks can be made of a number of materials. Wood is popular, and you can probably get plate racks to match the furniture in the room where it will hang. There are also wrought iron, or wrought iron looking, plate racks for a more rustic look. Some metal plate racks are painted in gold and have a more elegant style, if that better fits the decor or the plates to be hung.

A plate rack will generally at least three plates, although I have seen a few that only held two. If the rack is allowed to spread beyond the diameter of the plates, a plate rack that shows off five or seven plates in a circular formation is possible. Most plate racks are meant to be hung vertically and thus take up less room or utilize narrow wall spaces. There are plate racks made to hang horizontally, allowing the rack of plates to be mounted about the china cabinet or over a door.

Plate racks are a great way to decorate a kitchen. The plates being shown off can fit with the style of the kitchen and make a positive addition to the room. I would not use limited edition plates for this purpose, although they should not be harmed y being hung in the kitchen. Still, with the grease, the better choice would be robust kitchen dinner plates or odd plates picked up over time.

When you hang your plate racks, make sure they are anchored into a stud in the wall. You do not want the nail or hook to give way and have your plates smashed on the floor. This will not make you happy. So take a little extra care on hanging the plate rack and avoid the noid.

Plate racks are not found in a particular kind of store necessarily. You will need to keep your eyes open as you go through hardware, home, craft and specialty stores and catalogs. If you see one you like, buy at least one immediately. You may not see it again. If the space you are thinking about will hold two, then buy them at once. This will prevent you from disappointment. And you are not going to see so many that you will have more racks than plates to display. Guaranteed.

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