How to Use Charger Plates in Home Decorating

Charger plates today are more useful than ever. No longer relegated to strictly table duty, the charger is now useful for a myriad of other decorating ideas. Follow the steps below for some wonderful ways to use today's textured, hand painted, and embossed charger plates.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Charger plates of your choosing
• Wall plate hanger
• Wall sconces
• Metal wall pieces
• Figurines, knickknacks, and/or greenery
• Candles
• Crystals, colored rocks, jewels, seashells, and/or decorative balls
• Silk flowers and/or greenery
• Artificial fruit and/or vegetables
• Fresh plant (floral or green)
• Round decorative table
• Glass stemware
• Hand towels and/or washrags
• Vanity items (like shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, shaving cream, shavers, cologne, and other items)
• Kitchen items (like towels, trivets, potholders)
• Spices
• Rose petals (soap, silk, or fresh)
• Beverages (wine, beer, mixed drinks)
• Snacks (chocolate cover strawberries, chocolates, or chips)
• Paper towels, doilies, or cloths (to line the charger place)

How to Use Charger Plates in Home Decor

1. 

   Hang highly decorative, textured, hand painted or embossed charger plates for a sophisticated and elegant looking wall decor. Cluster several together to create a unique, one-of-kind piece of wall art or hang one alone with wall sconces or metal pieces on either side. Place candles, figurines, knick knacks, or greenery on the sconces or entwine silk greenery on the metal piece and voila, you have a customized piece that reflects your unique personality.

2. 

   Use as a decorative plate, on a plate rack or flat, for a coffee or end table, fireplace mantle, or bookshelf. You can use the piece alone or cluster it with other knick knacks, figurines, books, or other items to create your own decorative gathering.

3. 

   Use as a base for candles. Make your own cluster of candles or use a single one surrounded by colored rocks, crystals, seashells, silk flowers, greenery or anything else your heart desires. This customized work of art is perfect for decorating a kitchen or dining table, a coffee or end tables, a fireplace mantle, a book shelf, or any other sufficiently size flat surface in your home.

4. Use underneath a plant for a decorative way to prevent water seepage and damage to your furniture.

5. 

   Use as a way to expand the size of a round decorative table. Need a little more room on the table to set a drink, ash tray, or something else? A good solid charger can give you the extra space you need while it looks pretty doing it.

6. Use as a miscellaneous item dish. Put a charger on a stand table near your front door to hold your mail, car keys, sun glasses or anything else you want or need to keep track of. Set on your dresser and put your jewelry there when you take it off.

7. 

   Use as a serving tray base on which to place your dinner plate while you watch television in the family room.

8. 

   Use as a base to highlight a figurine, a knick knack, a floral arrangement or anything else you want to call attention to.

9. Use to display fresh or artificial fruit and vegetables on a kitchen table.

10. 

    Put underneath a fresh or silk floral arrangement on your kitchen or dining table. As another option, cluster a group of stemware glasses full of flowers, greenery, berries, crystals, seashells or anything else you can think of to use for the center of your table.

11. 

    Use to display collectibles like crystals, jewels, decorative balls, or anything else small enough to fit on the charger. Place on a coffee or end table, counter top, book shelf, or anywhere else with a sufficiently sized flat surface.

12. 

    Roll hand towels or wash rags up and place them on a charger plate in the bathroom. Finish off the plate by placing a few decorative shaped soaps, bath beads or crystals, silk flowers or greenery, seashells or anything else you want to use to decorate your bathroom.

13. Use as a vanity tray in your bathroom or bedroom. Put your shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, brushes, and combs on it. For men, place razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other items on it. Better yet, choose vanity items of your own.

14. Make a plate full of rose petals (soap style, silk, or even fresh) for your bathroom or bedroom to use in your bath, on your bed, or to sprinkle anywhere you want for a romantic setting.

15. 

    Use as a spice tray on your kitchen counter. Place the spices that you use regularly on the charger and place it near your cooking area. For another idea, roll up some of your kitchen towels and add those to trivets and/or pot holders.

16. Fill with your favorite beverage, stemware, and snacks. Sit the charger in your bathroom or bedroom as a hint that you are ready for a night of romance.

Tips & Warnings

• Be inventive and creative with your charger plates as their limitation is established only by the limits of your imagination.

• Hand paint your own charger plates to customize them with your family's initials or to fit within a particular decorative theme.

• Decorate charger plates with braid, rope, or beading to take them to the next level of sophistication.

• Customize your chargers to fit within your own type of decor.

• Don't use wooden charger plates to hold items containing liquid items.

• Don't place candles on or near chargers that are flammable in nature.

• Don't place food directly on the charger plate with a paper or cloth towel covering.