• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

May 19, 2014

DIY Wall Plate Rack

Do you ever have projects that you put off for…oh…say about 5 years?

Ummm…yeah…me neither! 😉

In our kitchen there is a narrow wall that you pass by on your way to the dining room. Or if you are coming from the dining room you pass it on the way to the kitchen. You get the idea!

I like to call it ‘The Forgotten Wall’. Just something you pass by on your way to bigger and better things…like coffee.

plate rack on wall in kitchen atthepicketfence.com

Oh sure, I made half-hearted attempts at giving it some attention. There was the chalkboard that looked fine but no one ever stopped to read all of my beautiful quotes carefully written with hopes of encouraging and inspiring. Because it’s a wall you just pass by after all.

Well, friends, I think it is safe to declare that ‘The Forgotten Wall’ is now my most favorite part of my entire kitchen! It is forgotten no more!

How to Make a Wall Plate Rack atthepicketfence.com

It only took me 5 years and one long afternoon to help the wall fulfill it’s destiny by making a very basic wall rack.

How to Make a Wall Plate Rack

1. Build a simple frame using the size of wood appropriate for your space. Because this is a narrow area I went with 2×1’s. I had Lowes cut the ledges to fit the width in between the size and also 2 additional pieces for the top and bottom.

plate rack frame

 2. Cut molding to trim out the top and bottom and add detail to the frame and attach with wood glue.

molding detail

 3. 2 rows of screen molding cut to size and attached with nails or wood glue hold the plates in place.

screen molding detail

I painted the entire thing a lovely shade of ivory and hung it right up on that forgotten wall.

DIY plate rack hanging on wall

I think I might have heard it sigh.

It was a sigh of relief…of satisfaction.

Because it finally looked like it was always meant to look.

This incredibly simple and basic plate rack that only took 5 years and one long afternoon to make looked like it had always been there.

plate rack on wall

It looked like it belonged.

Like it was special…remembered.

And that’s really what we all want, after all, isn’t it?

DIY hanging wall plate rack

To know that we ‘belong’…that we’re special, remembered.

We don’t want people to just pass us by without really noticing us.

Because we all know how absolutely amazing it is when someone recognizes our capacity for great things.

Our ability to truly shine.

And we also know (or we should know!) that it feels even better to be the one to recognize the potential in someone else…to speak it into their life…and to watch them shine!

It’s really pretty awesome the lessons which can be gleaned from a plate rack, isn’t it? 😉

 Vanessa signature

21 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, DIY Tagged With: decorating, DIY, kitchen

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Don’t Let Me Blow Away Mommy!
Next Post: Easy Summer Entertaining Ideas and Giveaway! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. martina says

    May 19, 2014 at 4:50 AM

    I LOVE IT Vanessa and love the silver platters you added to it!!

    Reply
  2. Stacey says

    May 19, 2014 at 5:47 AM

    That looks fantastic! I’ve seen a couple of other people do the same thing and it always makes me stare around and try to decide where I could do the same. What a fun way to feature platters and plates that you love.

    Reply
  3. Susan says

    May 19, 2014 at 6:38 AM

    Now, if I only had the wall space to hang this~ Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Wanda says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:01 AM

    Thank you for sharing this! I really like it and have a spot where this would work great.

    Reply
  5. BasementWaterproofing.com says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:13 AM

    Awesome plate rack! So creative, and a great way to display your favorite plates 🙂

    Reply
  6. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:56 AM

    Vanessa, this is so awesome!!….I so love it….great idea and looks beautiful….Amazing job…pinning away!

    Reply
  7. debbiedoos says

    May 19, 2014 at 1:24 PM

    Very cool Vanessa! What a neat idea:)

    Reply
  8. Sandy says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:27 PM

    It’s beautiful, perfect, and I love it. I am searching for the wall in my house. May have to be a dining room wall, but I have beautiful pieces to share.

    Reply
  9. Donnamae says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:36 PM

    I have that same wall in my kitchen….thanks for the inspiration! 😉

    Reply
  10. Ann says

    May 19, 2014 at 2:53 PM

    Oh my gosh. I want one of these! Not sure I could make it myself though! It’s totally perfect on that wall and I adore the silver trays. Well done girl!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      May 19, 2014 at 5:14 PM

      If I can do it YOU definitely can do it Ann!! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:30 PM

    Vanessa, your wall plate rack is amazing! You are AMAZING! What a perfect place for a plate rack and I love the silver! I’m running through walls in my house to do the same!!!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      May 19, 2014 at 7:31 PM

      Thank you so much Yvonne!! I could totally see this on a wall in your gorgeous home! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Annalee Fuerstenau says

    May 19, 2014 at 8:40 PM

    Oh my goodness, what timing! I was pondering what to do about that same type of wall in my kitchen just a few hours ago and now here you are with a beautiful and creative solution… Thank you for saving me five years of brainstorming and procrastination! Although, this is yet another project to add to my giant list so it might actually take five years to get to it 🙂

    Reply
  13. Linda @ It All Started With Paint says

    May 20, 2014 at 6:22 AM

    So now I’m eyeing walls in my kitchen and dining room for a possible diy plate rack! Love this idea and think I could actually make one myself too!

    🙂 Linda

    Reply
  14. Richella Parham @ Imparting Grace says

    May 20, 2014 at 7:46 AM

    Vanessa, you are brilliant! What a wonderful use of that little space. Bonus: a place to display and store those big trays. It really does look as if it’s always been there. And great lessons learned from it as well!

    Reply
  15. Mimi says

    June 26, 2014 at 1:24 PM

    Nice project for a small unused space. It adds a nice decorative touch as well.

    Reply
  16. Marilyn says

    June 25, 2015 at 4:52 AM

    Love it and who knew how simple — my only question is how did you attach it to the wall? I’m going to do this in the kitchen between 2 windows.

    Reply
  17. Christy says

    December 27, 2015 at 6:33 AM

    I just saw the article in Better Homes and Gardens and loved it idea. Only question is how did you attached it to the wall?

    Reply
  18. Ella says

    January 2, 2016 at 1:00 PM

    What kind of bracket did you use to hang your rack? I got a space that would work for this rack and I can take all my travel and display them

    Thanks
    Ella

    Reply
  19. Christy says

    January 7, 2016 at 9:44 PM

    Love it, but I have a question … what’s the paint color on that wall? I love it too!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • Lessons From Growing Out My Bangs March 12, 2021
  • Painted Staircase Handrail Makeover March 4, 2021
  • A New French Country Dining Table February 3, 2021
  • Open Now December 17, 2020
  • Tradition and a Christmas Home Tour December 9, 2020

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
Follow
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 At The Picket Fence