When I think about a plate rack, my mind goes to state design. I have a tendency to go more contemporary in my own design taste, but I’ve a soft spot for plate racks. It is their no-nonsense nature that appeals to my pragmatic side. They simply make sense! In my view, they ought to be used for easy access to everyday dishes, not for particular dishes which are infrequently used and may therefore become cluttered. Rather than pulling piled dishes from a wall cabinet, keeping them within individual slots allows one to grab them and put them away with ease, and without repainting! Here are 13 ways to make them work on your kitchen:
Venegas and Company
Unfitted and over the sink. This is a fairly common place for a plate rack. Not only does this feel more open than a cabinet with solid doors, but it’s in the ideal spot for unloading the dishwasher and putting plates away. I love the size and scale of this one and the simple fact that it’s unfitted, or drifting at the center of the wall. This gives it the look of becoming something inherited or discovered instead of designed with all the cabinets (even though it was!) .
Kenzer Furniture
Unfitted and away on its own. If you’ve got a unique space and do not actually have the option of having symmetrical wall cabinets on each side, an unfitted dish rack cabinet is a superb way to acquire storage without having to force the symmetry problem. This solution allows you to have your cake and eat it too: the cabinet itself is symmetrical, but it’s not symmetrical to the general space.
Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab
Integrated with other wall cabinets. If you’re going to incorporate a plate rack to other routine wall cabinets, consider creating them glass so that the whole wall has a sense of openness and depth. Do not be afraid to show off your dishes, glassware and other kitchen things – it doesn’t all have to match!
Kitchens by Design
Adding an open shelf as part of a dish rack is a nice way to decorate a kitchen and keep it from looking too pragmatic.
Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab
Even contemporary kitchens may incorporate a dish rack cabinet. Here, it’s flanked between aluminum and glass cabinets. What is nice about having a dish rack over a sink like this is that all the wall cabinets may be the same height over the countertops, because you don’t need to be worried about doors opening to your head when you’re in the sink. Most of the time when you see a cabinet with doors within the sink, it’s raised a little to give you enough clearance.
Paul Anater
Contrasting with a accent color. Plate-rack cabinets are all easy ways to incorporate an accent colour into a kitchen; it makes it feel much more unfitted and accumulated. Flanked by two windows, this plate rack produces a visual centre and feel of symmetry, although the base cabinets below are not symmetrical or aligned with what’s on top.
Fitzgerald Studio
This dish rack cabinet combines many features we’ve talked about : It has a contrasting colour and is placed asymmetrically in the kitchen, but is light on its own.
Elad Gonen
Talking of asymmetry, I love the usage of this dish rack off to the side because it balances the hutch cabinet on the opposite end. Both do not fit, but there is a relationship.
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
Bring it down to the counter. I adore this plate stand incorporates into open shelves and an uber-functional storage wall in which the cabinets sit on the countertop. It is a mixed-use storage wall which makes sense for a small section of countertop which won’t be used for substantially prepping or tasking. The variety of door sizes and open-vs. -closed storage produce much more visual attention than a bunch of cabinet doors which are all the same size.
CAROLE MEYER
You don’t have to restrict yourself to a plate rack ; you can get more out of the cabinet by producing an appliance storage space under and open shelves over.
Divine Design+Build
Carve out a niche. The little bit of unused wall space produced by the wall and fireplace oven are a perfect spot to create storage in the form of a plate rack. Here it’s being used for both function and display.
K & M Designs
I had to incorporate several examples of plate racks in which the plates have been made to face outwards. Just because those are on display doesn’t mean they can not be used for functional serving dishes. Just a little niche created by unused wall depth is a great way to get additional storage.
Plate racks do not need to maintain kitchens — they can maintain a butler’s pantry or vestibule place as well. Stealing space that might be otherwise overlooked looks fantastic and provides an present kitchen much needed additional storage.
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