When I think of a plate rack, my mind goes to country design. I tend to go more modern in my own design taste, but I have a soft spot for plate racks. It's their no-nonsense nature that appeals to my pragmatic side. They just make sense! In my opinion, they should be used for easy access to everyday dishes, not for special dishes that are rarely used and can therefore get dusty. Rather than pulling out stacked dishes from a wall cabinet, storing them vertically within individual slots allows one to grab them and put them away with ease, and without chipping! Here are 13 ways to make them work in your kitchen:
Venegas and Company
Unfitted and over the sink. This is a pretty typical location for a plate rack. Not only does it feel more open than a cabinet with solid doors, but it’s at the perfect spot for unloading the
dishwasherand putting plates away. I love the size and scale of this one and the fact that it’s unfitted, or floating in the center of the wall. This gives it the look of being something inherited or found rather than designed with the cabinets (even if it was!).
Find a local cabinetmakerKenzer Furniture
Unfitted and off on its own. If you have a quirky space and don't really have the option of having symmetrical wall cabinets on both sides, an unfitted dish rack cabinet is a great way to get storage without having to force the symmetry issue. This solution allows you to have your cake and eat it too: the cabinet itself is symmetrical, but it's not symmetrical to the overall space.
KitchenLab Interiors
Integrated with other wall cabinets. If you are going to incorporate a plate rack into other regular wall cabinets, think about making them glass so that the whole wall has a sense of openness and depth. Don't be afraid to show off your dishes, glassware and other kitchen stuff - it doesn't all have to match!
Kitchens by Design
Incorporating an open shelf as part of a dish rack is a nice way to soften a kitchen and keep it from looking too utilitarian.
KitchenLab Interiors
Even modern kitchens can incorporate a dish rack cabinet. Here, it's flanked between aluminum and glass cabinets. What's nice about having a dish rack over a sink like this is that all the wall cabinets can be the same height over the countertops, because you don't have to worry about doors opening into your head when you're at the sink. Most of the time when you see a cabinet with doors over the sink, it's raised up a bit to give you enough clearance.
Paul Anater
Contrasting with an accent color. Plate-rack cabinets are easy ways to incorporate an accent color into a kitchen; it makes it feel even more unfitted and collected. Flanked by two windows, this plate rack creates a visual center and sense of symmetry, even though the
base cabinetsbelow aren’t symmetrical or aligned with what’s on top.
Fitzgerald Studio
This dish rack cabinet combines many characteristics we've talked about already: It has a contrasting color and is placed asymmetrically in the kitchen, but is symmetrical on its own.
Elad Gonen
Speaking of asymmetry, I love the use of this
dish rackoff to the side because it balances the hutch cabinet on the opposite end. The two don’t match, but there’s a relationship.
Kayron Brewer, CMKBD / Studio K B
Bring it down to the counter. I love how this plate rack integrates into open shelves and an uber-functional storage wall where the cabinets sit on the countertop. It's a mixed-use storage wall that makes sense for a small section of countertop that won't be used for much prepping or tasking. The variety of door sizes and open-vs.-closed storage create much more visual interest than a bunch of cabinet doors that are all the same size.
CAROLE MEYER
No need to limit yourself to a plate rack alone; you can get more out of the cabinet by creating an appliance storage space below and open shelves above.
Divine Design Center
Carve out a niche. The little bit of of unused wall space created by the fireplace and wall oven are a perfect spot to create storage in the form of a plate rack. Here it’s being used for both display and function.
Work with a carpenter to design and construct a custom built-inI had to incorporate a few examples of plate racks where the plates are turned to face outwards. Just because these are on display doesn’t mean they can’t be used for functional
serving dishes. A little niche created by unused wall depth is a great way to get extra storage.
Plate racks don't have to be in kitchens — they can be in a butler's pantry or vestibule area as well. Stealing space that might be otherwise overlooked looks great and gives an existing kitchen much needed extra storage.
Next:
Tradition Revisited: Plate Racks
24 Hot Ideas for Storing Spices
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