Inside: My top ten reasons why white dishes make THE perfect decorating accessory and why you should be using them to decorate no matter what your style is! ⟹
When I say white dishes make a perfect decorating accessory, perfect really means how they are absolutely the most versatile decorating accessories I own! They are well known as “the little black dress” of not only the dish world for the best presentation of food, but also of the decorating world. They simply look good with everything!!
There are so many reasons why they are so perfect, but here are my top ten:
White dishes add charm.
White dishes are perfect for creating a curated, collected look. They are one of the easiest items to use to create a collection that looks like it was gathered over time.
They look beautiful with the patina of vintage silver, copper, and aged wooden spoons, rolling pins, and breadboards.
Their color ties together differing pieces in both style and age. In my opinion, they are more interesting if you mix the old with the new, and the simple with the ornate!
I like to mix my family’s vintage white ironstone with newer white pieces. You can find white dishes just about everywhere, but Homegoods is one of my favorite places…most of the dish aisle is always devoted just to them and there is always a nice selection of pedestals, trays, and pitchers.
I think my love affair with ironstone began with this Red Cliff ironstone soup tureen. It originally belonged to my grandmother and was then passed on to my parents who displayed it on their dining table.
I have many pieces of this vintage ironstone pattern that I inherited from them. This Red Cliff grape ironstone must have been the trendy thing to have in North Louisiana at some point because my grandmother, my parents, and even my stepmother had complete sets. They were our “good” dishes and were only used at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I even use a cute mini sauce version of my favorite tureen for our sugar bowl!
White dishes go with every decorating style.
You will see white dishes in every decor style…from French to Farmhouse, from Transitional to Traditional, and even Coastal to Contemporary!
Mine are an integral part of my updated traditional decor!
White dishes are also lovely in this casual, coastal style room!
White dishes are a neutral backdrop.
White dishes are a perfect neutral canvas so they easily incorporate and partner well with all other decor items. They are great accessories on their own to create just a simple, neutral room.
Or you can keep white dishes in place and insert pops of color. This really draws the eye and highlights the color!
You can even change your decor by season or holiday with white dishes as the base and layer decorations with them.
My small hutch and dining table bowl have a different decor layer several times a year!
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White dishes add needed contrast.
White dishes offer a perfect light contrast to dark areas. I use them in the shelving at the ends of my kitchen island, which is an area where darker accessories would disappear.
White dishes just pop against wood and offer an opposing texture and color. I love this contrast!
White dishes also add needed simplicity.
White dishes are a perfect simplistic accessory because they are clean, plain, and allow the eye to rest. They don’t compete for attention and allow focus on other things around them.
These pitchers are so simple and add just the right filler for this clean, bright, and serene look in the kitchen of Karen from Sanctuary Home Decor. And the repetitive use and varying sizes have extra impact!
White dishes make great accessories in shelves and bookcases.
White dishes make a perfect filler for shelves and bookcases with soooo many size and shape options.
Miss Mustard Seed’s collection of beautiful pitchers and tureens in this bookcase makes my heart flutter!
The same goes for Cedar Hill Farmhouse’s use of all white dishes in the extensive glass front kitchen cabinets. Lots of interest but still so neutral and quiet!
White dishes work well in vignettes.
White dishes are a perfect complement to other accessories in vignettes.
Yvonne at StoneGable adds height and weight to this vignette with interesting scalloped edge white plates under the white beaded pitcher. A great creative way to make the white pitcher taller! And the white really lets the sunflowers shine!!
I like to use a white bowl in a vignette on the coffee table for a touch of whatever season we are in!
White dishes make amazing vases.
White dishes make perfect vases and planters because again, they allow whatever they are holding to take the spotlight! This pedestal urn on my dining table stays in place almost all year because it is so versatile, neutral, and sizable. I simply change out the contents by season.
As does this mostly white vase in the living room that is a family heirloom. It’s gilded with a tiny bit of gold but I still consider it a neutral white container. It stands the test of time because it is white! It really highlights seasonal blooms because it stays quiet.
White dishes are wonderful on a wall.
White dishes also make perfect wall decor. Using plates and platters allows you to fill a wall space exactly as much as you would like by the number, size, and spacing of the pieces.
This triple wreath wall hanging featuring white plates fills this wall space so nicely! See how simple this Christmas craft was to make!
White dishes are the restaurant chef’s choice for a reason.
And of course, for their intended use, white dishes are perfect for food! White is the preferred color for chefs to frame any style of food. The food is the star and doesn’t compete with a colored dish for attention.
My everyday dishes have almost always been white. The couple of times I’ve deviated, I’ve never been totally happy with them. I actually just found some that I love after we got tired of our stoneware set chipping too easily and becoming as hot as fire in the microwave. If you are interested in checking out these great dishes and why I like them, read the post here!
And if you’d like to check out these exact dishes for yourself, you can do it here.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at absolutely no cost to you. I only recommend products that I love or would purchase for myself.
If you look around, you might notice that you are already incorporating white dishes into your decorating because of many of these reasons but just didn’t realize why. If not, I hope this post inspires you to give them a try!
Happy Decorating!!
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