I have been gradually adding to the plate wall in my kitchen for nearly a year now. It's a great way to add interest to my plain kitchen wall, and is a creative alternative to a gallery of prints – it feels eclectic and adds personality.
I love mixing vintage plates with new purchases, and I've been trying to pick up plates on my travels so it becomes a diary of places I've visited. I combine patterns with plains in a variety of shapes and sizes and I'm more than a little partial to a bit of typography! I haven't planned the arrangement – it's organic and grows with my collection but every so often I switch a few around, and I always have a wish-list on the go.
In terms of how I hang them, my go-to product is always these adhesive plate hangers from Amazon. You just wet the back with a sponge or your fingers, wait for it to go tacky and then press onto the back of the plate. It’s as easy as that!
30 January: Pay day treats
Never have I been so happy to see payday. January has felt like a marathon, and I know everyone on the Ideal Home team has been looking forward to treating themselves now our bank balances are looking healthier. From on-trend lighting to stylish storage, kitchen must-haves to downtime essentials, our editors' weekend wish-lists are full of brilliant buys.
This week I got to pay a visit to Bora's test kitchen to have a play with the new QVac vacuum sealer machine. I've actually never used a vacuum sealer before and had no idea this nifty piece of kit had so many uses, from infusing oils to efficient food storage (keeping food fresh for longer) to speeding up marinating.
9 January: New year organising
the organising bug has taken hold hard and I’m in full blitz mode. I don't know about you, but my urge to tidy and sort the house is off the scale. It started with my Christmas decs (I invested in a bauble storage box from Amazon, then I moved onto deep-cleaning and sorting kitchen cupboards and organising our medicine cupboard.
I’ve spent hours drooling over beautifully labelled boxes and jars on social, and have now I’ve gone full Khloe Kardashian. You'll find me happily labelling everything I can get my hands on with my trusty new label maker from Amazon, which makes me very happy.
