Can you take a pic holding one of the plates in front of the door? It doesn't look as if that would provide much more contrast. Would you be open to picking a soft color to paint that area? Something from one of your fabrics, maybe?

Oly, here is a plate in front of the bench. The bench is painted the same color as the cabinets and moulding.

vs.

It's not terribly obvious in pictures taken at night, but the picture I just took of the "B" plate is much brighter feeling.

I did originally write that maybe I should add a soft color, maybe a pale toast, to work with the floor, the counters and the leopard fabric, but I'm worried it might look like a giant stripe.

I think the issue is the delicate patterns of the plates. in my opinion, these plates need to be looked at at a closer range.

Painting a deeper color won’t make the pattern on the plates any more visible.Sorry, not what you want to hear.

Gosh, I think it looks great as is!

Well, Eld, maybe it's a good thing I didn't get all the plates, lol. No, you'rre right, the plates probably would be better lower, (or as place cards ala Mtn,) but that "B" boat has sailed. Now I just have to see how to maximize what I have.

Still on the fence about painting. I'm not loving it as is, though.

I think eld is right - part of the problem is distance and angle to view something that deserves a closer look but I know this is your vision and just want the best way to see it through. Is you plan to lean the plates or hang them? I think hanging them will help a bit, and painting the trim color probably will as well. What do you think about hanging them with some kind of 'charger' behind them to set them off more?

Good points, DLM. The plates are 6.5 inches and there isn't much room behind them for a charger (ie, 8" doesn't fit). I think I'm going to paint it cream color and live with it. Some of them do have vibrant colors which should help.

Agree, no to the white on white…but! They would look berautiful in your cabinet.

I don’t think painting the wall the trim color will make a difference and I think it will look odd.

Put other objects between them.

What is the trim colour and what is the wall colour?

Two suggestions. Put the plates closer together which should draw attention to them, or put some behind the tureens in the DR. I think both would be pretty.

I would consider painting the plate area and the ceiling a color.

I think the real issue is lighting. The area has created its own shadow and it will be difficult for anything to look right without some directional light.

How does this look during the day? In these photos the ceiling color looks wrong to me, even apart from the wya they make the plates look. It seems very grey or even lavender.

But it may just be the light? Also the plates need to be closer together but maybe you have just been trying them out?

I would sooner find different plates than paint the strip of wall and the ceiling a color, unless you really wanted to do that ... I would not let the plates lead you down a path.

I was going to ask about the wall color too. It appears pale lavender or grey on my screen.

Have you considered painting the walls and the ceiling the same as trim color? Would not paint the plate area and ceiling a different color.

Agree with putting the plates closer together for greater impact. They don't necessarily need to be spread across all the plate racks. How many did you end up getting?

I would probably pick a particular area of plate rail where I wanted to display the plates and display them in a relatively close-set row, and then I would leave the rest of the shelves without anything. I am a maximalist, so I personally don't think like items have as much impact when they are dispersed. If I were going to want to display around the entire perimeter, I would probably need 100 plates, not 20, so I would figure out where to do a run of plates for the most impact and keep he rest open.

Here are some thoughts....

Like pal, I immediately thought of putting a darker accent color behind them so they stand out...I love a colored ceiling as well. And you already have wonderful colors going on in the rug and window seat to choose from.

Hang the plates on the wall instead of propping them up so they are higher and more visible.

Run LED strip lights along the inside of the top edge of the cabinet so you throw light on the plates ...it's too dark right now to really appreciate them.

You all are great. I really appreciate the input. To answer questions, I have 21 plates. They are non-returnable as they came from all corners of the Internet through eBay mostly. I spaced them rather haphazardly for the picture. They were closer together in general before I hit that last area . The ledge area white is darker due to shadowing. I love the idea of LED lighting and I’m wondering if I can make that happen. Also, I ordered a few sheets of the trim paint color from samplize so I can peel and stick and see if that makes a difference. The white on the walls in light is beautiful but In low light, it definitely reads a little lavender or as I think dinghy white. We definitely should have had more can lights in here but it’s not some thing I can bring in right now. And I m pretty sure my DH will kill me if I bring someone in to paint the whole kitchen now.

I’m not really sure what I’m going to do. The doors go on tomorrow, so I’m waiting to see how it all comes together. Worst case, I don’t put anything up there.

Thanks for the help. I’d love to hear any and all ideas.

Maybe the groove for the plates is too far from the wall, putting them at a more severe angle. The groove may have been sized for larger plates.

I'm assuming you don't have and/or would not want to run electric up to the ledge but there are a options for battery operated LED strip lights that have a remote. LEDs take so little power they should last years. Most will probably be listed as under cabinet lights and are very slim profile and would be hidden by your moulding.

Would yyou consider getting samples of a dofferent color just to try?

What we did with our upper cabinets, besides having them lit, was to put all the items up on blocks. We found that from the ground, the items were too low and disappeared. So on blocks, it's the blocks that disappear and the items can be seen.

Those plates are gorgeous! I am sure trying to move them around and maybe hanging or putting them closer together will help with making them stand out more.

What color are you ceilings and tops of the wall above the cabinets? It does look lavenenderish.

In person it might looks quite different, but I see it as clashing with the rest of the space. However, all monitors are different in what color we each see.

I know you have shown us before - the overall photo of your kitchen... but would you mind posting another photo? Is that greyish lavendar color on walls in your kitchen everywhere?

I do think painting it another color would help. I am just not quite sure what or what kind of look you are going for..... light or darker?

Your kitchen is stunning and I am so impressed with everything you have done and that lovely hutch. What a win and score that was!!!

The LED strip lighting can plug into a regular outlet, so if you get an outlet up there...looks like you already have electricity running to the lights...then the rest of the install should be easy. And you'd have an outlet up there for, say, if you wanted to add a lit garland for the holidays and such.

I found a gold plate hanger that came with one of the ones I ordered. It makes a huge difference if it is hung rather than propped. Thanks Annie! The picture is awful, but this gives you an idea. But I still think it needs the other paint. In the meantime, I’m going to order plate hangers in gold.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, I quickly skimmed through the responses-but would they still fit if you installed crown? I think the added texture would look better, and creates kind of "picture framing" the plates, unassumingly so. I feel the plates get lost up there.

Ollie, much as I love crown molding, I think it won't solve the problem. The issue is a lack of light and placement of the dishes. I can fix the placement part by hanging each plate instead of proppy them at what turns out to be a slightly weird angle. The light issue is harder to solve which is why I was hoping continuing the cream color might work. The doors go on tomorrow along with gold hardware. I'm hoping the the doors might add an overall reflective lightness to the kitchen.

I'm so impatient but I want to do it right.

I know you love the plates and want to display them in your kitchen. Sorry it is not working out as you planned. BUT, I do think using the hangers will do the trick. The kitchen is looking great!

On my computer, the wall behind the plates looks like a nice, soft pale blue, and at first glance I thought "That was a nice idea". I love a hint of soft color on ceilings, too.

Get some samplize of a color that isn't necessarily the blue of the rug, but plays well with it. For example, my kitchen walls are painted in a pale blue-green 'AnteMeridian' and the ceiling is 'Transparent' (which looks pale blue in the can, but next to the wall color looks a warm neutral, not blue!)

Paint store folks can often recommend a good ceiling color.

You might consider plate hangers with white tips, vice the gold tips. Depends on whether you want to feature the plate hanger or have it recede in the background. Can't wait for your final reveal!

Keep all colors as is, hang plates closer together on one long run (any leftovers, put in the china cabinet) and hang rather than prop. It’s going to look great!

I wouldn't paint with trim color either. Is your light from windows a Northern light? I have a room facing north and it skews the paint color (light neutral) to a lavender tone. Was going to suggest hanging the plates also.

What about removing your Still life and doing a plate arrangement on that wall instead…

Oh my gosh, Gargamel. So kind of you to call it a still life and not "that awful 'art' on your wall"

My dh picked it out on Etsy during his bachelor days. It was probably the first coffee related painting that popped up. It is so poorly done--right down to the curling smoke. I hate it, but he loves it. He doesn't know how much I dislike it and I wouldn't tell him. He has put up with all my decorating endeavors and never once complained. Still, I'm hoping it will eventually go to our cottage but that has to be his idea.

In the meantime, I made sure the rug would work with it.

I'm kind of stuck with the plates but hoping that I will find the right solution that will make them shine on the plate rail. I'm researching all the suggestions you all have given.

Jojo, Now I am seeing a lovely calming blue. I love the plates hanging on the wall. I am so exited to see it when are done!

What a fabulous transformation!!! I love all of it.

Just saw you mentiioned "the other paint"... are you planning on repainting the kitchen walls?

@jojoco, Please check direct messages for an unrelated message.

I still would consider painting a deeper color on the wall...something from your carpet maybe....as it would really make the plates outstanding.

Apologize...I only use keynote...don't have photoshop.

That's really beautiful, Annie. The paint sample will arrive today so I'll see how it looks. In the meantime, silly me finally found the Z zebra plate. Of course I grabbed it.

Update posted in original post