Accent Plates; the passion of your fashion

Accent plates; the start of your tabletop wardrobe.

Accent plates are often used to enhance a setting and I’m a big believer in the power they provide.  White dinnerware remains the largest seller and continued most popular purchase most people make. An accent plate can be really any plate that you want to interject into the mix.  For the most part a 5 piece place setting is the dinner plate, salad plate, bread and butter and cup and saucer. With casual sets , often sold in 16 pc sets- the 4 piece combination is dinner plate, soup/cereal bowl, salad plate and mug.  Lately the distinction between casual and formal has been blurred. Customers today want either an everyday casual or something that can be used everyday but dressed up a bit for a special dinner.

Hence the importance of an “accent plate”. Accents plates work best for salad plate sizes that can be put on top of a white dinner plate, for instance imagine a white dinner plate with a blue, white and yellow salad size on top.  Yellow napkins or a French country textile would really make this pop and extend the feeling.  Charger plates; those that go under the dinner plate at dressier occasions could also be used as an accent, especially in colors or alternate materials like wood, glass, copper or brass.

Note:  it does help to coordinate the body color of the dinner plate to the accent plate, for example; a porcelain white plate dinner plate may not be as white as a bone china accent plate and may result in a dingy kind of look. White dinnerware you will find comes in a great variety of whites.  Take your dinner plate to the shop, antique store, flea market or potter and try your mix and match there and in a variety of lighting types.  Consider putting a bread and butter size white over the accent salad and see how that works. This is a good layering effect that may be used most often when serving a special appetizer at the start of a meal..

Have fun using and collecting accents plates to change up your table.  Consider designs based on the seasons, textiles, interior colors or interior styles that you like. Like your clothing a tabletop wardrobe allows you to vary the look with your personality, feelings, season, occasions and interior style.