Great Wall of China

I discovered this room on House Beautiful today, and was kind of surprised that I liked it so much -- I've never been the type to mount decorative plates on walls. Of course, my first memory of this look was the home of my elderly neighbors, way back when I was just a bedroom-rearranging kid on the mean, suburban streets of Staten Island, NY. Maybe I'm just scarred.

The above photo definitely seems like a very different take on the look compared to the late 80s kitsch show I remember. It actually looks like something I'd see on the floor of Anthropologie (hmm, maybe this could be an excuse to buy about 30 of Nathalie Lete's plates.)

The key to the keeping the look more Vie Boheme and less Retirement Village is using boldly printed plates, fluid arrangements or monochromatic colors. Here are some other un-granny like examples.

(Domino)
(Elle Decor)
(Eddie Ross)
(Blueprint)

(Martha Stewart Living)(Country Living)