While working on a mini-makeover of my dining room, I realized that I had to tell you about an AMAZING change in the room that I made for FREE.
Ready? I reorganized my china cabinet. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it has made an incredible difference in the look of my dining room!
Before I show you my new and improved china cabinet, I will show you the “before.”
Prior to repainting the dining room (which required emptying the china cabinet of its contents and moving it), I snapped this photo so that I would remember where I had everything once I was able to put it all back.
When it came time to put everything away again, I looked at the photo and thought “Ew. This looks pretty terrible.” Bland and disorganized – the china cabinet sort of blended into the wall without making any sort of impact at all.
P.S. this is the china cabinet from my old house. To see my NEW built-in china cabinet and how I displayed china in that cabinet, check out my Dated Oak China Cabinet Makeover post and my Modern Vintage Dining Room Makeover. I think you’ll love it!
China Cabinet Inspiration Pictures
I decided that there must be a better way to do justice to the china and crystal that I’ve used three times since my wedding in 2006 (lol!). So I scoured Pinterest and Google to find just the inspiration that I needed.
The first image I came across was from Katie at Bower Power. Look at her lovely china hutch and the beautiful way she organized her dishes. So much nicer than mine.
The next image that caught my eye was from Jennifer at Dimples & Tangles. Of course I LOVED the green painted cabinet, but I also noticed how nicely her dishes were arranged.
Just as with Katie at Bower Power’s china hutch, many of Jennifer’s dishes were displayed vertically to make each shelf within the cabinet pop. My dishes were simply stacked one on top of the other, so I knew this was a change I needed to make.
Finally, I found an awesome post by Darla at Heartwork Organizing about how to arrange a china cabinet. She gave fantastic tips about choosing a focal point, arranging with symmetry in mind, and about products that help with the display of china.
How to Arrange a China Cabinet
Armed with these inspiration pics and advice, I reloaded my china cabinet in a way that has made an INCREDIBLE impact on the room. If I do say so myself, my china cabinet is now a beautiful focal point instead of a bland-but-overwhelming piece of furniture.
I only used things I already had to revamp my cabinet, and I am shocked at the improvement! (But here’s a tip I can share from arranging my gigantic china cabinet in my new home: fill in empty spots with thrift store china, crystal, silver, etc. You’ll spend hardly any money and get that china cabinet display just right!)
The contrast of the white dishes against the dark furniture has really helped to lighten up the room, and the symmetrical display of the items inside makes it so much nicer to look at.
Wondering how to stand plates vertically in a china cabinet? If your china cabinet or china hutch doesn’t have a built-in ledge for displaying plates, use clear acrylic plate stands (affiliate link) to stand them up vertically without covering them up.
The linked acrylic plate stands (affiliate link) are what I use in my new home’s built-in china cabinet, and they work wonderfully for displaying china plates vertically.
Stacking china pieces like plates, bowls, and/or coffee cups also creates interesting variations of height within the china cabinet.
All of these simple tweaks make it easy to arrange a china cabinet and create a gorgeous backdrop for your next dinner party.
Let me know if you have any other tips for arranging a china cabinet that you’d like to add. (And PS – now that you’ve got a plan for your china cabinet, check out my post on how to organize a pantry!)
Sara B says
It looks very nice, but stacked China should be stored with separators between the pieces to protect the finish. Felt is traditional, but you can even use paper napkins. However, it doesn’t look nearly as attractive as the naked plates you show.
Bre says
Thanks for the info, Sara!! :-). Good to know!
Ari says
How much distance between the ceiling and top of china cabinet ?
Karen says
I wish I had taken a before & after picture. I can’t believe the difference! It’s beautiful!
Bre says
That is wonderful!!!
Judith says
I too have reorganized my China cabinet. I have a lot of figurines I love to look at when I’m sitting in the living room. I arranged the figurines so I was able to see the smaller ones at sitting height, some with a little height prop underneath, and the larger pieces further up on the shelves.
Bre says
Aw, I love that! It’s awesome that you made it work so you can see all of your collectibles! So special. 🙂
Danny says
I have my Great Grands fancy china and a lot of it…12 placesettings. My cabinet was a mess till I found your blog and looked at what you had done. And now, its displayed and organized so you can see the beauty. Thanks for sharing
Donna says
I display my Mom’s China in my curio cabinet that has glass grooved shelves. I was tired of having to adjust the plates from shifting in the groove, so I created some easy (and free as I had these at home) stoppers by cutting some hot glue sticks in half. They are almost clear and hardly visible from the side, and can’t be seen when looking at the display straight on.
Bre says
DONNA!!!!!!! Ohmygosh . . . you win genius of the year award! Incredible!!!
Lauren T. says
Hi there – first let me say I have the exact same set of china that have been in their boxes since my wedding 10 years ago! I recently acquired a 5 foot wide china cabinet/hutch from a relative so I can now display the beautiful china as well as my crystal stemware. I was at a loss at where to start & your tips greatly helped. Just would like to know I have 10 place settings how would you recommend displaying them? In addition where should I place my crystal stemware which includes the stunning champagne toasting flutes from our wedding? Please note that the cabinet is 3 shelved like yours, but no grooves in the glass shelves. In addition the windows in the 2 middle doors are 9 1/2 in wide while the windows in the 2 side doors are only 7 1/2in wide. Thank you in advance for any & all help!
Bre says
Hi, Lauren – that is so cool!!! Hooray for finally being able to display it! Unfortunately I don’t have time to figure out a display plan for you, but I’m sure with trial and error you will come up with the perfect layout! You can order clear acrylic plate stands online (Amazon for sure), that will allow you to display your plates w/o grooves in the cabinet it self. Ihope that helps. Enjoy!
Ashe Martin says
This was SO helpful to me: I inherited my parents’ China, bought a cabinet, and then went, “huh….now what?” I am grateful and happy with how my cabinet came out based on your tips and visual representations! Thank you!
Bre says
Hi, Ashley – that is awesome! I’m so glad it was helpful and that you were able to use your parents’ China! What a wonderful way to honor them!
Diana Martina says
I have a very similar china hutch. How did you get the plates to stand on end?
Bre says
Hi, Diana! Mine has a little divot or indentation in the back where the glass meets the wood, and the plates stand perfectly in there! If yours doesn’t have that, there are tons of products on Amazon or in organizing stores (like The Container Store) that are like clear plastic pieces that help the plates stand upright. I hope that helps!
Marilyn says
How many ditches are on the shelves? For example, can you stand up three plates against the back or only one plate?
Bre says
Hi, Marilyn! My china cabinet only has one, thin edge, so I can only put one plate up per row. But there are clear plate stands on the market that could accommodate more!
Deanna says
I used a strip of hot glue about 2” long and let it dry. Holds everything upright, wherever you want it.
Jo says
Thanks so much for chronicling your process and tagging the inspiration! You have inspired me to go try now too! 😊
Bre says
Jo – you’ve got this!!! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by! Good luck with your project.
Susan says
Your dishes are so pretty
Love your redo!
Bre says
Hi, Susan – thank you! 🙂 Every time I pull them out (meaning, at Christmas and maybe at Easter), I think how much I like them. Hahahaha! Anyway, glad you like the “after” of the cabinet. It is a definite improvement from the “before”! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Maggie says
Thank you thank you! Just converted a closet into a China cupboard but lack a certain je ne sais quoi. The display component is just what I was missing. L Ike good decorating I knew I had to ” lift and separate” and placing the China in sets on the clear plate stands is just the trick! Can’t wait to pop the door off the hinges for the big reveal!
Bre says
HA! OK you are cracking me up – lift and separate – I love it! 🙂 Who would have thought to apply that phrase to a china cabinet? 🙂 Anyway, I’m glad this post helped you. Clearly I had no idea how to arrange mine at first either! What a disaster! 🙂
Darla from HeartWork Organizing says
I’m so glad you found your inspiration, and that I could help with some advice. Your china looks lovely. It makes me smile to know that everyday you are enjoying something so beautiful . Thanks for sharing your story.
Bre says
Thanks, Darla! Your post is so helpful! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Newalla L. Renteria says
Very beautiful dishes and what a gorgeous makeover! Could you please tell me how you made the plates stand up without sliding or falling. Also my China sits on glass shelves. Are yours glass as well? Thanks again for being a inspiration to me!
Bre says
Hi Newalla! Thank you for your note! Yes, my shelves are glass as well. They have little grooves at the back where they meet the wall that the plates rest in. That’s how mine don’t fall down. If yours doesn’t have something similar built in, you can buy clear plate stands at a place like The Container Store or Amazon, and that will hold them up just perfectly. Hope that helps and good luck with your organization project! 🙂
Griffin MC says
The white dishes make such a huge difference, such a great update! I really need to get our china cabinet in order, thanks for the inspiration!! Look forward to your dining room reveal in 2017 😉
Griffin
thepinterestedparent.com says
Good Morning. I just wanted to let you know & I hope you don’t mind but, I have nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. You know you have always been one of my favs. The details are on my page. Thanks for the great reads & shares. 🙂
Bre Eggert says
KIM – thank you!!!! That is incredibly kind and thoughtful of you. I really appreciate it! I am honored to have been nominated by you because I find you totally inspiring!!! Thank you so much!
Erica Sooter says
Whoa what a HUGE difference! Just goes to show that sometimes all it takes is to move stuff around a little bit 🙂 nice work!
Bre Eggert says
Thank you, Erica!!! 🙂
making it in the mountains says
That’s crazy! I can’t believe what a difference rearranging things makes! Looks fab Bre!
Bre Eggert says
Thank you, Kristi! I seriously never thought it would make such an impact – I am thrilled!
Breanna Bertolini says
Always down for a free makeover! Such a small adjustment and it looks so much better! Awesome job, Bre!
Bre Eggert says
Hi, Breanna! Thanks so much!!! It is totally shocking to me how it made such a big difference. I wish I would have done it years ago! xo
Nicole Brzuchalski says
Amazing how such a little change makes such a huge difference! Looks great!!!
Bre Eggert says
Hi, Nicole! Thank you!! I know – I seriously was kicking myself for not realizing it needed a makeover earlier! Such a big change. Thanks for your note!
Sharyn Procaccio says
You’ve inspired me! I’m going to put “Reorganizing My China Cabinet” on my to-do list!
Bre Eggert says
Hey, girlfriend!!!! Oh, well I’m happy I gave you some inspiration, but I’m sorry to have added to your to-do list! Hahahaha I hope your reorganization turns out amazing! xo
Seana Turner says
I think it looks terrific. It becomes a piece of decor, instead of simply a storage piece. The contrast of your beautiful china against the wood really makes it pop. I’m a believer in projects like this… and the cost is right!
Bre Eggert says
Hi, Seana! Thank you!!! You are so right, it is now a piece of decor. I seriously cannot get over the difference a little organization made. Thanks for your note!