There’s more to this trend than meets the eye
Think back to the paper plates of your childhood and it’s likely that the first thing you painted on them was a face. Happy or sad, the urge to see and create faces is near-universal.
Designers have now turned painted plates into a design thing. Whether they’re wistful, whimsical, pouting or deep in thought, face-on, side-on or staring off into the distance, this is one look everyone’s buying into right now.
As stunning as part of a wall display, as they are propped up on shelves or tabletops, face plates bring their own personality to any room. Alternatively, if glazed to be food-safe, you can use some of these plates in a more practical way – for soulful suppers, dramatic dinners or even a brooding brunch. And of course, afternoon tea is always better when there’s a cheeky smile emerging beneath your slice of cake.
Perhaps what makes the trend so continually popular though, is the range of designs on offer. There’s a decorative plate for every taste – faces made from pared-back brushstrokes, those with bold glazed colours and delicate flourishes of decoration. Plus, as well as instantly recognisable imagery from houses such as Fornasetti and Christian Lacroix, you’ll find independent artisans galore with their own take on the genre, making a face plate the ideal way to discover a new favourite illustrator or designer.
We’ve rounded up six fabulous face plates that would easily take pride of place on any wall or displayed on a dresser. There’s a range of styles, so they’re suited to a number of different interior schemes. Or, if your tastes are more eclectic, we encourage you to mix and match. The eyes may be the window to the soul but you can speak volumes with a face plate.
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Dinner plate, £185, Luke Edward hall x Alex Eagle
Express yourself or let this playful plate do it for you. Part of a collaboration between interior designer and artist Luke Edward Hall and Alex Eagle, each piece captures an expression in striking oxide blue.
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Love Who You Want – ‘Woman’ plate, £38, Christian Lacroix at Amara
Colourful, eye-catching and an easy way to add a splash of opulence to your home, this plate is everything we love about the iconic fashion house.
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Face Facts dinner plate, £30, Carrol Boyes
Whatever you're contemplating, do it with this curiously soothing plate featuring a design from the personal sketchbook of South African artist Carrol Boyes.
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Tropical White Flower plate, £24, Katy Leigh
Who could resist this ethereal face? Hand-decorated by ceramic artist and illustrator Katy Leigh and sourced from Stoke-on-Trent, this is a bone china beauty.
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Face plate, £50, Ella Hookway
Whether you hang it on the wall or use it on the table, this stoneware clay plate's simple linework design is charming.
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Themes & Variations wall plate, £125, Fornasetti at Harrods
The enigmatic face of Fornasetti's operatic muse Lina Cavelieri has now been reinterpreted over 350 times. On this occasion, she's partially veiled in clouds on a porcelain wall plate.
