I came across a creator on Instagram who had created a collaged plate wall with faux food on it and I became obsessed. I went down the rabbit hole from there. Headley House on Instagram had been inspired by an Architectural Digest image on December 1st that they shared of a home with a gorgeous ceramic plate wall filled with ceramic food. The original wall art was created by an Italian company called Este Ceramiche. They’ve been making decorative faux food Trompe L’Oeil plates for over 75 years. I love them so much because they are so whimsical and fun! Who doesn’t need a little whimsy in their life? I know I do! Some day I would love to own one of their original works of art. Until then, I am going to have to take some inspiration from both resources and create my own! Some of these foods do look incredibly hyper-realistic so make sure to keep out of reach of pets and kids so they don’t take a bite out of them!
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Finding Faux Food and Vintage Plates
I found faux food at the craft store and already had a collection of vintage plates. If you don’t have any, new plates can be used or sourced from the thrift store. Some of the plates I have saved because they were so gorgeous and some were no longer safe to eat off of. You can read more about what to know about vintage dishes before eating off of them here. Faux food can be found at the craft store, on Etsy, or even faux food on Amazon. While you can buy pre-made faux food plates already put together right on Etsy, you can also buy faux foods as well or make your own. That might have to be another post. Find pre-made food and plate wall hangers here.
Supplies for Creating a Faux Food Decorative Plate Wall
-Vintage or new plates
-Multi-purpose glue
-Faux food
-Plate wall hangers
Prep the Plate and Adhere the Hanger
Before gluing your faux food on, make sure to clean the plate completely and remove any dirt or oils on the front or back. Once dry, Adhere the plate hanger on the back of the plate. This will be easier than doing it after the food is glued on. While there are many kind of plate hangers including ones that grip the top and bottom with a metal piece and those that stick on the back, I am using some hold school hangers that are from England. I’ve used them for years and work really well as long as you follow the directions exactly.They also don’t damage the plate and can be removed later.
Glue the Faux Food on the Vintage Plate
Once you have your faux food there are many kinds of glues and adhesives you can use. I like to use Welbond, because it’s not stinky and works on a variety of surfaces. The drawback is it does take longer to dry, so patience is needed.
Glue the faux food on where the item has the most contact with the plate. Make sure to remove any glue while it’s still wet otherwise it won’t come off later.
Hang Your Faux Food Vintage Plate Wall Art
Once the glue is cured and dry, it’s time to hang your wall art! I just made a few. Even though the images i’ve seen have walls of collaged plates, it’s OK to just do a few here and there! Anything that adds a little fun is ok.even though it’s gorgeous, it doesn’t have to be a big thing.
I added the faux doughnut and strawberries and cherries plates near my coffee station, and the plate with the faux pears and cheese in my dining room.
This faux food plate was fun to make because I carefully cut the pear to create a slice and the cheese wedge is actually a painted round sponge I made!
You can have so much fun with this project and create some fun and creative home decor in just an afternoon!
