Thinking About Charger Plates…

Wandering the aisles in our ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of a warehouse I realised what a fantastic collection of charger plates we have for hire! Light bulb moment, and I know what I want our next blog post to be about…

Charger plates have been used for a couple of hundred years in England and Scotland but came into fashion more recently in the 1990’s and are sometimes called ‘Service Plates’. The term ‘Charger Plate’ comes from a 13^th Century English word ‘chargeour’ which meant large platters, and it now refers to the base setting plate on a dining table. They are never used for food but instead are a practical and aesthetic addition to your table décor, keeping the tablecloth clean whilst offering almost endless creative opportunities to personalise your dining set up.

Below are a few of the charger plates we have available at Prestige and, hopefully, just a bit of inspiration for anyone in need!

I’m going to start with our Coloured Glass charger plates which have lovely vivid hues and are great for creating eye catching table styling. Try setting the charger plate with white crockery and a bold complementing napkin shade for maximum impact. For a more subtle look the clear glass is perfect and is able to complement any colour scheme you could think of!

Next are our acrylic base charger plates which are leafed in gold, silver, soft pink or black and are a stylish and cost effective option able to complement and contrast beautifully with your table décor. I’ve chosen our acrylic Gold Beaded Charger Plate here and placed it with warm tones and soft textures.

Our next offerings are glass charger plates but these ones are a bit different. At first glance they look to be made from metal but these beautiful plates actually have a delicate layer of glass overlaying the textured patterned metal and they reflect light to dramatic effect. These stunning Pavone Chargers are available in gold and silver and we are absolutely loving playing around styling them! Go all out gold for pure opulence or, as we have done here bring on that festive feeling with seasonal styling and colours – love the rich Blazer Linen as a back drop for that gold!

Or, create a softer look with greys and more neutral pastels.

Our Natural Slate Chargers are up next, perfect for rustic styling and looking great against this natural wood grain. Create a unique look with plenty of impact placing this dark grey base to contrast with plenty of green florals and natural tones.

(Image by Evoke Pictures Lifestyle)

Moving on and it’s all about Beaded Glass Charger Plates. These are so versatile and are available with gold, silver, clear or rose-gold beaded edging. Endless possibilities await when you consider the number of ways you could style these plates but here are just a few ideas:

Bring out the warmth of the Glass Gold Beaded chargers with complementing Prestige Gold cutlery and set it against crisp white wedding décor or, as I have chosen here, the beautiful wood grain of our Rustic Tables. Pick out gold highlights in your styling accessories and add plenty of green and white florals for a classically elegant look. A hint of pink petals to echo the Rose-Blush napkin finishes the look nicely.

If it’s a White Wedding you’re thinking of then maybe the Clear or Silver Glass Beaded chargers will work best! I’ve chosen a slightly vintage style here with patterned tablecloth and our lovely shaped Dubarry Cutlery. White florals and fresh greens complete this classic setting.

Create a warm, soft textured look with blush rose as your inspiration and set the Rose Gold Charger plates against Rose-Blush Linen. Complete the look with soft materials and florals bringing in those pink tones again to tie it all together.

(Image by Evoke Pictures Lifestyle)

I couldn’t resist bringing some soft grey texture and bright colours into our white wedding styling as well for a more informal splash of summer colour!