Cake plates have other uses beyond dessert. They come as pretty as your fine china. Here are a few suggestions to give a new look to your home through your plates.

Here we make use of a flat ceramic cake plate from Gourdo’s to show that simplicity always works.

Use it as a plate charger to enhance what’s already a pretty setting. Just like framing a painting or photo, it can be the perfect backdrop.

A tray for tea service. An alternative to the usual silver tray, it is not only a space-saver, but a modern way to present your tea or coffee accoutrements .

Anchor a tabletop tableau by grouping them together on your cake plate. Just as a carpet brings everything together in a room, the different elements draw the eye and bring them toward the central motif.

Take a whiteboard marker and use your plate as a really cool message board on your desk. Prop it up or hang it on the wall, and you won’t need a drab whiteboard anymore.