We’ve all heard it a million times.  Group like things together.  Duh. Collections are like that, they just look good all together.  I’ve had my hutch for years.  And I’ve always had my white dishes in it.  But, they’ve always had other guests as well.  I mean, I know about grouping like stuff together, I do that? Right?

I for one like the idea of mixing up all sorts of stuff together. That’s fun. It was a great way to show off my blue and green ware that I’m sure has a fancy name.  See, I kind of grouped like stuff together.  I know how to do that.  Who cares if I added in more stuff, I still got the group together.

Here I grouped my white dishes together and then sprinkled in a few other pretty things.

Then  I dumped a lot more pretty things, hey, see my white dishes?  They are back there, really.  I group.

I tried all kinds of ideas. And wondered why I never really liked the way my hutch looked.

Then I painted my hutch {by the way have I ever told you how much I HATE the word hutch? The Hutch Back of Notre Dame is all I can think of~can you picture it?  He’s got a huge hutch on his back and has to carry it around with him everywhere….} and as I started really evaluating every item I have before our yard sale, I tried something…

I grouped all of my whites and nothing more.

No mercury glass balls, no blue willow, no photos, no randomness.  Now that it’s been repainted and the back {hutchback?} is simply paint, I was shocked at how stunning my plain white dishes looked all by themselves.   I love all of that other, extra stuff on its own but, I am still amazed at how powerful all of these white dishes are as a group.  Breaking them up with other items seems to take away some of their power and beauty. I’m not saying I won’t add certain items during certain holidays but, this one wall in my house is purposeful, simple and still useful.  I can practically throw any white dish up there and it will look great.

Now I’m looking around my house wondering what other things I can group together for a better impact.  What do you group?

Be sure to visit the other 31 dayers:: Reluctant Entertainer, The Inspired Room, Remodeling This Life, Chatting at the Sky, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, My First Kitchen, Life With My 3 Boybarians, over the next 31 days.