Summer is just around the corner and it's a great time to think about adding white plates to your kitchen for a spark of fresh style. Simple white dishes are perfect for casual weekday dinners as well as weekend suppers served straight off the grill. For people that have just completed a kitchen remodel, it's a great opportunity to freshen up your style with stacks of crisp, white plates.

The shelter magazines and interior design blogs sing the praises of white dishes year-long, and often feature white plates and serving pieces as a decorative element. Not only are white plates practical and versatile for dining, they are often used throughout the home as accessories. In recent years, decorators have drawn on the style by placing collections of old ironstone and ceramic platters in modern kitchens to add visual warmth. A unique look for an updated kitchen is to duplicate the old Swedish style of using white plates and having platters hanging on the wall.

If you are remodeling or making some cosmetic updates to your kitchen, you may have chosen open shelving or glass front cabinets for your space. White plates are dynamite when shown off this way and can instantly make the space appear larger. While there is a range of white dishes to choose from to display, it is worth noting that pieces are often over-sized and may pose a potential problem when it comes time to fit them in your new kitchen cabinets. Measure the depth of the cabinets before you buy and be sure to allow yourself time to check out variances in shape and style. If the classic heavy white dinner plates are your thing, you can usually find them sold individually as staple items, which allows you to add to your collection, as needed.

Keep in mind, you can always shake it up by adding in solid-colored cotton or brightly- striped linen napkins or decorative placemats for a little extra fun--playing around with these small variations can make even your grilled cheese dinners look a little fancy. Not only are they the chic choice for today's new kitchens, but white plates are an invitation to be creative and perhaps most importantly, food just looks better on them! What other way could there be to serve the season's fresh fruits and vegetables than on the perfection of a white plate?