We have an unusual vintage plate rack in the store today. Two shelves, each with grooves at the back to hold plates in place.
We used a black backdrop to help the plate rack stand out from the furniture behind it; imagine your own wallpaper or wall color behind it.

Plate rack, front view square. Note that two of the horizontal pieces are guard rails. This is a two-shelf plate rack.
In addition, you might want to look at the colors available in the Amy Howard at Home paint line if something other than gray would work better for your space.
You won’t see this kind of construction in newer display units!
Stay tuned–we’ll have some plates for your rack in a future post!