A beautiful curio cabinet is a great addition to your home. The background look of the case mixed with the symmetry of the collection can make an aesthetically inviting showcase for any room in your home. But arranging them is sometimes a challenge. Read on to know some useful tips on how to arrange a curio cabinet to create a perfect display.
Curio cabinets are perfect for displaying your favorite items while taking up a minimal amount of space. To add some visual interest and prevent a cluttered look, grouping items while playing up with variety among your collectibles is a great idea.
What is a Curio Cabinet?
There are different types of curio cabinets and different ways to style them. There are the so-called contemporary curio cabinets and traditional curio cabinets. Most of them are tall and narrow, except for antique curio cabinets, which are wider. Curios come in all shapes and styles, and typically have glass shelves, mirrored backs, and doors on the front or side. Some curios have interior lighting and adjustable shelves, and extra storage drawers, too.
You can put these stylish glass cabinets anywhere, depending on what you plan on using one for. Curios that display dishes can look beautiful in the dining room or living room while display cabinets for porcelain figurines work well in a bedroom. But, it is a plus factor if you know how to arrange a curio cabinet creatively.
Things Displayed in a Curio Cabinet
Curio cabinets display everything beautifully through its glass, from the most extravagant to the simplest. The common items that are usually put in curios are listed below:
- Unique travel mementos
- Small antiques
- Sculptures
- Figurines
- Vintage books
- Family heirlooms
- Pieces of jewelry
- Mineral stones
- Fossils
- Collectibles
- Antiqus
- Dishes
- Vases
- Drinking Glasses
- Artwork
- Framed Photos
- Porcelain Figurines
- Model Cars
The items you choose for curio display and storage will change the whole look of it. You will find more antiques, collectibles, and porcelain figurines in traditional curios, while monochromatic or bold artwork and vases are usually found in contemporary curios.
Useful Tips in Arranging a Curio Cabinet
Use Symmetry
Traditionally, curio cabinets held the displays of stacked symmetrical dishes carefully. It is the solution if you love the classical look. However, if you’re more into extensive styles, you can create a truly beautiful look by alternating the colors, shapes, or styles on each shelf of your cabinet.
In learning how to arrange a curio cabinet, how you display your items depends on the type of look you’re up to. A more traditional look will focus on working from back to front in symmetrical designs, but for something eccentric and fun, you can do away with the symmetry and think of each shelf as its unique frame.
Arrangement by Measurement
When it’s time to display items, choose a curio cabinet according to the size of the items you collect. You may purchase or make a customized curio cabinet according to the biggest items. Because you won’t want a tall vase or wide fruit bowl to appear squeezed in, go for some extra inches for visual comfort.
Place bunched fabric like black or navy velvet on the shelves to give rich contrast to clear glass or pale-colored collection, white or silver satin would make dark items come to life. Use glass or acrylic props, blocks, and stands on which to display the small crystal things so they won’t get lost when grouped with larger collectibles. It’s a good recommendation on how to arrange a curio cabinet.
Smallish Ideas
Collections and decorations are born from personal style and interests. Depending on how you like it, you may want to fill a small or medium-sized curio with a collection of rocks, model cars, glass figurines, or miniature dolls. If you want a green theme, add anything from a bunch of jade grapes to emerald-colored Christmas ornaments.
For a medley effect, decorate the display unit with a variety of your favorite mini things, from tiny, framed photos to vintage mementos. If you want to give small items interest, set them on children’s wooden blocks, velvet ring boxes or some shapely shells, or attach cup hooks under shelves to hang things, if you got teacups or vintage bracelets.
Extensive and Mass Ideas
A variety of sizes adds interest to your curio display. Include a larger item on each of the shelves for balance. So the pieces won’t appear visually lopsided, alternate the placement of big items along each shelf at the middle and side to side.
Some large collectibles that are appealing include vintage hardcovers, antique lunchboxes or toys, and memorabilia equipment. You can group midsize items in threes for balance and display small trinkets by sitting or hanging them on some weathered driftwood, willow branches, or a stack of tattered old books, so they don’t appear lost.
Arranging a Varying Collection
The beauty is in the mix when you play an arrangement game with curio cabinets. They display a range of sentimental items and serve as a safe storage solution for anything of value, especially those with a story to tell. You should put items in your curio cabinet a little more orderly. You can also arrange your items in small groups or organize collections by year, style, or theme.
Stacking some books with a small item on top will provide varying heights. Your collections will also look good when there are overlapping objects that give density and varying heights. It is quite fulfilling to know how to arrange a curio cabinet in your home.
Conclusion
On having a curio cabinet as a home for your collectibles, you sometimes find yourself wondering how to use it to achieve its best advantage. It’s easy to put your collectibles in it, but a simple and creative arrangement can make it stand out.
It’s nice to see a creatively arranged collection of your valuable things in a curio cabinet. It makes a safe place for them, making it easy to tell every story behind each item. Hopefully, you have learned the artistic ways on how to arrange a curio cabinet. Aside from adding beauty to your homes, they also nourish the potential decorator in you. Know more about cabinets.