Collectables come in all sorts of their brilliant diversity. A true collector holds a special place in his or her heart for each part of his assemblage, and even the tiniest of treasures deserves a little space for showing off. After all, what’s the point of collecting if you don’t put your valuables on display? Collectors are special kinds of artistic, sentimental hoarders, and being one is as much of a lifestyle as it is a hobby. Transforming your home into a perfect museum for all of your figurines, travel souvenirs or super-hero memorabilia can be messy business, and there are some things you should know before hiring a decorator. In order to avoid the clutter, here are some chic ideas you can experiment with.
Foundations & Style
Since pretty much every collection implies a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, having perfect color contrast is an imperative. Patterns on walls and furniture are extremely difficult to pair with such displays, so try to go plain when choosing the base. Although styles like bohemian or eclectic are also full of details, there is another one that will fully compliment your love for relics. Mysterious curiosity cabinet chic resembles the eccentric cabinets of crazy scientists, and makes a matchless choice for your amazing character. This style has two recognizable color foundations – one implies plane white walls, and adds that clean, laboratory look to the chosen space, and the other one, soaked in deep, dark hues, offers a touch of detective novel mystery. Both options will emphasize every showpiece, and hold the eye on the entire collection.
A Story Behind the Exhibition
Collecting remembrances means having an endless love for details. However, elaborate your exhibition is, its cohesion is important, and your collection has to have a theme and a story to tell. In order to achieve that, you should remember two things. First, the showcase should be placed somewhere unexpected, and still fuse with its surrounding. Opposite the furniture, it should be a statement piece, or a curio to put some edge in the room décor. Next, create categories of presentation, like in museum exhibitions. If you collect a lot of different trifles, try pairing them in a unique, interesting way, so they can somehow be connected with each other. Find a repeatable motif through which you will band separate displays together. That way, your home tour can be an exciting trip through your life, interests and passions.
Cabinets, Shelves and Cupboards
A display cabinet is the soul of this style, and every museum house should have at least one as a centerpiece. Whether you choose a traditional cabinet or an open shelf, you should always consider colors, material, and lighting. When it comes to the choosing the tint, the rules are pretty much the same as for walls and the rest of the furniture. Try to avoid multi-colored parts, or keep the colors in the same range. A fine trick is to dye the inside slightly darker to give the cabinet some optical depth. Dark wood is always the most sophisticated choice of material, whichever style you pick. For lighting, install invisible, muffled led lamps. Also, think about all-glass chests that will give your collection a presentable showcase, and make the museum look more literal.
Flat Surfaces and Mantelpieces
There are so many things worth collecting, and collections go way beyond rare butterflies and porcelain dolls. Life’s little trinkets are priceless, and all of them deserve a place on your mantelpiece. Music concert tickets can be framed and hang above it. Antique photographs of your grandparents, your parents’ polaroids or paintings of your family members and pets are the most valuable trophies, and all of them make an emotional voyage to the past. A beautiful way of making your kids’ baby shoes or other memories visible on a flat surface is by arranging them inside of an apothecary jar or a simple bell jar. It’s a one of a kind, modish way to single those tokens of family love out of their surroundings and make them the heart of your collector’s home.
A Wall Gallery
Some of your trouvailles are certainly wall pieces, and their rareness should be honored with a perfect gallery display. Plane, spacious walls make a great foundation for
