A collection of shells and coral has been housed in a recessed shelving unit. Image courtesy of Cottage Living Magazine.I often talk about collections and their importance in the decoration of a home. I believe that peoples things should be on display and not hidden away in a cupboard. Collections of things on display within a house add the owners personality to what otherwise is a blank canvas. With that in mind I have compiled a few images to show some ways you can display your collections within your home. Don't be afraid to pull out your grandmother's old china or your mother's old vase as it is special and should be used and not hidden away forever.
I personally like to collect shells, decorative boxes, old crystal & silver perfume bottles and jars, old tea cups & saucers and books just to name a few. I don't tend to display them altogether in a glass cabinet but instead I place them on tables and shelving within my home mixed up with other bits and pieces I have collected over time.
Old Glass bottles above create a pretty display on a dressing table or bathroom vanity. Image courtesy of Bountiful Home.
If you don't have a collection I encourage you to think about what you love and what you would like to have a collection of one day. Some things you might consider to collect are old plates, shells & coral, vases, depression glass, silverware, Christmas ornaments, black & white photographs, pottery, Antique textiles. I would actually like to start collecting old plates as I think it would be so lovely to have a big collection of old mismatched dinner plates and even old mismatched cutlery when setting the table for special dinners.
Mismatched cutlery above via Bountiful Home. Try Ebay or local Antique shops for similar cutlery.
Pretty old teacups above. Image courtesy of Martha Stewart.
Starting a collection is also fantastic for family and friends as it makes it so much easier for them to know what to buy you for Christmas and Birthdays and I must say it makes it lovely for you too as you will receive gifts which you actually love rather than things that might go into the back of a cupboard!!
For a related post topic Kate at Girl Meets Glamour posted a question to her readers earlier this week - What do you collect?
11 comments:
yes, i agree...we are assembling a "mighty" shell collection at our beach house this summer....
I have quite a collection of fine china and teacups in particular that i've collected on ebay over the past few years ( limoge and meissen ) -but don't know how to display them efficiently!! I have one or two out, but always struggle with how to display these.....any ideas??
Great post! I tend to start a lot of collections that never really grow and maybe it's because I haven't found something to collect that I really LOVE.
Tam
lessismorebloggy.blogspot.com
I love your blog and your decorating tips! I learned that I have to say what I like about a picture in a magazine out loud in order to "get" it and I tell people to do the same. For example, why do I like that lamp on that table, well, it's raised on books, and that's what makes it look good here, etc. Otherwise, for me, it doesn't sink in as well. I love collections and showing them all. I collect seashells, salt and pepper shakers, decanters, greeting cards, and I have one wall of portraits of women in our living room (you can see that on my blog in a link under the post, "inspiration comes in black and white" from a few days ago). Maybe I'll post pics of my collections. Thanks for all the info and inspiring pictures.
Did you see the collection of hat molds in the latest issue of Southern Accents? It is truly stunning, hard to believe but true! Unfortunately, the house burned down soon after the photo shoot, and the collection was lost.
Shells are one of my favourite things to collect Wanderlust Woman. I'd love to see your collection when you have gathered it - send me through some pictures!
X
Anna
I collect "interesting" things from all over the world, and like to display them around my home. I have items like Matryushka Dolls from Russia, a marionette elephant from Cambodia, decorative plates from Tunisia and Turkey, Origami from Cambodia, a turtle, shell and mask from Hawaii, a wooden shark from Fiji etc. They show the places we've been, are interesting talking points with the stories of how we got them and give us great reminders when we look at them.
other than the above I also collect Lilac and gold combination fine china and vintage Christian Dior scarfs!
I love the ideas that you've blogged about and the ways to show off great collections!
I love the shelves with the shells. So fresh!
I once got a set of six old blue-glass ink bottles at a car-boot sale. Some are a bit dusty still, some chipped but I think they look so pretty, I put tiny garden flowers in the taller ones. Also, as Bristol (UK, where I'm from) is famous for making blue glass it means more to me. I'd love to have more one day. Amazingly, at this same sale I got an old silver-plate camera that I use for decoration dearby the bottles and a vintage indian Kali pendant that gets a lot of attention when worn :)
Thanks everyone for your fantastic comments. I loved reading what you all collect!
X
Anna
Thank you for your tips!! I also collect several things, some of them not worthy of display.
I also collect shells and keep them in jars, organized per beach and I collect almost everything fleur-de-lys (I do restrain from Made in China versions!
Actually I wrote a couple of weeks ago a post on these collections, hmm, I think I will re-touch it and finally move it from the drafts!
Ferret & Hound Interiors
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