One of the joys of owning a collection is having at least part of it on display. So, what is the best way to show off your favorite collectibles?
Display shelves for collectibles can be pieces of furniture or shelves hung on the wall. Whether wall display units will work depends first on the weight of the collectibles to be displayed. You must be careful to make sure any wall shelves are firmly attached to the studs behind the wall to prevent accidents or disaster. For heavy collectible, wall mounted shelves may not be an option at all and the shelving units selected to display them must be actual furniture to prevent disaster.
One especially made shelves for collectibles is the vitrine. This piece of furniture has three sides of glass so the contents can be seen from nearly all the way around. Some even have a mirror on the back so all sides of the items in it can be seen without taking them out, and lights to allow better examination of the objects without without having to remove them. Preventing handling is another function of enclosed shelving like a vitrine. By having the objects enclosed entirely in the furniture, the message “hands off” is subtly reinforced.
Other furniture shelving units may not have the sides enclosed with glass, but with the opaque material the shelving unit is made from. These collector’s cabinets may have glass doors on the front or be open. More useful shelving units of this kind will have adjustable shelves so the collector can set the shelf distance as needed. Unfortunately, the adjustability hardware does take a little away from the beauty of the shelves as furniture, but it does make them more useful to the collector.
The depth of shelf you need to display your collections depends of the larger pieces in the collection. Those that are over nine inches in length or width will require deeper shelves than a collection where the largest piece is six by six by whatever height. There seems to always be one or two oversize items in a collection that won’t fit in the shelves you bought to display the collection, and for which other arrangements are needed. Perhaps the largest items can safely reside on the top of the shelves, or the largest pieces may need to be displayed on a table and not on the shelves.
For light weight collectibles, wall shelves may be the best way to display them. Wall shelving allows you more options on where the collection can be displayed as floor space is not required. Therefore the display can be placed over a couch or chair, or in the kitchen, where floor space is at a premium. Wall shelves can be held up by brackets for shelving or by floating shelf brackets. The floating shelves usually look pretty modern, so the type of collectible may dictate using shelves with shelf brackets instead of floating shelves to fit the time period or style of the collection.
Decorative shelving can enhance the display of a collection, especially if it complements the objects on display in style. Be careful, however, that the shelving unit does not overwhelm or contrast with the collection. Ornate porcelain pieces on glass floating corner shelves are likely to look like they are going to fall and like an elaborate wedding cake surround by fortune cookies. Both are good, but having them together is a little strange. Decorative shelving in an oriental style with oriental pieces, on the other hand, share style details and look quite good together.
When considering shelves for collectibles, consider the range of sizes involved in the collection, the depth of shelf needed, the possible height requirements of the shortest and tallest member of the collection, and the overall style and period of the pieces. Then choose furniture or wall-mounted shelves for displaying your favorite items and enjoy looking at them every day.
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