16 Ways to Showcase Your Collections
Tell a story [1]
Put the past in front of you. Frame covers from your children's favorite storybooks—or your favorite playbills—and hang them for inspiration above a writing desk.
Spotlight collected pieces [4]
An heirloom hutch (or one picked up for a song at the local flea market and revived with a coat of paint) adds an air of history to your home, especially when it holds your favorite collections. Use it like a mini gallery to evoke favorite memories and infuse a room with color. To ensure harmony, group your treasures by hue.
Vanity will out [7]
An antique vanity is a pretty setting for vintage jewelry, perfume bottles, mirrors or any other beauty accessory.
Hang it up [10]
Let the items in the collection determine the method of display. Here, a collection of antique street signs still hangs high, this time grouped in one frame.
Big and bright [13]
Old game boards and folk art pieces brighten simple shelves constructed with openings large enough to accommodate these graphic elements.
Period appropriate [16]
Bauer pottery from the 1930s-50s mingles with pieces of similarly shaded pottery on a period-perfect end table.
Suitable framing [19]
This collection of majolica surrounds a simply framed mirror, doubling the impact of the subtle shades.
Stirring collection [22]
Tumblers hold a vast collection of swizzle sticks. State souvenir glasses are the perfect containers for these inexpensive travel mementos.
Fun function [25]
Rocking choppers fill an old-fashioned wood bowl on a butcher-board counter. Antique kitchen implements are a natural fit for the kitchen, especially when grouped in a period-appropriate container.
Let it shine [28]
Blenko art vases shine in front of glass block windows. Any collection of glass looks even more lovely with sun streaming through it.
Dispense with mess [31]
Marbles, bouncy balls, tiny kid's toys. Corral hard-to-contain items in a device sized for the job, such as this gumball dispenser.
Double impact [34]
Shelves in front of a mirrored wall hold a horde of purses, making both sides of the pieces easy to admire.
Suitable setting [37]
Vintage children's watering cans get a shelf along a fence in the garden. Maybe you have terra-cotta pots or birdbaths that deserve the spotlight in your yard.
Perfect placement [40]
There is nowhere more appropriate for a collection of old oil cans than on a nice shelf in the garage! Put your collection in the room where it belongs.
Pegged it [43]
Pegboard has always been perfect for hanging tools. Use it to display a collection of tools of your favorite craft—sewing, knitting, etc.—or, as pictured here, the signs of your hobby.
Back to nature [46]
Duck decoys and framed leaf prints fill the wall with earthy decor in this nature-inspired room.