How to Display Your Collection Like a Decorator
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I don’t really think of myself as a collector.
At least I don’t collect the usual collection-y types of things
like stamps or spoons or baseball cards.
But when I look around my house, I can see that I am a collector:
I collect
deer antlers, (naturally shed, of course!)
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urns,
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geode rocks
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and whiteware pitchers.
Did you know that
if you have three or more of the same type of item,
it’s considered a collection?
Now, I never consciously set out to collect any of these things —
I just liked the way they looked in my decor
so I kept acquiring them and before I knew it,
I had a collection!
So then I needed a strategy
on how to display them
without them looking boring or cluttered.
And I’ve narrowed it down to one simple trick —
the secret to how to display your collection like a decorator is:
BREAK IT UP
That’s it!
Find different ways to visually break up the elements of your collection.
So let’s take my pitchers —
I wanted to have all of them on the buffet in the dining room
but they’re not very interesting or stylish, just sitting there like that are they?
So let’s break them up!
First, we’ll just start with the 2 largest pitchers…
Now, let’s add a different element…
a painted wood pedestal breaks up the pitchers because it’s a different shape and material.
Next, let’s add some color and softness…
The ivy topiary and potted Pothos add a natural, organic feel to the display.
Finally, add in the remaining pitchers.
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Add the medium and smaller pitchers in between the larger ones and arrange them until you have a pleasing display. Remember that odd numbers of elements work better in displays than even numbers.
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Another way to break up a collection is to actually place pieces in different areas in the room.
My geode rocks are on different shelves on different sides of our media wall. And two of them are elevated which makes them more visible and important in the design.
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I’ve also distributed my deer antlers around the room — two are on the bookshelf above
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and another one is on the table behind the sofa.
I broke up my collection of urns by placing topiaries in three of them on my round metal table
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and then I placed the fourth one across the room on the bookshelf.
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John 15:13