When you hear the words “display cabinet”, what images does it conjure in your mind? Chances are, there are two very different ideas that come to the forefront. The first is everyone’s darling grandmother with her glass-front cabinets and her beautiful array of antique and vintage dishware. The second would be the envy of any nerd, an array of expensive figurines kept safe behind glass and wood walls.
Display cabinets provide a unique opportunity to combine the storage opportunities of a cabinet with the visual stylings of an open shelf. So, you may be wondering how best to organize your display cabinets. These 7 tips will help you create a striking display out of your storage.
1. Sets and Collections Should Remain Together
The first tip for cabinets on display is that your sets and collections should stick together. If you have a bunch of antique dishware from the same collection, you’d want to have it all displayed in one place, wouldn’t you? The same principle applies to other collections, like books, games, movies, and figurines as well.
Let people marvel at the completeness of your collection, rather than getting lost in a cluttered-looking space.
2. Pick a Color Palette for Your Display Cabinet and Stick With It
If you’re not using your cabinet to display a collection but to style your space, then pick a color palette and try to stick with it. While visual interest within your display cabinet is a good thing, visual clutter and distraction are not.
Above all? Keep your color palette simple. You don’t need to run the entire spectrum to create a visually interesting display. A few select pops of bright color and some metallic or neutral tones will serve the purpose.
3. Let Form Follow Function
If there’s one thing people often forget when they look up display cabinet tips, it’s that form should follow function. If your display cabinet exists only to show off a collection of untouchables, that’s one thing. However, if your display cabinet shows off dishes or other items that you actually use, don’t get so caught up in making it look pretty that you forget to make it accessible and usable.
Keep the plates you use on a regular basis near the front of the display case to make it easier for you to grab them when needed.
4. Keep Your Cabinet Clean
Display cabinets like those sold by www.display-cabinets-direct.co.uk will, by their very nature, involve glass and allow everyone to see into your storage space. This means that they’ll see every speck of dust collected, every smear on the glass, every damaged piece of a collection, every scratch to the wood.
That’s why it’s crucial that you keep your display cabinet clean and dusted on a regular basis. You can have the most meticulous styling in the world, but none of it will matter if your houseguests see dust bunnies.
5. Stick to the Rule of Odds or Threes
The human eye finds odd numbers more striking than even ones. Our brains seem hardwired to seek out symmetry, making it stick out to us when it doesn’t exist. That’s one of the reasons why restaurants tend to plate their food in odd numbers. It draws in the eye and makes people want to eat the food even more since we eat with our eyes.
If you stick to groupings of threes and fives, you will naturally draw a viewer’s attention to your display cabinet and all of your hard-earned collectibles within it.
6. Switch Up Heights and Shapes to Create Visual Interest
Think about the last time that you went to the supermarket. Why is it that endcaps draw your attention so much more than the lines of the same product through the shelves? It’s not the bright colors and large advertisements. No, the endcaps often have the weekly specials and other highlighted products arranged in unique ways, contrasting the shape or height of one item with others near it.
Nothing is more boring to the eye than lines of the same height, the same shape over and over. That’s why it’s easy for our eyes to glaze over when looking at cabinets on display loaded with DVDs or standardized comic books. Aside from the colors, it’s a line of all the same general shape and appearance.
So, if you want to make your display cabinet spark interest, try to organize the items so that you have different heights and shapes near each other to create interest.
7. Let Your Items Have Space to Breathe
If there’s one thing it’s easy to do when organizing a display cabinet (or any cabinet), it’s over-stuff the space. We understand the temptation to shove as much of your collection into the cabinets as possible, to show it all off. However, negative space is just as valuable to the eye as filled.
If you overfill your display cabinets, your space won’t look styled anymore. It will look cluttered, which is never a good look for anyone. Space out your clusters of collectibles. Your guests will appreciate the cleaner view.
Looking for More Display Cabinet Tips and Designs?
Loading up a display cabinet with your favorite cookware or collectibles can be a daunting task, especially when you’re not sure how you want to organize it. However, if you stick to a simple color palette, vary the sizes and shapes of what you have stored in there, and give your items a bit of breathing room, people will love your stylish (and functional) display. (Just make sure that you keep it free from dust bunnies and smears!)
Did you find this article filled with display cabinet tips and tricks helpful? If so, and if you’d like to read more like it, then check out our blog each day for more helpful content like this!
