I collect the Boyd's Bears Figurines and some other bears, along with candles and I am constantly looking for a new way to display them. Displaying my curios has become a challenge. I have some bookshelves where many of them are displayed, but as I keep purchasing more I need more space. The children have started asking "Where are you going to put that?" So of course I thought of a curios cabinet. What is a curios cabinet? I am glad you asked.
A curio cabinet is a glass cabinet with a metal or wood framework with the sole purpose of displaying your most prized possessions – anything from fine china to your coin collection. Any serious collector owes it to themselves to own a curio. Don’t hide your collection away where no one can see. Instead, put it front and center so that all of your guests can ogle.
So I looked at a wall mounted curio cabinet. It would definitely give me more space on my shelves. It would also allow me to display the figurines and yet help protect them. My shelves are so cluttered right now. My husband sighs when I find a new item for my collection. Yet he is often the one buying me a new piece. I would have to find the perfect place to mount it, and it might take more than one!
I did find a couple that I like at morecuriocabinets.com. Of course there is always the option of a corner curio cabinet. Some of those are really gorgeous. I would want adjustable shelving as my figurines and candles come in varying sizes. And I think I would like one with lighting. Of course by now you know I prefer a dark wood. If I could I think I would choose the Pulaski Medallion Cherry Corner Curio Cabinet pictured below.
I found their history on Curio Cabinets interesting:
"Cabinets especially designed to display curiosities have been around for several centuries. Emerging out of the 1500s during the height of the Renaissance, ‘Wunderkammern’ or cabinets of wonder originally referred to rooms that were designed to showcase the curiosities discovered by scientists, artists, explorers and other enlightened minds of Europe . The treasures they held and the way the curiosities were arranged drew attention to the world in ways never before considered and demanded that the viewer question and rethink the world as they currently perceived it.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as the scientific community became more analytic rather than eclectic, the Wunderkammern were scaled down in size , and adapted to store the special collections of the royal and aristocratic families of Europe that were no longer strictly of intellectual or academic interest. They emerged as pieces of furniture, bulky and oversized. Curio cabinets, as they became known as, were now being used for aesthetic purposes, housing items of interest only to the collector.
Today the same still holds true for the modern curio cabinet. Emerging from traditional methods of cabinetry into mass production, the contemporary curio cabinet is designed to display those items of interest or of value to an individual collector. Curio cabinets, also known as simply curios, are generally made of wood and glass and are available in a variety of furniture styles, from traditional to contemporary.
Designed to address specific decorating needs, there are many different types of curios, from corner curio cabinets to console curios to the taller, more traditional ones. Curio cabinets have a variety of features that enhance its initial purpose of protecting the collectibles displayed inside. Many have mirrors and glass sides in addition to glass fronts so that items on view may be easily seen from all angles. Then can also include an interior lighting system, adjustable glass shelves and locking doors.
Like its predecessor, the modern curio cabinet is all about displaying curiosities of interest to the collector. But unlike earlier Renaissance versions, today’s curios have expanded upon the original purpose of a functional cabinet, adding compartments and features to optimize their storage capabilities."
So if you are in the market for a new curio cabinet, you might want to check them out.
Comments