Selected Publications
Displaying Collections
To Their Best Advantage
by Caroline Millett
Know it or not, almost everyone has a home “collection” or two. After surveying their rooms, even the most modern minimalists can discover a number of similar objects – earthenware pots, kilims, or bits of sculpture. Such objects don’t appear to be collected when they are scattered about, but bring them together, show them off to advantage, and your personal style is revealed.
Those of you who are already committed collectors need little encouragement. Your questions may relate to arrangement or allocation of space. To learn the knack of designing arrangements, you might start by creating a ‘tablescape,’ a still life composed on a tabletop. All you need to do is bring photographs or memorabilia together: they may tell the story of an adventure abroad or the christening of your first child. Using the principles of esthetics (discussed in “Home for Art’s Sake,” Ranch & Cove, March 2002), your tablescape is sure to be successful. This means giving special attention to balance (symmetry), continuity (rhythm), and focus (central attraction). Think of the table as a frame around a work of art.
Using Your Walls
On a larger scale, the walls of your home are the most obvious place to display your collectibles. Before you begin hanging pictures, stop and take a careful look at all the surfaces surrounding you. Do they delight you with harmonious wainscotings and crown moldings? Or are they vast modern masses, sky lit with dancing rays of changing color? Should your interior architecture boast such, use them to advantage when placing your favorite possessions. You may wish to enhance interest with the addition moldings, chair rails, pictures and plate rails, or ornamental brackets (corbels). Free-form shelves are also perfect for showing off objects d’arts, while built-in cabinetry can house all sorts of collections, especially books.
Once your walls are ready, the next step is to gather all pictures and pieces that you wish to display and try laying them out on the floor right in front of the wall on which you are planning to hang them. Or you might prefer to work with a partner who holds up pieces for you to see. Here are some tips for hanging:
- Balance any grouping so that both sides weigh the same visually.
- Plan the placement of each piece so that it can be seen most effectively at eye level when standing, sitting, or lying down.
- Mass small objects, or use them to balance large ones.
- Consider presenting just one very large picture as a room’s only art object. You may wish to prop it on the floor.
- Pay attention to light and color relationships when making selections. Be sure not to display fine art next to mediocre work. (The mediocre will be devastated.)
- Try hanging tapestries, quilts, or banners instead of pictures.
- Experiments with maps wallpaper or children’s drawings matted and framed if you are short of fine art. Select interesting patterns and pictorial motifs, and be sure to mat the frames appropriately.
- See how outdoor things look hanging indoors. Remember, unexpected pleasures are often the most satisfying.
Vital Accessories
Collectibles often fall into the category if ‘accessories’ (an unfortunate term suggesting subordination). To my mind, many so-called accessories are essential to daily comfort, such as coverlets, pillows, and towels. Moreover, organic accessories such as flowers and plants can literally bring a room to life – don’t forget your color scheme, and be sure to choose your containers with care as they make or break a presentation.
If you are not already equipped with a collection of accessories, you might start thinking about pieces that make a personal statement. Allow yourself to be as eccentric as you like. I have one client who collects antique easels. Another collects frontier blankets, and still another, child-sized rocking chairs. And of course, there are always “found objects,” those countless recycled items whose meaning and charm is truly known only to the collector.
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