Collections or Clutter?

Everyone collects things as a kid—stickers, baseball cards, stamps—but as we get older, either the items change to reflect a new aesthetic or the collections grow in size and value. But what makes the difference between a tasteful and well-curated collection and a room or house that looks like it’s straight from an episode of Hoarders?

The difference between a bunch of stuff and a beautiful collection is all in the presentation. How to display small items in a home is a big problem for a lot of collectors. Collections can take over a room or, in a worst case scenario, a whole house.  This mistake is compounded when the collection is of a mid-sized thing like figurines, pottery or books.  Somehow when a collection is of a dozen ducks from 8-12″ tall, you’re likely to find them scattered here and there, singly and in pairs, around the house.  Gather all the pieces of the collection in one place and evaluate the strength and interest of each piece. 

Another clever solution is to give a neutral-colored collection a colorful backdrop. On their own, the white vessels pictured on the right might induce a yawn. But group them together against green-painted shelves and their forms pop and become interesting.

Of course, shells are beautiful the problem is they can have a "been there, done that" look if they are simply lined up on a shelf or (worse) stacked in a bowl. Use small display stands to turn shells (and other natural wonders) on end and elevate them. They go from dust collectors to sculpture in one easy move.

A collection of vintage bottles works perfectly on a large windowsill.  Casually group like colors and make sure there are a bunch of different sizes for an unfussy look. Bonus- the light streaming through these bottles will brighten up the whole room.

Don’t hide beautiful platters or serving dishes in kitchen cabinets! Instead group them together and display them on kitchen shelves. Not only are they easier to access, it creates a great focal point in the kitchen.

Edit ruthlessly if necessary and just place your best pieces – all in one place…… one or two tabletops, or throughout one bookshelf.  If the collection is of small items, gather and anchor them together on a tray.  If the collection is of oversized items, group them in pairs or trios and place judiciously around the room.  If it starts to feel like a store, edit some more.