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First order of business...a little collection eye candy!
Gorgeous! Yeah, I needed a dose of that. Next up, let's get some definitions out of the way.
What exactly IS a collection?
Two or more of something you deliberately gather and keep is a collection. (Incidentally, a single item is called a specimen.)
Some people will argue that a collection is three or more items, but I'll throw down over that claim. There are a lot of things that are super rare, expensive or hard to find. If you manage to find and collect two of them, don't let anyone tell you it's not a collection. Got two moon rocks? Collection. Got two ice mummies? Collection! Got two antique roller coasters in your backyard? Co-flippin-llection baby!! And if mummy-girl or roller-coaster-guy get to claim a collection with two items, so do the rest of us, and I will die on that hill.
Okay, so then what is clutter?
Well, that's a bit harder to answer, but necessary if you don't want your collections to tip over into clutter. There's a fine line actually. Here's a little visual to help.
THIS is clutter...
THIS is a collection...
Both of these spaces have quite a lot going on visually and are really full of "stuff". And both spaces contain collections of gathered items. But when we look at these pictures one just feels like clutter while the other feels more like a curated museum display.
But why is that? What makes clutter feel like clutter? Let's break it down.
The first thing that separates clutter and a collection is INTENTION. Accumulating is not the same thing as collecting. For example, that pile of junk mail on your countertop sure as heck isn't a collection. You may have more than two pieces, and they may have been hanging around for a while, but I'm guessing you never intended to collect them! Collections are things you save because they bring you joy, spark an interest, are useful for study or comparison, or have sentimental or aesthetic value. Clutter does not elicit these feelings or serve these purposes. In fact it often elicits negative emotions. If you look back at the picture of clutter above you can see some of the piles appear to have just accumulated.
Secondly, clutter is made up of things that don't have a DESIGNATED PLACE or are not in their designated place. Look back at that photo again. There are a lot of intentional collections there, but they tip into clutter because of the way they are stored or displayed. Stuffed in boxes and under chairs, stacked against the wall and bookshelves, tacked to the wall haphazardly and scattered across surfaces, even the most carefully chosen collection will just look like junk. Make your collection look like something you care about, something you value enough to give it a permanent, and carefully chosen space in your home.
Lastly, clutter is disorganized whereas collections display some form of ORGANIZATION. Grouping items gives them more visual weight and therefore more implied importance. It also lets our brain compartmentalize and process them as a whole rather than as individual pieces, establishing a feeling of order rather than chaos.
Ok, time for another eye candy break...
Ah. That's better. Now we can move on.
Ok, now you've intentionally gathered a collection and would like to display it. Where do you start?
1. Lay out your collection/s in one space so you can begin grouping items asking yourself the following questions:
Question 1- What common element do I want to capitalize on?
Will it be a physical characteristic such as shape, color, or material? Will it be item type, subject matter, function or provenance? Every collection should be displayed around a common element. The items in the images below are arranged by material , item type, color and subject respectively.
Sometimes items will overlap two collections or collections will relate to each other in some way. In that case you could display the collections together to increase their visual impact. Look at the picture below. See how the ceramics and the sea life relate to each other by color? Grouping them together makes sense visually and creates a more interesting display.
Question 2- What do I want my collection to DO?
Of course you always want your collection to look attractive and be interesting, but it can also serve a larger purpose in your space. Will your collection be functional, create a mood or tell a story, fill an empty space, add color or form? Let's look at some examples so you can gather ideas.
Following are examples of functional displays. These are items that already have a function, but displaying them in a group adds visual interest, accessibility, and in the case of the vintage tins, much needed storage.
You can also use your collections to create functional items like in the next few images. These are pretty creative ideas that allow a collection to be displayed and be useful.
What if you don't need your collection to do any actual work? Maybe it can just set a mood or tell a story about you or your space. Look at the following two collections. What story do they tell or mood do they create? The vintage bathing suits tell the story of a coastal home with a fun, kitchy vibe, while the anatomical curiosities reflect more of an academic space with a bit of a moody feel to it.
Perhaps you just have a big empty space to fill and your collection seems just the thing to banish the boring. Great! That's an excellent use for a collection. Check out these great installations that really took advantage of the available space and added a ton of interest to blank boring walls.
2. Designate a space.
Ideally you want the space to be able to accommodate your entire collection and show it off to it's best advantage (i.e. close up, from far away, from above, below or straight on). You also need to take into account how fragile your collection is and whether you can protect it properly in the space you choose. Think about who comes in and out of your rooms, what activities happen there and the presence of children or pets. If your collection is incompatible with any of those things, find a different space. Also consider your ability to access your collection for cleaning in the future. Here are some ideas for spaces to display your collection.
Of course WALLS and SHELVES will always be solid options.
But that's not the only place to display your collections. Use your FLOORS or CEILINGS.
Use any SURFACES you have as long as it doesn't impede use of the room or key pieces of furniture.
Running out of space? Consider using DEAD SPACE, such as over a door, on top of a tall piece of furniture, in an architectural niche or on the high wall of a vaulted space.
Don't have room inside? Take your collection OUTSIDE if you can!
3. Decide on an arrangement.
This can be the trickiest part because it involves creating a pleasing visual composition which just takes a little bit of futzing. To get this right, keep in mind the following principles:
You are looking for overall balance, not necessarily symmetry. Unless you have a large number of items, odd numbers feel more balanced i.e. 3,5,7,9. Sometimes if an even numbered grouping doesn't look quite right, removing one can make it feel more balanced.
Think about size, shape, color, height and other characteristics of your items and use them to group and balance the composition across the collection.
Don't be afraid to move things around and try something different if it's not working. Often moving things around can lead to the perfect placement.
If you're hanging a collection on the walls or ceilings, decide on an arrangement before making any nail holes. Try laying your collection out on butcher paper first, then tracing around items and transferring the paper's marks to the wall to ensure you get it right.
If you intend to add to your collection in the future it's a good idea to leave some space between or around pieces for that purpose.
If you have a very large or seasonal collection, feel free to keep some of it in storage and rotate pieces out for display. It can be nice to refresh your environment every once in a while and this is a perfect way to accomplish that.
Have fun with it! You are never married to anything you do in your home so don't feel like you have to take it so seriously.
You now have all the tools you need to make your collection shine. Go make it happen so you can start enjoying the view, and if this article helped you, pass it on to someone else who needs it!
If you would like to see more Interior Design Inspiration head over to my Portfolio for a little eye candy, or Shop My Style for great products and ideas.
If you need more assistance pulling a look together for your own space, you can read more about what I offer on my Services page.
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