Curio cabinets have become a joy in their own right as they show off your favorite things and souvenirs to friends and family, keep all your beloved treasures in one place to admire in everyday surprises, or keep your 5-year-old's birthday present in one place. From the ages, preserve a growing collection of porcelain dolls...
Curio cabinets began as places to keep curios – defined in the dictionary as curious or unusual objects of art or knickknacks and perhaps worthy of collecting because of their oddity. This definition could, of course, include silver spoons from Alaska, all manner of wedding and christening, crystals, face masks from Africa, and possibly even shrunken heads from the Amazon of Ecuador and Peru.
Nowadays, however, you can use a curio cabinet for just about anything:
Show off your family's sporting interests by displaying your son's bowling trophies next to your husband's autographed baseballs.
- Your priceless family heirlooms - e.g., Grandma's turquoise and silver comb, Grandpa's golden pen, Mother's old sapphire brooch you wore on your wedding day, and a photo of your son's first child.
— or perhaps, protect the brass alto saxophone from the dust and grime you know you'll learn to play one day in your retirement years.
But how do you choose the curio cabinet that's right for you? Ask yourself the following questions below and find out how.
Tips on How to Choose a Curio Cabinet
1. The first question you should ask when buying a curio cabinet is: What kind of curiosity would I put in it? Suppose it's a tall brass alto saxophone. In that case, you'll need to get a tall, traditional curio cabinet with fitted glass doors to keep dust out and removable glass shelves to make room for your favorite musical instrument. Is required.
2. How much light is there in the place where you will put your curio cabinet? Is it full of sunlight, or is it in a dark corner of the house? If the latter is the case, you need an illuminated cabinet to illuminate the corner and provide accent lighting to your display.
3. How ample is the space you have for your curio cabinet?
- Is the space high and wide enough? Then you might want to get a traditional, dark cherry curio cabinet with generous measurements of 44W x 17D x 79H inches.
- If narrower, a more contemporary Curio cabinet might be better, with practical urban living measurements of 24W x 12D x 76H inches.
- If the family room or den is low and wide, a golden oak console curio cabinet measuring 56W x 13D x 30H inches is probably all you need.
If a corner is angled, you'll want a Curio cabinet that can be comfortably placed in a corner and probably measures about 28W x 16D x 72H inches.
4. The second question to ask is - do you want to match the look of your curio cabinet with the other furniture in the room?
- If you want to maintain a traditional look, you may want to choose from gorgeous old-fashioned designs with beveling, hand-carved details, and dark wood finishes.
– If the room is contemporary, you might want the clean lines and light wood finish of a more urbanized curio cabinet with lots of mirrors and glass.
5. What kind of wood or non-wood do you prefer?
- If affordability is a consideration and you don't mind the look of MDF or engineered wood, you can opt for a Curio cabinet made from hard-pressed particleboard and topped with wood veneer or laminate. Huh.
- If you think a solid wood curio cabinet sounds like a good investment, you should get a curio cabinet made from the more popular oak or maple - hardwoods that can only gain character and charm as they age Is.
6. And last but not least, what is your budget?
- Are you ready to sell a Louis XV-inspired Pulaski Curio cabinet for $2000 so you have a great accent piece that can change the feel of your entire living room?
- Or do you want a simple wall curio cabinet - one you can get on eBay for $20 to house your dog figurine collection?
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