Guest Picks: Inspiring Display Ideas
A beautifully shaped glass vase — like the classic Savoy vase by designer Alvar Aalto — offers versatility to a table display. Flowers, pebbles, bangles, lemons, dried branches — whatever the season or mood, it's an everchanging addition to your home decor.
A sculptural stool makes an offbeat display surface for a collection of vintage books and two wicker core spheres from West Elm.
A great example of thinking outside the box — this Ikea dresser can be used as both display surface and buffet.
Displays don't have to have a lot of items to be effective — a charming vintage farm stool like this one and a glass jug with a dried branch complement each other beautifully.
This lovely hand-turned owl figurine, in solid sustainable walnut with white detail by English designer Matt Pugh, would look great either on its own or grouped with other simple objects.
A pretty vignette from Ferm Living's Spring 2011 catalog contrasts strong sculptural ceramics with a delicate flowering branch.
Add drama and texture to a table display with this natural-looking coral sculpture from Clayton Gray — made of resin, it looks just like the real thing.
This collection of vintage West German vases from the shop Amsterdam Modern combines rich textures with subtle forms and tones.
For ideas on how to display offbeat objects, I like to visit the wonderful Etsy shop Hindsvik. It sells great vintage pieces — like the industrial metal work table and early typewriter shown here — that are always beautifully photographed.
The striking Felt Eggflat sculptural tabletop piece by designer Josh Jakus is a great way to display a variety of small or delicate objects in a modern way, such as jewelry or vintage matchbooks.
This image shows how collection displays can be layered in small spaces — a low table of interesting vases is placed in front of stacks of books on a window ledge.
A strongly sculptural item like this Atomo ceramic candle holder by designer Jaime Hayon is perfect for a mid-century modern home display, where graphic shapes are preferred. I can see this placed in front of a great graphic print.
This photo from the Australian shop Great Dane shows that displays can be tucked into unexpected corners, such as a shelf by the bed.
Displays can be stacked to add height and interest — particularly effective in a small space. These horse bookends from West Elm are more interesting at different heights and angles than if simply placed back to back.
Any one of these charming wooden dolls by Alexander Girard would be a wonderful way to add color to a collection, whether perched on a book or two or displayed with pottery.
You don't need to have valuable items to make a great display. This bit of vintage architectural salvage from Bird in Hand on Etsy shows just how great weathered wood can look.
A great way to display small items is in a larger grouping of objects, as with the corks in this candle holder from Haus Interiors. Find more guest blogger product picks here
This stunning set of 12 white ceramic bottle vases by Sara Paloma on Etsy is an instant display — but a similar effect can be achieved by grouping objects of the same color.
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