The Art of Display

After years of being inspired to declutter by Marie Kondo and learning about Swedish death cleaning, guess what is back? Stuff glorious stuff is back!
Yes, having things and collecting is back. Having a home that is warm and inviting is back! In my experience, the problem with collections for the collectors is not the stuff that they collect but finding a way to properly display the collection. You must put time and effort into the art of display just as you put time and effort into finding the items that you collect. Let’s peek into an Orchid model to see how a properly displayed collection can draw the guest into the space and spark interesting conversation as well as make a house feel like a very inviting home somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Define a collection
Let’s define a collection so that we don’t get accused of promoting hoarding. A collection is a specific something such as blue and white ginger jars. These jars can be bought from brand new all the way to ancient jars from the Ming dynasty. Their value can range from twenty-four ninety-nine to twenty-four thousand ninety-nine or higher. The really expensive ginger jars must be hunted and verified for authenticity. Some of my clients collect glass and some of my clients’ collect seashells and coral. Collections are vast and varied but they do not include leftover toilet paper you have been hoarding since the days of Covid.

• Living room
This living room is the former tv room and dining room in the Orchid model. The homeowners have expanded the home and this room became a bar, extra seating, and entertainment area.

• Display cabinet
The large cabinet on the largest wall of the living room was the old TV cabinet. The homeowners are great collectors of things and they combined two homes into one. The large cabinet was converted to a great display cabinet for her collection of coral and shells. Integrated into that collection is some cabbage row and blue and white chinoiserie. The coral and shells provide texture since they are natural and real. The glass items provide shine and interest in contrast to the texture of the shells. The cabbage row and chinoiserie provide color and rhythm to move the eye around the collection.

• Special touches
I love the lamp inside the display cabinet. That look is becoming so popular once again that online retailers are selling bookcase lamps. Check it out if you have bookcases. The addition of lamps can make your bookcase look special too! Also, a watercolor of a duck is paired with a carved wooden duck on the same shelf as the lamp. This will be a talking point because visitors will ask about the ducks and their importance in the display.

• The art
The homeowners are great collectors of art as well as pretty things. The art that was chosen for this space has great meaning to them and all of it has something to do with the ocean. One large oil painting is a Florida landscape on the right side of the display cabinet. While two watercolors of ocean scenes acquired in their travels grace the left side of the display cabinet. Finally, the white console just before the seating area has a painting of a ship that the homeowner once sailed.
All of the art pieces are different but similar in that they express the homeowner’s love of the ocean, and they complement not only each other but the items that are displayed in the cabinet.

• White console
The white console is adorned with a large chinoiserie ginger jar and coordinating lamp which visually ties into the display cabinet. The final piece that is so unique on the white console is a very large clam shell that is filled with greenery to add softness.

• Seating pieces
The seating area in this space has a couch and two chairs that are facing each other. The emphasis is on conversation and visiting so the people can sit across from each other for ease of conversation. The couch and the chairs all have a roll arm with nail head for that traditional and elegant touch. The combination of upholstery and leather is so inviting and rich looking that you want to move into the space and sit down. The large area rug delineates the space and looks so warm. The combination of colors in this space are colors that embrace you and make the space feel and look warm and inviting.

• The lamps
The lamps are blue and white chinoiserie and they coordinate with all the other blue and white in the space. They are classic and will never go out of style.

• The bar
Having a bar for entertainment is always in style and for this space the homeowners had one custom built. They were very thoughtful in their approach to the design. The dark cabinets visually tie into the dark display cabinet and the arch of the upper cabinets visually ties into the arch of the entry way. They wanted a long run of countertop made of white quartz to tie into the white console. Finally, the homeowner did not ignore the gorgeous view and the need to bring the view and light into the space. They found an arched mirror that would fit into the space so that they could have cabinetry and light. When the bar is being used the view can be seen from that space. Each side of the upper cabinetry of the bar has a collection of stemware that twinkles from the beautiful and well thought out lighting illuminating the enclosed cabinets.

• The counter
The counter of the bar has a few very meaningful items tastefully displayed but there is lots of space to make drinks or serve snacks.
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Before and After Pics Below