Display cabinet ideas to make your home stand out

It’s confession time.

We want you to put your hand up if you have a display cabinet that’s been relegated to a dusty corner of the house.

 

Image by Ioana Radescu from Unsplash

Put up the other hand if it’s become a default storage space for random knickknacks, power cords and batteries. 

If this sounds like you, know you’re not alone.

All too often we see a beautiful display cabinet turn into a piece of “convenience” furniture.

I’m not going to name names but I saw this at a friend’s house just last week. The display case was in a dark hallway and you could barely see the books and photos within it.

This is such a waste.

Display cabinets are meant to take pride and place in a house — to showcase things of importance to you. The beauty of them is they can be used to showcase virtually anything, meaning they are adaptable to individual personalities.

Think of it as a furniture version of a mood board!

If you want to spruce up yours, we have a few ideas on where, and what to place in them.  

In the living area

The living room is the perfect space for a display cabinet as it’s the room people usually spend the most time in.

If you place it next to the TV you can use it to showcase everything from family photos to souvenirs from holidays (remember them?), DVD collections, record collections, candles — you name it.

Here’s a little design tip for you; to make each item more eye-catching arrange them asymmetrically and in groups of odd numbers.

Don’t be afraid to get creative.

Displaying antiques, liquor and other collectibles

This one goes out to all those avid collectors out there.

If you love shopping for antique glassware, liquor, decanters, or all of the above, chances are you may be running out of space.

A display cabinet is right up your alley.

The beauty here is that you can place it in whatever room you want.

That said, keep your antiques out of direct sunlight so they don’t age.

In the bathroom

Are you over boring linen cupboards in the bathroom? We definitely are.

We know using a display cabinet in a bathroom may flirt with the idea of function over form, but using it in such an environment will make the furniture stand out.

Why?

Because display cabinets are not typically seen in bathrooms. It’s as simple as that. Immediately you are showcasing a sense of design and organisation.

Image by Olivier Bergeron from Unsplash

Word to the wise though, if your piece is made of wood make sure you water-proof it, as bathrooms are areas of high humidity and moisture.

Bedroom

Using a display cabinet or display case in a bedroom gives the space an added personal touch.

Suddenly the items most important to you have a designated place to live and guests can get a snapshot of your personality in a glimpse.

Image by Yue Iris from Unsplash

We recently saw a home that used a display cabinet in the room to house a plant on top, a candle, a couple of books important to the individual in question, and a wedding photo. It was simple and sleek.  

Dining room for utensils, cutlery and plates

Any homeowner knows that kitchen cabinets and drawers are one of those “clutter traps” in a house; ones where everything seems to accumulate.

Indeed, when I checked mine earlier I found sticky tape alongside a small sewing kit. Guilty.

But for some reason we’ve never understood why people seem to hide away their prize cutlery and beautiful plates and ceramics.

Why not bring them out of the cupboards and into the light?

Image by Le Creuset from Unsplash

Stacks of plates look great piled side-by-side and you can even work the occasional cookbook into the cabinet to add a point of difference to the display.

Books can also be used to alternate the height of the plates.

Outdoors

If you are a gardener, barbeque lover or nature appreciator then we implore you to consider a display case for your outdoor entertaining area.

We’ve all heard about bringing the outdoors, indoors (hello plants) but this is a great way of bringing the indoors, outdoors – adding a touch of civility and organisation to the wilds.

You can really have fun with how you chose to present your items here; much like a display cabinet in the bathroom, one outdoors will get guests standing to attention.

Friendly tip, when choosing a permanent outdoor fixture you need to look at durable weatherproof alternatives.

Novel uses

If you want to get a display cabinet but don’t know what to put in it you my friend are in a lucky position.

You can have as much fun as you want.

Image by Bryony Elena from Unsplash

We suggest picking décor that compliments your existing theme. For a coastal home, for instance, you can consider displaying seashells or coral such as the photo above.

Image by Ceyda Çiftci from Unsplash

If you have an indoor plant addiction, turn it into a luxe plant stand.

I’ve touched on this before, but the most important thing when playing around with displays is to add points of difference – the goal here is not to have items disappear but to stand out.

So, don’t stack all your books in one position, alternate between displaying them horizontally, vertically, front facing — work in a candle, or a plant, to break things up.

Each item in a display cabinet should work as a hero feature that simultaneously compliments the next.

Part of the fun is finding where in the puzzle each piece fits.