What to Keep Inside Your Curio Cabinet

 

What to Keep Inside Your Curio Cabinet

Let's be honest, growing up, I had a mom & grandmother who hand curio cabinets filled with odds & ends of glass figurines, vases, good plates, & so forth. You know, things you weren't supposed to touch, just look at through glass & dust twice a year. 

The honesty comes that I always thought curio cabinets were dumb, a waste of space. To this day, my want-to-be minimalist mindset still feels this way. 

However, everyone has at least a few items passed down from a loved one or picked up on various trips that they want to keep out of reach from the everyday traffic. Not to say, that these special items shouldn't be tucked too far away. Some things, you want within sight so that, when you walk by, a memory is sparked & possibly a slight smile curls upward, scrunching your nose--just a bit. 

Coast Grandmother-Inspired Curio Cabinet Decor 

So, what's the jury on curio cabinets? A waste of space or a space to preserve a few favorite memories? 

I am a bit of both. My one-&-only curio cabinet pulls double duty. The top houses my TV {as basic as it is} & my lamp. The bottom bit of the curio cabinet holds two Shabby Chic baskets that store decor I rotate throughout the year. The top portion of the curio cabinet is where I have a few items that I like to look at, as the curio cabinet is in an eyeshot from my writing desk. 

So, what to store inside your curio cabinet, that is, if you don't think they're an utter waste of space? Read the below for my storage/display ideas. 

• Travel Mementos: Traveling is truly the greatest gift. it is so nice to have a trip to look forward to as well as trips to look back on with fondness. Dedicating a curio cabinet to items picked up on travels is a great way to preserve your travels as well as share them with others. 
• Photos: In the same category as travel, photos, photo albums, polaroids, & scrapbooks can all be nicely kept inside a curio cabinet for safe keeping & creative display. I have my dog's portraits, still adding Finley's picture. I like to keep the frames all in a matching set. 
• Family Keepsakes: Whether you have a figurine passed down from your grandmother or an old vintage toy car from your grandpa, keeping vintage family mementos inside your curio cabinet is a nice sentiment.
• Collectibles/Awards: If you have plaques, or trophies, good for you! Surely you'll want to keep that Academy Award pristine & ready for a humble brag. Also, if you have say, a cool Barbie collection {or movie collection}, curating your collectibles inside one curio cabinet dedicated to such is alright with me. 
• Organization: Not everyone is into collecting stuff. Curio cabinets also offer ample space to organize items like tech, household decor, toys, and even blankets. By implanting decorative bins that sit inside certain curio cabinets you can be both fashionable as well as functional. 

Sometimes, with a new season, I like to go through my cabinet, tidy it up as well as rearrange what I am displaying. For Spring Cleaning Tips, you can read this post here. Happy decorating & thank you for reading. 

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