This past weekend, we traveled to Eastern Washington to visit my sister - it was her birthday so we wanted to have a grand celebration.
Like myself, my sister collects discarded, dilapidated, vintage and even older- stuff. The key to keeping such stuff is to find a way to appreciate it without it taking over. In her house, she has made an extraordinary effort to display her collections with an artfullness sprinkled with wit and humor. The style tip here is condense and edit - and focus intently on a theme.
Stacey has a niche in her living room with several shelves where most of her collections are kept. The top photo is the "dog" shelf. Notice that there are personal photos mixed in with the vintage playing cards and the dog icons. Those photos add a great punch of personality.
The following photos are from the two shelves of "games".
Every item does not need to be seen - the mix of shapes and colors inside of a jar or the abundance of texture from an overflowing container adds to the complexity of the display. Variety in height and scale also adds interest.
Two special books receive attention front and center but there are many more interesting volumes behind - and might have their time to shine in the future.Remember - condense, edit and focus - it can make the difference between a jumble of junk and a picture of panache for whatever collection you may have.
