As with any worthwhile effort, completing a little homework prepares you for the task at hand. In this case, the task is to display your growing collection of antique furniture, art, and / or accessories in your home. Defining your personal relationship with antiques and having a clear understanding of the type of antiques you are drawn to are the task points that provide the springboard to showcase your collection. Here are the two best ways to live with your antiques:

1. Make them part of everyday life. This is my favorite coin and one that slips pieces from other eras into the daily fabric of our lives. Antique chairs, sofa, dressers, cabinets, cabinets, tables, rugs … etc. they all make wonderful additions to today’s home. The inclusion of a beautifully aged piece of wood adds a lot to any room, so use that table, chest, or cabinet. Fill it with children’s clothes, electrical equipment or folded bath towels. The point is to wear these pieces and watch your appreciation grow for their beauty, craftsmanship, and layers of aging. Along with their beauty and practicality, these are pieces that were made for such use and, in my opinion, they blossom into their true beauty when worn and enjoyed on a daily basis. With daily use, the need arises for a well-conceived and executed care and maintenance plan (waxing, polishing, tightening joints … etc.) but this is also the case with new parts (they do not take care of themselves) as well. that no additional work is required. Just a more focused and careful plan to extend the life of these parts along with their usefulness.

2. Put them on display. When collections of ‘little ones’ (tiny pieces, usually the ones that are easily held in the hands) are ready to be displayed, I prefer that they be grouped together in the best way. This can take the form of a cabinet or shelf reserved especially for a collection or it can be limited to one room in the house. You may decide that your kitchen is the appropriate place to display your English Pewter collection. Export Ware’s growing collection could be a surprising addition to the library and the many vintage military toys you’ve been collecting for years could be arranged in a group of shadow boxes that fill that long hallway or back stairs. I find that organizing collections in this way draws attention to the collection in a way that having these pieces scattered around the house does not.

One thing to always remember is that with the exception of a very small number of museum quality pieces, antiques should be touched, used and enjoyed by all members of the family. I regularly advise clients to think twice before having grandchildren play in a room in the house because of the antiques on display; it would be best to keep the antiques in a box and enjoy your young grandchildren.