A curio cabinet is a piece of furniture that encompasses so many different varieties that it’s hard to sum up in a short space. The thing each one has in common is that it allows for “curios” to be displayed. Knick-knacks, trinkets, collectibles and other small, and sometimes fairly large, items can be displayed in a curio cabinet. Some will have glass fronts on the doors so that the items are protected from dust while on display, in fact most will have some sort of glass-fronted display on at least part of the cabinet. Others have open shelves, or some open areas for trinkets alone with the glass-covered main portion of the cabinet.

If you’re looking to buy a curio cabinet, obviously you can look for an antique or vintage cabinet in antique shops or flea markets, or maybe even yard sales. Often people won’t realize that fine piece of furniture might be valuable and worth hanging onto simply because they’re tired of it and want something new. Online auctions like eBay are a great place to look for a curio cabinet because you’ll find such a wide variety of different sizes, shapes and styles there at one time, instead of being limited to the few you might find in an antique shop each time you visit.

And you have the option of purchasing a new curio cabinet through a store or eBay as well. The newer cabinets are sometimes made to look like a brand new, modern piece of furniture and other times they’re made to look as vintage as possible. Very cheaply made curio cabinets don’t seem to reach for either of those, they’re simply cheap or pressed wood cabinets that allow for display, with very little character as a stand alone piece of furniture.

The best way to approach the purchase of a curio cabinet is first to decide what you’ll do with it. If you already have a collection you want to display, that will narrow down your choices and make it easier. Plan where you’ll put the cabinet. Then you’ll know about how large the cabinet needs to be and how much room it will need to have in order to display your collection. Then you’ll need to decide between vintage or new, depending on your personal tastes.

If you want a curio cabinet for its own beauty, then you’ll almost always want to shop for a vintage cabinet. Many of these cabinets, even though they might be well over 100 years old, were display pieces in their own right, quite beautiful even before the knick-knacks were added to them. If it’s the appearance of a fine, vintage piece of furniture you’re after, then the size and shape of the cabinet will be less important to you. Decide where the cabinet will go in your home and you’ll know whether you want a short, small cabinet or a large, tall one with lots of room for your favorite collectibles to be displayed.

Originally posted 2008-11-19 05:00:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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