Collections On Display
We all seem to be collectors of something, right? Some of us collect sports memorabilia, or buttons, or possibly even teddy bears....then there is me who collects antique pottery. I am in love with McCoy pottery. I have been in love with it since I was in high school (approx. 18ish years ago). My mother was always a huge collector of antiques. My house growing up was full of all kinds of things that we were not allowed to touch, or else! I learned at a very young age when entering an antique shop the phrase, "don't touch" and now I find myself using that phrase with my own daughter. I used to kind of dread going "antiquing" with my mom, but as I grew older I started to kind of love it, not only because I began buying and collecting my own stuff, but also because this time spent with my mom was "our time", it was special. My brothers would NEVER go antiquing. As my love for McCoy grew, my mother realized it was time to school me in everything McCoy. She bought me my first collectible's book on McCoy pottery and it included a small history, with pictures of different pieces and their collectible prices. I was amazed at how much there was out there that I had never seen! It was fun to find an item and then go out on the hunt for that special piece of pottery.
Some of my favorite pieces in my McCoy collection
What makes my love for McCoy even greater is that my aunt Judy (mom's twin sister) has been obsessed with McCoy for an even longer time than me. She has walls and shelves, and bookcases full of the stuff. She is always on the lookout for a special piece for me as well as my mom. So now that I have been collecting this pottery for some time I really need to begin thinking about how I put it all on display.
Luckily my home has these great built-in shelves in my dining room that I have now filled with my McCoy pottery. I now am thinking about how to display the rest of my collection as I have run out of room! This goes for any collection of your "pretty things." What good is collecting some really cool stuff if you can't show if off to your friends and family?! Just like bookcases, shelving is key for displaying but it's not just about where you display, it's how you display everything.
Grouping by color...well, except the loner green pot. I need to find it another home. But for now, this is the only place it will fit!
Color is important when displaying a collection. Is everything in the collection the same color? Are they all different colors? I would suggest starting with sorting by color. For me, my pottery is mostly yellow, turquoise, and green. As you may have noticed in my photos, I put a couple yellows together with a green. I rarely place all of the same colors together as it kind of loses the impact I want to show. Luckily, these colors all go very well together so I can change my mind and switch things up from time to time. I do, however try and pair similar designs together to create that cohesiveness. Obviously some collections will always be the same color, especially if it is a certain glassware. Or I could choose to pair same items together like all bowls, all vases, etc. But they would have to be either different colors, or different designs, or both to keep that interesting impact.
My built-ins in my dining room; they go all the way from floor to ceiling. Makes a fun statement when entertaining!
The other thing to consider is the size of the different objects in your collection. If they vary in size, even better! For example; if you collect flower vases of various colors and sizes, place varying sizes together but try and put all of the same colored flowers in each to gain some cohesiveness. As long as there is a theme, either in color or size, you can really make a huge impact with your collection. I always love seeing a large dinner table lined with varying vases, each stuffed with beautiful pink roses. The vases may not match, but they don't have to!
Creating an amazing display for your favorite collection can be fun. Just remember that things don't have to match perfectly. In fact, the less they match, the better. Nobody wants to stare at a straight row of all yellow plates that are the exact same size. When you make things a little messy it attracts the eye. Make sure to have at least one common denominator such as color or design, but don't be afraid to show off your collection in a way that makes a dull plate really something beautiful.
The "dots" are really my favorite pattern...so much fun!
I am sure all of our collections have special meaning. McCoy pottery takes me back to when I was a child spending countless hours tagging behind my mom antiquing. I hope to pass this memory on to my own daughter knowing that one day she will have all of my collection on display in her own home. These beautiful objects that we fill our home with truly define who we are and can warm a home with their rich history and irreplaceable memories.