Wall Curio Cabinets

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A curio cabinet can be the perfect place for displaying any collection of beautiful and treasured items. The cabinets themselves are decorative, and the glass sides and doors let you showcase everything from figurines to photos or memorabilia inherited from family members. Collections can be changed with the seasons — featuring a Christmas village in December or harvest bounty in the autumn. Knickknacks that lose their impact when scattered individually throughout a room can be grouped together for a greater (and dustfree) impact.

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Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.

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Updated 12/07/2023

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Wall Curio Cabinets

Buying Guide

Small wall curio cabinets come with hardware for wall-mounting, so you can install the units at eye level. They weigh and cost lesser compared to traditional curio cabinets, but they offer limited display space.

How to arrange a small wall curio cabinet display?

Because of the limited space in a small wall curio cabinet, you can only display small-sized items. As you know, collections are born out of your personal interests and style. Depending on what your likes are, you may want your small curio cabinet to fit your collection of candy dishes, model cars, gravy boats, rocks, miniature dolls or glass figurines. Your choices are endless.

For that hodge-podge effect, display various items from tiny photos to mementos from years back. Make small items interesting by setting them on wooden blocks for kids, shapely shells or velvet ring boxes.

You can also attach cup hooks underneath your small wall-mount curio cabinet for hanging things like vintage bracelets and teacups.

For a green theme, add anything from jade grapes to emerald-colored vintage frames.

Place bunched fabric on the shelves like navy velvet or black to give your pale-colored or clear glass collection a rich contrast. If you have darker items displayed on the cabinet, you can make your collection come to life by adding silver or white satin.

Use acrylic or glass props, stands, and blocks when you’re displaying tiny crystal items, so they won’t disappear visually when they are grouped with larger pieces from your collection.

Getting the Right Dimensions

Get the height and width of the biggest item/s you plan on displaying. Once you have the dimensions in mind, get the cabinet that’s capable of housing the biggest item in your collection. This way, your favorite fruit bowl or picture frame won’t appear as if it is squeezed inside the cabinet. You can also factor in a few extra inches to give visual comfort.

It is always a good idea to haul your collection out of your storage unit and have it on display. As you’re thinking of getting a small-sized curio, you’d have to be more conscious of the items you will be displaying.

If you are purchasing a curio cabinet but you still don’t know what you will be displaying, measure the distance of the shelves as well as the width so you have dimensions as a guide when you’re selecting or purchasing items for display.

How to clean a wall curio cabinet?

Use a damp microfiber cloth when you’re wiping or cleaning your small curio cabinet. If you have a wooden framework, you can polish it every six months using a hardwood polish. For glass panels and sections of your curio case, wet a newspaper and use it in wiping off fingermarks.

Remember that cloth, regardless of the type, leaves residue. So, wipe the glass surfaces of your curio dry as dust can settle or accumulate on them, causing some scratches and damaging your cabinet.

In order to clean displayed items made of glass or crystal, take them out of their display case and wash them in running water every 3-6 months. After, you can wipe them dry using a soft cloth.