Go on, show us your passion-related items

They say that a thing of beauty is a joy forever, and nowhere is this truer than in interior design. Every homeowner has a passion for something.

So, be it travelling, family, sports, or fashion, there are ways to use your living space to express your love for your passion.

How? you ask

Simply by putting your passion-related collections on full display. Some people leave their collections at the bottom of cardboard cartons because they have neither the space nor style to store them and display them simultaneously. But do not despair and hide your collections away since there are various simple ways to incorporate your collections into your home.

Below are tips and tricks to inspire you to dust your favourite items and share them with one and all.

World view

If you love to travel and have amassed a lot of miniature items from faraway lands, you might be worried about how eclectic and different all the items look as they are representations of different cultures.

To unify these items, place them together instead of different rooms. Use a dark wood bookshelf, preferably one that reaches the ceiling and has various inner partitions, say in your living room or study, and place them randomly on the shelves to create visual interest.

Drink to that

If you love nothing more than a good old glass of whisky shared with friends, put your best bottles on display using a wrought-iron glass top shelf.

If you like, you can arrange the bottles chronologically and in sets of twos or threes. To add a nostalgic twist, add framed black-and-white newspaper headlines from the years that match the age of each bottle.

This will add a historical theme to your display and make your collection an easy talking point with your friends. Remember to also add your collection of whisky glasses in the middle of the shelf so that they are always within reach. To give some extra flair to your glasses, add some empty crystal whisky decanters.

Child-like

If you are a doting parent in constant receipt of pencil doodles and water paint pieces from your little “Picassos”, you can display these pieces using a simple “notice” board.

Make it old school (pun intended) by having your fundi paint the frame of the board white and the inside black. That way you can pin up the artwork and even draw a giant love heart around the pieces with a piece of chalk.

A touch of Africa

If you are a lover of African beaded jewellery and have a collection of different necklaces and bangles, you can use a couple of woven straw trays to display your favourite pieces on your wardrobe shelves and even your night stand. Make the look even more dramatic by displaying them alongside carved wooden jewellery cases for storing tiny pieces like rings and earrings.

Good service

No need to put away some of your most treasured pieces of ceramic cutlery until the next special occasion, especially if some of your plates have been broken and you only have one or two from each set. Use a handful of these different plates to create a piece of artwork above your dining table.

Meanwhile, if you have a complete set of classic white plates and side plates, you can buy a decal that spells the words “Bon Appêtit” and stick the vinyl letters on the plates and arrange them above your dining table for a fun and entertaining way to welcome guests to your table and food.

Aromatic style

If you love old perfume bottles, arrange them on a glass shelf in your bathroom and punctuate the display with large glass bowls of potpourri for a décor style that will appeal too many of your senses.

By the sea

Last, but definitely not least, you can display some of your favourite sea shells in a custom-made display coffee table. Have your carpenter make you a wooden coffee table with a sunken base and a glass panelled top. Fill the base with sand and your favourite shells for an interesting seaside style that will be a great living room centrepiece.