Over the centuries, display cabinets have taken their place in the interiors of a wide variety of homes. They stood in the luxurious halls of the palaces, where the most exquisite glasses and unique gizmos were adorned, and in the cramped Khrushchevs. These are identical lacquered sets, in which rested crystal sets and decorative tea sets so familiar to Soviet people. The owners have always wanted to display the best they have, for show, but so that their jewel is not lost, stained or broken.
Such a showcase is the best way to decorate your interior and leave things that are dear to the eye in plain sight.
Features and Benefits
A crockery showcase is, in fact, a cabinet with glass, which can be of different sizes: from a small hanging cabinet to a two-meter structure. However, regardless of size, it does not look bulky or takes up a lot of living space, it successfully and harmoniously fits into the interior and significantly ennobles the whole appearance of the room in which it is located.
Glass protects the contents of the locker from dust, accidental and awkward movements of family members and excessive curiosity of guests, pets and tails of pets, and sudden falls. All souvenirs and glasses will remain intact.
It is customary to install a two-door showcase in the living room, since it primarily performs a decorative function. But you can combine business with pleasure, because you can simply store memorabilia in it, like in a closet. So, for example, if you put such a showcase in a children's bedroom, then any collection of toys or other trinkets important for a child, which will be convenient to get at any time, will look great in it.
The main advantage of this piece of furniture is its versatility. And if earlier such furniture was very expensive and was made only to order for the rich, now, thanks to a rich selection of models on the market, made from classic to high-tech style, you can choose a showcase for absolutely every taste and wallet, which will become an elegant decoration for any rooms. So, the combination of glass and wood will remind you of the old days, when reliability and durability were valued, and the connection with plastic or metal will give a modern gloss.
The presence of this interior detail speaks of the owner's delicate taste and his acquaintance with the classics of the interior decoration of dwellings. Installing a showcase at home is a kind of nod to the good old traditions of our ancestors.
Models
To complete the harmonious image of the living room, you need to choose the right model. There is a wide variety of them on the furniture market, but there are only a few main types of showcases.
Corner showcases save space and add a special charm to the interior. Their peculiarity is in convenience and practicality due to the form: such a model occupies a corner of the room, which is usually quite difficult to find application.… This is the most preferred option for small living rooms that you want to decorate. They can be semicircular or regular geometric triangle shape. They are often shaped like a pencil case.
Modular display cabinets are a more modern option that combines the transparency of glass with closed parts of wood or other material. It can be used to enliven the interior in the kitchen and dining room, since it allows you to store elegant sets displayed behind the glass along with everyday dishes, the prosaic look of which is hidden from prying eyes. They may have a drawer or several in the form of a chest of drawers in the lower part, in which you can also store cutlery, tablecloths or other kitchen utensils.
Glass showcases, thanks to their material, help to visually expand the space, which is especially important in small dark rooms. It looks very thin and fragile, despite the special tempered glass, which is not so easy to break. A particularly advantageous quality of such furniture is its versatility: glass shelving is perfect for a modern room.
The hinged showcase, as the name implies, is located on the wall. This is not a universal option, and for the correct location of the showcase, you need to consult with a professional designer who will help you choose the right place for the wall cabinet based on the size and layout of the room. There are one-door and two-door models, and their choice depends on the ease of use.
Materials (edit)
If earlier only wood was used for the manufacture of display cabinets with glass, then modern technologies and fashion allow not to be limited to only one material. Today you can choose plastic, chipboard, MDF, veneer, or create a completely glass structure. Let's consider all these listed materials in more detail.
Wood is a classic material, elegant and reliable, very durable, which allows it to maintain a leading position in the list of the most used options for window design to this day. The demand for showcases made of wood is also explained by the fact that it is easy to "play" with this material in the following styles: solid wood wardrobe can be decorated with exquisite carvings, or you can give preference to simple and strict lines. The ability of wood to "adapt" to the desired style helps it to remain in demand for furniture.
Hence follows the next feature of wooden display cases - uniqueness. This feature is especially clearly manifested in the manufacture of an order by a skilled craftsman. The end result is worth a high price - the result is a real masterpiece, made in a single copy from environmentally friendly materials.
Glossy lacquered wardrobes will add a touch of antiquity and luxury to the interior, while the simple and rough lines of the Scandinavian-style showcases will help give the apartment a modern look.
You can often find showcases made of oak, birch, pine, beech, larch. Many aesthetes choose pistachio or boxwood, apple or cherry. The choice of the species and type of wood is influenced by the taste of the customer and his financial situation, as well as the conditions in which the finished furniture will be located.
Glass is a great option for minimalist designs or high-tech styles. Gives the structure weightlessness, sophistication and taste. A discreet but effective option that can organically fit into almost any interior - it depends on its shape, size and lighting design of the showcase.
There is no need to worry about unreliability - special impact-resistant glass is used for the manufacture of such cabinets. Dropping it, however, and hitting it with full force is still not recommended. With proper care and maintenance, glass furniture will last for years and will continue to delight the eyes of the household years later. Such a cabinet is unlikely to lose its relevance due to the special beauty of the material and the classic form.
Wood is a very expensive material. In addition, the manufacture of solid wood furniture is only made to order, which can also pretty ruffle your wallet. But what to do if you really want to see natural materials in the living room? The solution is simple: replacing the real tree with its alternative counterparts.
Cabinets made of chipboard, MDF or veneer, which is gaining popularity, confidently take their place in the living rooms of apartments. These options will cost much less, but in aesthetics and beauty they will be inferior to wooden furniture. However, well-made cabinets will not upset their owner, who has chosen a reasonable alternative to expensive wood.
Styles
There are many styles, as well as model options. Fans of antiquity most often pay attention to showcases made in classic style: luxurious handmade wood, decorated with monograms or other decorative elements, emphasize the status and importance of the owner. In such display cases, a mirror is often installed on the inner wall, which multiplies the elegant glasses and souvenirs on the shelves. Such models look expensive and traditional, as if inherited. This is a real classic that will never go out of fashion, having proven itself once and for all.
Modern models of showcases are more modest: they are laconic, simpler, do not have unnecessary details and perform their storage function perfectly. Simple lines create a distinctive style, the essence of which is to enjoy the purity of form and material. As a rule, they are made of glass with wood elements (trim on the edges, bottom, legs), but there may be other combinations, such as plastic with glass and metal, stone with wood.
Many choose country style, where rustic motives prevail. As a rule, a wardrobe made in this style is a large, roughly processed object of natural light or dark colors, which is not varnished or polished, but can be specially aged to give the desired effect. The material for such furniture is birch and pine.
Cabinets art nouveau have smooth lines and an asymmetrical shape of the body and doors. Decorated with complex ornaments of plant and animal themes. Valuable wood species are used. The design favors light and pastel shades of yellow and green.
The filling of the locker also affects the appearance. You can put a lot of beautiful and necessary things in it, which, in addition to their direct purpose, will become a decor item and acquire new functionality. It will look appropriate in it:
- travel and travel souvenirs;
- collectible items;
- old folios and gift editions;
- handicrafts and hand-made;
- family heirlooms.
Color solutions
The color scheme of the showcase for the living room depends, as you might guess, on the color scheme of the interior. There is room for imagination here, given that there are no restrictions in the color range for display cases and cabinets for the home, unlike options for the office.
The only condition is that the color of the cabinet must match the color of all the other furniture in the room.
It is also important to consider the color scheme of the room: in a bright room, you can use dark shades of furniture if you want contrast and clearly defined forms, or you can compose a composition of furniture to match the walls - white and light furniture looks good in the same interior.
Dark furniture in wenge shade looks great in a classic-style living room. In order to emphasize this noble color, it is better to paint the walls of the living room in light shades - the advantages of such a neighborhood will be noticeable in contrast.
In a dark living room, it is better to choose furniture a few shades darker. Models of cabinets made of dark metal shades are best suited.
However, it is important not to overdo it and not turn the room into a crypt. In order for the living room not to look too gloomy, the interior can be diluted with furniture in light or beige shades. This is especially important in small dimly lit rooms - light furniture will not cut back on space and absorb already insufficient light.
To create a bright accent in the interior, bright colors are ideal: turquoise, raspberry, blue, light green or pink. Against the light background of the walls, such a solution will look unusual and add joy and brightness to the interior.
Dimensions (edit)
To guess with the size of the closet for a living room or another room, you must first take into account the area of the entire room and free space. It is impossible for the cabinet to take up too much living space and interfere with free movement around the room, but at the same time it must remain roomy and not lose its functionality.
Therefore, you need to choose such a cabinet so that all the details are taken into account in it and it is optimal both for use for its intended purpose and for maintaining the style unity of the interior.
The number of items also affects the size of the furniture.
A low showcase for the living room is suitable for a room with relatively low ceilings, so as not to eat up excess space and not rest against the ceiling. The low-rise design will be available for wet cleaning without tweaks, and its surface can be used as an additional shelf. However, in a large living room, a small showcase can get lost among the rest of the furniture and lose its zest.
Narrow display cases are often corner cases. This is the best choice for empty spaces that are inconvenient to fill with familiar furniture or flowers in tubs. They do not take up much space, which is an indisputable advantage of their size.
The installation of a large showcase is optimal when you need to use a large amount of space with benefit, for example, take up an entire wall or even divide the room into zones. A narrow but wide showcase looks good along the length of one wall occupied by a TV.
How to choose?
There are so many models on the market from a wide variety of materials that the eyes diverge. However, you need to choose among the many options that very showcase that will harmoniously fit into the interior of the living room. The following parameters will help you navigate:
The style of the room. A massive wardrobe with monograms and gilding will look strange and awkward in a Scandinavian-style room, and a glass showcase will be lost in an Empire-style room
Every detail must fit into the interior and be in its place, sound in unison with the rest of the furniture, otherwise you will get an absurdly tailored bad taste.
Budget. Taking out a loan for the sake of a beautiful wardrobe is a desperate and stupid step. Therefore, it is worth deciding what functionality is needed, and what can be neglected and not lose anything from it. No need to shell out for mahogany or solid oak to flaunt when more budget-friendly options are available
The size… The dimensions of the locker depend on the footage of the room. In a small living room, it is better to place a corner or hanging cabinet, which will not clutter up the space and create a feeling of coziness. In a larger room, you can already swing around and put a showcase the size of a wall or a sideboard. A small cabinet will get lost in a large space, and too large will "eat" it
For what purposes the cabinet will be used and what will be stored in it. Its appearance also depends on the content of the showcase: it is not good if there is a conflict of styles and functionality between the content and the shell. Interior lighting and illumination also depend on the things that will be displayed. If there are a lot of dishes that you want to show off, it is better to opt for a glass cabinet. For storage of large ones, cabinets with doors and drawers are more suitable
Also, the choice is influenced by the number of items that will be located there, since the shelves must be able to withstand their weight.
Manufacturers
Gone are the days when it was possible to acquire the desired wardrobe or sideboard only after standing in a queue for many years, and as a result, having received a copy of the neighbor's buffet. Now on the furniture market, many manufacturers with different pricing policies, using different materials and specializing in some particular types, represent their products, so the buyer can easily find the right thing for every taste and wallet.
Italy is considered one of the best furniture producing countries. The manufacturers of this country do not sacrifice the quality of the materials used, often durable oak, cherry and reliable mahogany are used. Outside Italy, the most famous brands are Prestige and Rococo. Their furniture is durable and resistant to damage, durability. All products are certified because Italians value their customers and the brand's reputation.
Italian furniture is a quality that is expensive, but deservedly so, because it will serve for more than a dozen years
Belarusian furniture is one of the most budgetary and at the same time beautiful options. Belarusian stained glass windows are made of oak and birch, which have good strength characteristics and are appreciated far beyond the borders of the country. Krynichka and Gomeldrev are the most popular and well-known brands.
Showcases made in Russia are also considered budgetary. The market offers a large assortment of display cases for every taste and color, which is popular. As a rule, Russian companies offer their services for the manufacture of individual orders, providing a product warranty. This is a great inexpensive option.
Spain and Portugal produce display cases that are considered good in terms of value for money. But Portuguese furniture differs from Spanish furniture in more luxurious decoration and inlaid with precious metals.
Malaysia is the leader in the Asian furniture market. Malaysian furniture is made from very valuable and rare types of wood, does not rot and does not absorb odors, can be processed in various ways and has high durability. Despite all these qualities, which usually overstate the price of products, such furniture is relatively inexpensive, which explains its high popularity.
Beautiful examples in the interior
Laconic modern design.
7 pictures
Available in white.
With a woody texture.
With glass.
For an overview of a display case made of wood and glass, see the following video.