{"id":348373,"date":"2026-10-15T11:20:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sothebysrealty.com\/?p=348373"},"modified":"2026-10-15T11:20:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:20:31","slug":"the-art-of-display-curating-a-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/the-art-of-display-curating-a-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Display: Curating a Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As design season gets underway, showing off prized possessions demands thought and skill\u2014and good lighting, writes Kate Youde<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"photograph<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Adrian Sassoon display at PAD 2025, London. Photograph: Yosuke Kojima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the joy of collecting is the thrill of the chase. With the annual PAD London design fair underway and the Parisian edition of Design Miami returning soon, visitors will be on the hunt for collectibles in a range of categories from silverware to ceramics to display in their own home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A compelling collection can \u201cbring an interior to life,\u201d according to interior designer Phillip Thomas, <\/strong>telling \u201cthe story of the person that lives in the home,\u201d he adds. <\/strong>\u201cIt almost gives the home a heartbeat, which would be lacking if it was just things that were procured by the designer without understanding the client themselves,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what is the best way to display your pieces in a luxury interior? Thomas, whose eponymous US interior design firm is often asked to incorporate collections into high-end residential projects, says the right solution depends on both the proportions of the items collected and how they fit with the architecture of the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phillip Thomas devised a bespoke textured leather and zebrawood frame for a client\u2019s guitar collection in New York City. Photograph: Brian Park<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas seeks out \u201cpockets within a home,\u201d where he can elevate a client\u2019s treasured objects, giving them the same respect the person has shown by collecting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Long Island farmhouse, for example, he arranged beautiful old glass bottles on custom-built shelving not only to show off the collection but to help bring natural light from the living room into an interior stairwell through transom windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discovering another client\u2019s passion for music, he used textured leather and zebrawood, stained grey and given a cerused finish using silver powder, to frame three electric guitars <\/strong>on a wall in the home office of their Upper West Side condominium in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey really stand out as works of art, not just utilitarian pieces,\u201d says Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ceramics add depth and texture in this Phillip Thomas-designed garden room in Connecticut, U.S. Photograph: Genevieve Garruppo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about creating brief stories within the interior about that collection, rather than the collection being the entire story of the interior,\u201d says Thomas, who displayed pieces of 20th and 21st-century ceramics in multiple ways in a coastal Connecticut home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large blue vase sits atop a pedestal in the garden room so its depth and texture can be admired from all directions, including from outside the expanded late-19th century house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same room also includes groupings of ceramics, as do the living room and bedrooms. Thomas suggests pieces that have \u201ca little bit of tension between each other\u201d will capture more attention and make people pause to appreciate individual objects within a cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An antique plate arrangement by Rebecca Hughes in Hampshire, U.K. Photograph: \u24d2 Astrid Templier<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, interior designer Rebecca Hughes displayed a collection of blue-and-white antique china plates, including pieces by Royal Delft and Spode, on a wall in the orangery of a Victorian country house in Hampshire, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian Sassoon\u2019s namesake London gallery is showing collectibles including ceramics, glassware and silverware at PAD London. He advises displaying pieces in odd numbers, though adds that pairs can offer \u201ca rhythm of different heights.\u201d He also recommends breaking up the work of different artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sassoon asks his customers to think about how an object will appear as they walk into a room, when they will see more of its profile, at standing height and when they are seated. \u201cIf I’m actually in a room helping a collector place something, I would try that out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"various<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Collectibles on display at Adrian Sassoon\u2019s stand at PAD 2025, London. Photograph: Yosuke Kojima<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scale is a key consideration when selecting pieces for a home. Sassoon sells items that fit in the palm right up to monumental objects, including large-scale ceramics by British ceramicist and potter Felicity Aylieff, which stand on the floor. He says such pieces \u201clook sad in a corner\u201d and shouldn\u2019t be placed against a wall. \u201cThese are so large, it’s quite like a person standing in the room,\u201d he advises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighting is also crucial. Thomas might create a well-lit architectural niche for collectibles, for example, helping frame pieces \u201cand give them more importance.\u201d  Conversely, poor lighting can fail to do a collection justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TM Lighting, a specialist company working with private collectors globally, lights everything from jewelry to chinaware, <\/strong>coins to model cars. The choice of illumination, whether accent lights, downlights, freestanding lighting or linear LEDs integrated into shelves, <\/strong>depends on the objects on display, but cofounder Andrew Molyneux says the aim is to \u201cminimise the distractions\u201d to hold focus on the pieces themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Phillip<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ceramic pieces are regularly rotated in this Phillip Thomas-designed interior, to keep collections looking fresh. Photograph: Genevieve Garruppo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Color temperature, meaning the warmth of the light, plays a big part in ensuring lighting for a collection integrates with other design choices in the home, according to Molyneux.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whereas pieces in a gallery exhibition may be under \u201cvery neutral white light,\u201d a much warmer, \u201ccosy\u201d light is preferable at home, he says. His company also ensures an object is lit as authentically as possible in comparison to natural light, and that there is consistency in the hue of the illumination used across a collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately any display is shaped by an individual collector\u2019s taste. However Thomas cautions that less is often more. No more than 60 of his client\u2019s 100-plus ceramic pieces are displayed in their Connecticut home at any one time. These are swapped out often \u201cto keep the space feeling fresh and different,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like revisiting a friend that you haven’t seen in a while,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Collecting Focus series features expert advice on<\/em> contemporary art,<\/a><\/em> high jewelry<\/a>,<\/em> watches<\/a>,<\/em> wine<\/a>,<\/em> rare whisky<\/a>,<\/em> historic books<\/a>,<\/em> fashion history<\/a>,<\/em> natural history<\/a>,<\/em> Chinese art and antiques<\/a><\/em> and<\/em> Americana<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As design season gets underway, showing off prized possessions demands thought and skill\u2014and good lighting, writes Kate Youde An Adrian Sassoon display at PAD 2025, London. Photograph: Yosuke Kojima. Part of the joy of collecting is the thrill of the chase. With the annual PAD London design fair underway and the Parisian edition of Design […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232770377,"featured_media":348378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":348378,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1393,1557],"tags":[1428,1472,1505],"class_list":["post-348373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-and-culture","category-collecting","tag-connecticut","tag-new-york","tag-united-kingdom"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf4gbL-1sCV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":346970,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/why-peggy-guggenheim-is-still-a-collectors-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":0},"title":"Why Peggy Guggenheim Is Still a Collector\u2019s Inspiration","author":"Natalie Davis","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The larger-than-life gallery founder combined razor-sharp instinct and a passion for the new, writes Florence Hallett Vasily Kandinsky\u2019s painting \u201cDominant Curve (Courbe dominante)\u201d (1936) in \u201cPeggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector.\u201d Photograph: \u00a9 Peggy Guggenheim Collection \/ Matteo De Fina \u201cLittle did I dream of the thousands\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo of Kandinsky's Dominant Curve painting","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kandinsky_Dominant-Curve-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":345357,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/collecting-focus-old-masters\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":1},"title":"Collecting Focus: Old Masters","author":"Natalie Davis","date":"November 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Sotheby\u2019s London is soon to auction some remarkable examples of a genre finding renewed relevance with buyers of all tastes, writes Katie Armstrong Pieter Brueghel the Younger\u2019s \u201cThe Census at Bethlehem,\u201d a key lot at Sotheby\u2019s Old Masters London sales series in December 2025. Photograph: Sotheby\u2019s What defines an Old\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sotheby's Old Masters auction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image1-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":345882,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/collecting-focus-rare-drawings\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":2},"title":"Collecting Focus: Rare Drawings","author":"Natalie Davis","date":"January 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Contemporary artists love to collect sketches and studies by their predecessors and they aren\u2019t alone, writes Katie Armstrong Jean-Antoine Watteau, \u201cA Man Playing the Guitar,\u201d which will be auctioned in \u201cMaster Drawings from the Collection of Diane A. Nixon,\u201d Sotheby\u2019s New York, February 4, 2026. Photograph: Sotheby\u2019s Old Master drawings\u2014the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"people viewing Master Works at Sotheby's Auction House in London","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Master-Works-London-B.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":342772,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/what-makes-a-great-home-for-an-art-collection\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":3},"title":"What Makes a Great Home for an Art Collection?","author":"SIR Admin","date":"November 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Interiors needn\u2019t be a white box for displaying paintings or sculptures, writes Elizabeth Fazzare. Instead, designing your room around an artwork brings a more personal and purposeful look Sea Island, Georgia | Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty With art fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach taking place this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-8.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-8.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":342907,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/are-rugs-the-new-artworks-at-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":4},"title":"Are Rugs the New Artworks at Home?","author":"SIR Admin","date":"November 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The design of what\u2019s underfoot has gotten bold, colorful and creative, writes Helen Parton Kangan Arora\u2019s Harlequin rug plays with optical illusion. Credit: Floor Story \u201cI was inspired by what was outside: the grasses, the clouds, the color of the skies,\u201d begins photographer Douglas Friedman, describing the view from his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Chakra_KA_Lifestyle-Credit-Floor_Story.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Chakra_KA_Lifestyle-Credit-Floor_Story.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Chakra_KA_Lifestyle-Credit-Floor_Story.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static-sir-corp-blog-production.gtsstatic.net\/blog-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Chakra_KA_Lifestyle-Credit-Floor_Story.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":345765,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/where-youll-really-want-to-be-in-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":348373,"position":5},"title":"Where You\u2019ll Really Want to Be in 2026","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"January 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"From Milan to Mexico City, these are the luxury locations to head to this year, writes Francesca Perry Mexico City, Mexico | Mexico Sotheby\u2019s International Realty Looking ahead, a number of exciting, high-profile events and openings will animate cultural hotspots around the globe in 2026\u2014but where are the biggest draws?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art and Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Art and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/art-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Home in Mexico City, Mexico","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WTB-2026_CDMXLomas1.webp?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Rebecca-Hughes-Interiors-Hampshire-Project-www.rebeccahughesinteriors-23.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232770377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348373"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348385,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348373\/revisions\/348385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}