Displaying work at home

[Kirk Amidon]

I looked around, but perhaps my google-fu is not up to par these days - I'd love to see how folks are displaying their work around the house. I'm considering adding some shelving to display my work, and would like to get some inspiration from others. I'm considering building a sort of Krenov-inspired display, but one hesitation is that the turned work might be de-emphasized with a nice display stand/shelf, so the other end of the spectrum is in play as well, with trim colored painted shelves, to allow the turned work to be highlighted.

Would love to hear thoughts about the pros and cons of these two options, plus pictures of how you've displayed work within your home.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Hahah. Since I started collecting vessels 40 years ago and only started turning a year ago, my wife won’t let me keep any more bowls or hollow forms—I’ve given away virtually every bowl I’ve made. But here’s one display I have at home on floating shelves. None of the pieces were made by me.

 

[Ricc Havens]

We got these shelving units from Ikea. They have a couple different sizes 4ft and 6ft long. I think they also have them in black. Bottom shelf is laminate covered particle board or something the other shelves are glass.

 

[Phil Hamel]

My newer or better stuff is displayed on my fireplace mantle: This is an older pic. I rotate stuff in and out.

Most of the rest is in my man cave on the tops of the cabinets I made or 3 shelves in there.

There are more displayed or used around the house!

 

[Richard Coers]

If there is a flat spot, it has a turning on it. I ran out of flat spots, so Rubbermaid to the rescue. Getting to the age where I'd better give them away.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

This cartoon was in the AAW magazine a few years ago. It isn’t far off from my house. The cartoon has a place on the refrigerator, but only because I can’t put a bowl there!

 

[Mike Drake]

Well, I didn’t take any photos, but had my turnings displayed on a Wooton desk we purchased with a historic home. Sold the Wooton Desk, then sold the historic home. Made far more on each than with any of my turnings. 😁😁😁

 

[Bill Blasic]

This is my main display and consists of pieces given us by demonstrators who have taught here, WoW Exchanges from every symposium I have gone to, exchanges from woodturning sites (like Christmas exchanges) and gifts from other friends.

 

[Pat Wisniewski]

So far it’s the fireplace mantle, an Ethan-Allen sideboard, a china cabinet, and a few smaller tables around the house. The sideboard and China cabinet are for sale, as I am designing a built-in which will cover an entire wall of the dining room, with an eye-level band of glass-door shelves for display.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

See my "Introducing Rocco" thread in the off-topic forum.

I keep 5-6 pieces that my wife particularly likes in the house, plus an everyday salad bowl. When a new piece comes in one of the old ones gets booted out. There are probably 20 bowls around the shop holding screws, bits and bobs, organ parts, and other small disassembled projects.

 

[David Croxton]

Hi Kirk,
I built this display table from maple and walnut pieces that I had left over from other projects. I made it specifically for when & if I do an art exhibit. I wanted to keep the table simple so that the focus would be on the items being displayed not on the table itself. Right now, the table resides in our living room area. My wife is very artistic and does all the decorating for the house, so she selects the items she wants to display. As soon as I have time - I have ideas to build a few small floating shelves or maybe even a few small "built-into the wall" style nichos with accent lighting that seem to be popular in art galleries in places like Samta Fe & Taos. I have built a few Southwest furniture pieces that hold some of the work I've made over the years - but I consider them to be normal everyday household furnishings, casual - not a formal or specific type of display.
Dave

 

[Tom De Winter]

This was early in the table's life. It's more cluttered now.

 

[Paul May]

I am running out of of space.... 🤔

 

[Dan Wiggin]

My wife said I need to build some shelves! I’m fine with that🙂

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Here is my box display shelf. All of them I have made. I'm running out of room though so I need to expand to the other half of the shelf!!

 

[Will Armstrong]

My latest turnings rest on a shelf at the back of our kitchen. I can look at them while we eat, and at the same time watch the birds at the feeder.

 

[Will Armstrong]

Can anyone tell me why my image and others in this forum show up as a thumbnail attachment and not bigger and part of the message? Maybe the image is too large? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

[Marc Banka]

Can anyone tell me why my image and others in this forum show up as a thumbnail attachment and not bigger and part of the message? Maybe the image is too large? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks,

When adding an image you have the choice of insert thumbnail or full image. Possible that the full image choice disappears if the image is too large, haven’t checked that.

I generally opt for the thumbnail, which allows you to provide a nice resolution image, without bombing the group with images that make it hard to follow your message.

 

[Will Armstrong]

Thanks Mark! I used "Attach Files", but you inspired me to find the "insert image" button which I will use going forward!

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Thanks Mark! I used "Attach Files", but you inspired me to find the "insert image" button which I will use going forward!

Click on image to enlarge and yours takes almost the whole page.

We have three places loaded: Etagere in front room, sofa table in the hall ( both top and bottom shelves) , and the entertainment center.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Thanks Mark! I used "Attach Files", but you inspired me to find the "insert image" button which I will use going forward!

That's the difference. I also resize the images that go in the message so they aren't so large.

 

[Tom De Winter]

Gerald, what a great use for the "old-school" entertainment center.

 

[Neil S]

Not exactly a display for display purposes, I stack the next batch of pieces ready to go to the gallery on a side table in the hallway where I go past all the time when moving about the house. That way it gives me a chance to spot any of them that don't aesthetically come up to muster before packing them up to go to the gallery.

Otherwise, other than any utility pieces that are in regular use, I would only have one or two pieces in the house that I have kept back for looking at, like the piece that appears in the panel beside my posts.

​

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Gerald, what a great use for the "old-school" entertainment center.

Thanks . It only took 11 months to complete that monster. I usually say 10K when someone asks what I would do one for but I think with inflation maybe 18k now.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

This is my old school built in entertainment center built about 16 years ago to accommodate the largest Tube type TV available, of locally sourced northern red oak finished with Watco Danish oil medium walnut to match all of the other woodwork in the house. The turnings shown are all by me personally except the plate above the TV and that is by Linda Ferber which I received at a Christmas gift exchange at the MWA meeting in 2005.

 

[Allen Howell]

This is one of two portable shelves I made for art shows (still waiting to retire from the real world). Both are full to overflowing because my storage boxes are full.

 

[Lou Currier]

I will store them on my Bar top until I'm ready to bring them to the gallery. The ones I keep on placed on shelves in my Livingroom.

 

[R Henrickson]

I don't really have a home display. There are a few things sitting or hanging around, but I'm more interested in the process of making than the end product. The main place things I make are seen is club show and tells. I don't turn to sell.

 

[Darryl Fective]

Mine are just sort of stacked on each other. (on multiple tables and desks) I really should build some shelves or something. (but I'd rather be turning)

 

[Tim OBrien]

My Christmas tree ornaments usually went into boxes come January 1. This year my new wife decided she liked them so much, she found a hanging mobile that the ornaments could hang from and are placed in front of a window. About 15 of them. The other items I have turned lately are hollow turnings and bowls that hold change and guitar picks. They sit either on our mantel piece or on a floor lamp with five shelves. All of this has to compete with not only my artwork (screen prints and photographs) but the artwork we collect from our travels around the world. I'll soon be completing my 'man cave' where I can display more of my work (and my antique clocks). It is a conundrum. t

 

[Mark Fairchild]

SWMBO does all the display work

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Unfortunately quantities of small wood items are difficult to display and not look like the bargain table of a Craigslist ad for a garage sale. I've found displayed items that do attract interest are those with brilliant coloring, natural wood just does not do it.

Do those of you who display within easy hand reach invite visitors to handle?

 

[Scott Dahl]

A display cabinet I built. Of course it was full immediately and I still have a hundred pieces all over the place.

 

[Kirk Amidon]

Thanks to all for the inspiration.

Great to see all of the pieces in their homes.

Though, my fear was perfectly summed up by Scott - "Still have a hundred pieces all over the place."

 

[Peter Jacobson]

Does this count as "displaying?"

I tell my wife we can turn the bowl room back into a dining room when we need to. lol

 

[Alan Weinberg]

I still have a hundred pieces all over the place.

If I tried any of this it would be me in a hundred pieces.

 

[Mike Peace]

I recently did a YT Shorts video on making a small set of shelves for boxes and other small turnings.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/Q4iZ706QQ4M?feature=share

 

[Michael Anderson]

Unfortunately quantities of small wood items are difficult to display and not look like the bargain table of a Craigslist ad for a garage sale. I've found displayed items that do attract interest are those with brilliant coloring, natural wood just does not do it.

Do those of you who display within easy hand reach invite visitors to handle?

I wish Jamie Donaldson was active on the forum. When I visited his place last summer, he had a vast collection of pieces on display. They were mostly small pieces, and located on narrow shelving that wrapped around a couple of rooms. He let me pick up and handle whatever I wanted, and had pieces from just about every turner you could name. I was floored.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

I wish Jamie Donaldson was active on the forum. When I visited his place last summer, he had a vast collection of pieces on display. They were mostly small pieces, and located on narrow shelving that wrapped around a couple of rooms. He let me pick up and handle whatever I wanted, and had pieces from just about every turner you could name. I was floored.

I really want to see Jamie's collection someday!! I hear he has one of my boxes... the Black and White Ebony Bell Box he got at the OVWG symposium auction..

 

[Michael Anderson]

I really want to see Jamie's collection someday!! I hear he has one of my boxes... the Black and White Ebony Bell Box he got at the OVWG symposium auction..

That's so sweet--he got a good box!!. I need to make another trip up there to see it on display