• Create unity by grouping like items with like items. By grouping items by theme, color, shape, texture or material you get the biggest visual bang. You can create the illusion of hiring a curator who has organized your shelves to feel like treasures. You can create a visual pop by grouping like colors, such as white pottery, together. Placed against the dark wood of your custom stained shelving these items stand out. Grouping boxes, spheres, etc. create instant emphasis that cannot be duplicated when spread apart.
• Instead of placing a few smaller knick-knacks on the shelf try to choose big, bold accessories. Select items that you can see it from across the room. Smaller items achieve more visual presence when you gather them containers. An old jar filled with vintage marbles, seashells collected at the beach or even a basket of loose family photos create interest.
• Go for asymmetrical arrangements of three, five or seven objects. Also remember not to center them but place them off-center. Odd numbers are visually most interesting in interior design. Balance is good but if not done right can be boring. Use combinations of short, medium and tall objects to make the eye fall at various levels.
• A very powerful statement can be created when there is nothing but art or photos on display. Try leaning your collection or overlapping edges. Mix up frame sizes, shapes and styles.
• Shiny items add interest, too. Add glass, crystal and silver objects to make shelf arrangements literally twinkle. A mirror placed at the back or bottom of a shelf will also impact the visual effect of the objects placed in front or on it.
• In modern or contemporary settings always keep it simple. A more streamlined approach is the best fit for contemporary and modern spaces. Minimalism does not mean any decorations of collections, just well thought out ones. Modern contemporary is based on form following function and it is best to go with shelves decorated in an uncluttered look. 
• A little light on the subject is good. Illuminate your shelves by spotlighting the arrangements. If you did not opt for pre-installed lighting with your custom solid wood Amish bookcases or shelves, then add track lighting in the ceiling. A professional touch can be gained by discreetly tucking tiny up-lights behind a vase or other items, creating a backlight to the arrangement.

BOTTOM LINE – WHY DO YOU COLLECT? -

What motivates you to collect what you collect? Some people collect because of nostalgia, some as a way to make a décor statement, some collect in a more calculated way, as an investment. Does your collection trigger emotional responses or are you waiting for the day that you can turn it into cold cash? Understanding this will also help you to understand what triggers the decision to reach for your wallet and to fill that space on those custom shelves with another item. An investor cannot let his sentimental side play in to a decision to purchase while a collector of nostalgia will not really consider resale values if they really want it.

WHEELING AND DEALING -

While it can be a bit wearing for dealers to hear from every customer “Is this the best you can do?” they are aware that it is part of the business. Don’t sell your deal short by not making an inquiry about price, especially if you are buying more than one item or are a regular. The golden rule should apply here as well as common sense. Treat the dealer like you would want to be treated. Learn the rules of shopping etiquette and buyer bewares before shopping.

BUY THE BEST AND LEAVE THE REST -

Beginner mistakes can cost you time, money and valuable shelf space. Examine each purchase well and unless you are certain that there is no other one like it and it’s so rare that damage is not an issue, leave it! We have been in the machine age for 150 years and chances are good that they made one right behind that one and in this internet world things are easier to acquire. Patience, dear collector…patience. On the other hand, don’t be so fearful of mistakes that you miss out on great finds.

EDUCATION PAYS FOR ITSELF-

Whatever you feel is worth collecting should be worth educating yourself on. There are websites, books, clubs and magazines on any subject. Auctions, flea markets and antique malls make great hands-on experience playgrounds. Price guides are great tools but do not rely on them for up to the minute or even regional prices. Instead use them as references.

HAVE FUN WITH IT -

If your collection is something worth spending time and money on then why not enjoy it every day? Investing in a great and very sturdy hardwood bookcase, shelving unit or curio customized for your collection by Amish craftsman will insure that you can.

Due to poor health Wallace Nutting retired from the pulpit at age forty-three. It was a loss to the ministry but a gain to the art of photography and the reproduction of high end antique furniture. Dr. Nutting moved to a large house in Framingham, MA where he started purchasing historic structures that he wanted to use as backdrops for his photography. Nutting would restore the homes and then decorate them with period furnishings. His collection included American antiques, along with pieces from the 17th century including a carved 1685 Sunflower chest in oak, pine, and maple which he found in Wethersfield, CT, 18th century pieces and a huge collection of chests of drawers, Windsor chairs, cupboards, boxes, bookcases, cabinets, and more.

Along with the home furniture he also collects home furnishings. He collected over 600 period domestic utensils made of wood, pewter, and wrought iron. By 1928, Nutting had written his book “Furniture Treasury” illustrated with pictures of his and others collections. This is credited as the first widely circulated reference book on American antiques. In fact, he lists his first book published as “Windsor Chairs, 1917″. His rarest publication was Old New England Pictures, copyrighted 1913.

In 1917, Wallace Nutting opened a furniture factory in Saugus, MA. This factory was created to make reproductions of his antiques collection. Nutting chose the Windsor chair as his pilot offering, pricing them at a hefty premium, and sold them by the thousands. Nutting’s desire in recreating antiques in reproduction furniture was to “produce the best forms, put together in the finest manner,..”, and “…to make correct pieces of their period available.” Although Nutting says he lost money in the furniture venture it is worth noting that he was so correct in the old manner of furniture craftsmanship that on occasion unscrupulous people would distress his furniture, selling it as ‘period’ for a hundred times the purchase price. In the early days the company’s paper tag would either fall off or be intentionally removed.

In 1922 he sold his empire of photography and furniture and retired. The new owners used the Wallace Nutting name as a brand but after only two years of low quality and the destruction of his reputation and name Wallace Nutting exercised his rights to buy it back. To differentiate his product from theirs Wallace Nutting burned his name, “in plain capitals” into all the furniture.