apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My mother has a great affection for mexican art and artifacts and has done a very nice job of incorporating them into her decor without making her home seem themey.

I would say that her success lies in having simple furniture (sleek modern pieces contrast nicely with more rustic details), and selective bright colors on the walls.

Interspersing smaller items into large bookshelves would be a wonderful way to display them without too heavy of a motif.

I agree- keep the furniture simple & modern. A conscious contrast between the traditional architecture (pre-war, right?), modern furniture, and eclectic accessories will keep them from competing.
Color-wise, I'd stick with white & off-white for furniture & walls. A contrast of textures will make the whites important enough to serve as more than just a backdrop, but the neutral color will reinforce the contrasting styles of your furniture & accessories.
Bonus: you won't have to paint over it for your landlord. ;-)

There are books about how to display collections - lots of good pics for inspiration. That would be some fun browsing in a well airconditioned bookstore!

I think I disagree with k_darling about interspersing items. I think an artful concentrated display of related items (sorted by shapes, colors, size) would likely be seen as more eclectically hip even if the individual pieces are 'folksy artisan'

Lindsay--
Take a trip down to the Room & Board showroom.They do a great job of mixing modern sensibilities with ethnic artifacts.

This is a project I'd love to help with (I LOVE display challenges of any kind), if interested.

Another thing I'd add is "restraint and rotation":

Don't feel compelled to put it all out there at once. Part of the joy of a collection is rediscovering it when you do a seasonal rotation.

And I agree with JenPDX about amassing versus equal distribution.

Nice to know you consider an abundance of Mexican cultural artifacts to be "Taco Bell."

Be fair. I really don't think that's what she meant.

And some would say your choice of screenname might be considered not-so-PC, either...

how much of your collection is useful household objects?

one way to make your place look less "Taco Bell" might be not merely to display your collection, but to use it! i know a lot of the objects i've picked up in my travels (and those others have picked up on my behalf) are fundamentally utilitarian. by using them as they were intended rather than treating them as decorative items, i'd like to think i've avoided the chintzy 'theme' aesthetic in my own space. there's also the added benefit of being reminded of your travels each time you use the object.

Lori 2. You need to chime in on this topic. You seem to have knack for incorporating exotic items from your travels into your home.

to be fair, it is probable that speedy chose the name in the spirit of sarcasm, and i have to say i found the question surprising myself. i mean, someone who had traveled extensively in latin america has surely observed all kinds of non-taco-bellish ways of displaying the very objects in question? ways which integrate the item into the design rather than set them up as kitsch?

i also find myself suspicious in all sorts of ways i can't quite articulate of the conjunction of dwr-ish furniture and rustic non-european artifacts.

I don't think you have to stick to modern and white. Just make sure you are thinking South of the Border and not Soutwestern U.S. Check out Frida Kahlo's house for inspiration.

rasil--

When you take those artifacts out of the point of origin, and pile them all in a prewar, it could go pinata-wild pretty quickly. I understand the concern.

I can totally see ethnic pieces paired with clean lined stuff. It's not the only way to go, but it's definitley an option.

Be careful with the pinatas, though. They make a lot of the people here very sad.

I don't think she was implying that anything from Latin America is "taco bell"--I think she was saying that she doesn't want her objects, torn from their original context and stuck in another context, to appear like a caricature of what North Americans north of the border might consider "autentico."

I think others have it spot on--just incorporate them into your own style, maybe tying in with colors and grouping with things from other places. I think the more you try to design around them, the more they'll appear kitschy.

I too, live in a small NY rental and have managed to bring artifacts/collectables/doodads from my travels around the world and the BEST thing you could do for your apartment is to display them. There is no need to think of your souvenirs as a collection, rather think of them as the art highlights of your home (they will help your place look far more original). Whether you have mid-century furniture or a heap of Ikea, a brightly colored rug here and a Mexican throw there could take the attention away from any basic piece.

I'd get some lovely streamlined floating shelves, mix a few prints with some doodads, throw those pillows on a solid sofa and work from there. I can't paint in my rental, so I use my knick knacks as a way to up the color quotient. Just choose what you display carefully and believe me, you'll be making people jealous. Good luck, and have fun decorating!

Ha, Mia! Too funny, considering I am one of "those" people!!!

I have a collection from the Caribbean. I have my items in various places. Maracas and guiro and tambourine on a shelf on my entertainment center over my dvds. I use a wooden carved jar from Mexico to hold my cds up, like a booken d.
I have 2 pilons (mortar and pestles) in my kitchen on a shelf next to a pitcher.
I have a ceramic/terra cotta sunface on the wall in my "den". Etc etc.

My furniture is modern and has clean lines. My walls are a warm copper/pumpkin color. It could be moroccan, mexican- anything.
I try to not have my rooms themed, but find natural places to display certain items.

As a daily reader of AT, I was simply commenting on the "all-encompassing" Taco Bell motif. I assume it would sound ludicrous to overhear someone from Latin America asking for advice on decorating their apartment with American or Canadian souvenirs, "without looking as though I've imposed a garish mcDonalds on the premises...."

That would not seem ludicrous to me. I'v worked in jobs where I went into a lot of homes, I think there's a fair number of American homesteads with decor based on McDonalds. Maybe just because it's easy to clean, but also because some people really like it. Terra cotta floors with grey grout, bad art of local monuments, kitchens open for viewing by the public, enormous plastic playgrounds- sound familiar?

Apparently, I stand corrected.

Well, Speedy, I think that the distinction is that it would be as if they had an American theme fast food restaurant there, say, with American flags, motorcycles, and juke boxes (can ya tell i've been in a few abroad?!?), and then if someone brought those home and wanted to fit them in without making it look like that restaurant.

On McD's...I went to a very posh one not so long ago out near Reston, VA that looked very mid-C, but was recently built. It had stonework (as you might see in some houses of that era) and Good Form chairs.