apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

One rectangle of wall... glass floating shelves... set the shelves close together so that there's only an inch or so headroom for the globes on each shelf. Sort the globes by size, so the largest are at the bottom and the smallest at the top. Sort by color in some way that looks good from a distance. Voila! A giant wall graphic that just happens to be plastic snow globes.

They'll still be a pain to dust, but that's true of any collection that's not behind doors.

go shopping, pay attention to your favorite displays, find one that will work with your decor and copy that.

I was thinking that if you didnt want anyone to play with them you could use sticky velcro and attach them by the base to the inside of your front door. They'd be facing down but would swish when you open the door, and the sticky velcro will come off easily.

You could put them in various places around your apartment (as someone suggested for someone's letter collection), tucked next to lamps or potted plants, or in between books on a book shelf, which would definitely keep them accessible for playing with, and make it a treat to discover them.

I'd showcase them in my trashcan. They'd look best there.

You don't state how many you actually have. If its huge you may need to rotate the display of them while keeping others in storage, but I do like Wendy's suggestion of grouping them in one large display.

for the english major side of you - it would be cool to find an old wooden card catalog shelf without the drawers and each would have it's own spot. (refinish cabinet as needed of course)

as usual, ignore the peanut gallery.

A friend of mine has the same type of collection, they seem to collect dust like crazy! I would take polaroid/photograph of each up close and put it in an album.

I have a collection of porcelain houses you get when you fly KLM...they are the same size as snowglobes.

at a local antique market I picked up a a post office letter box sorting thing -- basically little cubes where mail sorters sorted incoming and outgoing mail. I repurposed this (which is all wood) into my house display case.

Before I found the perfect case, I lined them up on the double door molding above the living room doors

lazy susans! consolidates display, while allowing for more visibility.

Perhaps you should think up - get a multi-tiered dessert server type thing and put snowglobes on each level as well as clustered around the base. This will make them pretty prominent but will consume less table space at least.

If you have a long wall in a hallway or something, creating a long line of them on picture ledges will also be a fun way to display them, the scale alone makes it more interesting.

why not just make a nifty/whimsical table arrangement, or line them all up along that weird too-short-for-actual-books shelf that all bookshelves seem to have?

my apartment has lovely deep windowsills which are lovely for things like this.

they'd look nice in that awkward space between cupboards and ceiling in the kitchen, on top of the fridge, on the back of the toilet tank in the bathroom, etc. etc.

basically find one of those idiosyncratic little crannies that every prewar apartment has, and use it as a fab built in display space. if you have more globes than will fit in your cranny of choice, rotate them out every once in a while.

Wow, Teddy. Way to contribute constructively to the community.

Anyway, I like wende's idea of turning them into wall art, if you've got the wallspace to spare. Wood shelves might be the way to go instead of glass, though. Glass might look a little too modern with your space. Good luck!

My head is spinning with all these great ideas. My collection numbers about 30 but could easily grow. Did anyone see that Richard Gere-Diane Lane movie (she cheats on him with some French guy in SoHo)? In their Westchester home's living room window they have somehow displayed their fancy wood-and-glass snowglobes, where the light comes in and shines through them. It looks great. But I couldn't tell how they had done it so that it didn't interfere with opening & shutting the windows.... What CathyinMN said about them looking too modern in my old-fashioned space is exactly what I've been worried about. Which is why I haven't displayed them on the long wall in the hallway, which has old-fashioned framed art in it. Does anyone else think the juxtaposition of kitschy plastic with old things will look too odd? Any other ideas of how to backlight them somehow? Much as I like the idea of putting them in nooks and crannies, or around the apartment on bookshelves or tables, for people to find like Easter eggs, they look best when there's light around them. Of course I might be asking TOO much here! Thanks, everyone--even Teddy, who made me laugh....

paula, that's exactly why the windowsill idea is so fab. i do, however, find that i have to do a bit of shifting when i need to open a window. this could get cumbersome if you had to move all 30 globes. but i had 20 or so candles on one of my windowsills for a long time and only really had to rearrange a few to get the window open. YMMV, however, depending on what your windowsills are like.

another idea to add lighting, regardless of where or how you display them, would be rope lighting installed behind them. this would work especially well if you displayed them on a shelf or on top of a cabinet, fridge, etc.

I remember an episode on HGTV and just found the link! Check it out.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_office_workspace/article/0,,HGTV_3378_2404791,00.html

I think you need a shadowbox-like thing that you can mount on the wall that will have a bunch of square cubbies, one for each snowglobe. Say about, 3-4 inches deep or so, whatever works for your globes. With a little small-scale woodworking, you could make it on your own.

If you want to get fancier, mount it with a 1/4 inch semitransparent plastic sheet and place lights (maybe a strand of lights) in a compartment on the backside - making sure the whole thing is covered in a single frame.

wemde's idea sounds fabulous! if the back of the glass floating shelves was a mirror, it could look even more intriguing. i'd definitely like to see this.

ps. wende & others, thanks for the throw idea, it seems such a move of quiet desperation but i guess that is my position.

Hang them from the ceiling in some corner, using nylon fishing line. You could stagger the heights, and hang some globes from others. Would be quite a display, and would certainly catch the light. Heck, you could add a few lights to the display.

Don't know how well that would mesh with the rest of your apartment, though.

How about making use of the bookshelves you already have? Line them to create a vertical line down an area (or areas) of the bookshelf. It may cover some books, but pick the less used ones the ones that match the snow globe to place in front of.

I'm finding it hilarious that Paula was thinking 30 snowglobes, and I was thinking 300. That tells you what you need to know about my family.

Many serious, traditional apartments could stand a touch of playfulness (though I looked around a couple weeks ago and realized the playfulness had taken over, chez nous).

hey paula - i have about 90 of them, boxed up in my mom's garage in l.a. i haven't looked/thought about them in years. i couldn't take it anymore, the obsession of having to get one from anywhere and everywhere i went and where everyone i knew went! my two favorites were from the italian riviera, draped with a mermaid and the reichstag in berlin at night with silver strips of tinsel raining down on it. but i grew to hate the dust that collected and now i've converted to strict minimalism. i wonder if any of them have kept the fluid in them or have drained through the cartons they are sitting in.

so...if you want more, maybe we can make an arrangement!!! good luck.

p.s. i think wende's idea is a cool one. it will turn them into their own kind of art. plus i love the idea of glass floating on glass.

I also have/had a large collection (150+) that started to overwhelmed me. Once people found out I collected them they multiplied like rabbits. I live in a small space and have grouped collections in seperate places. One grouping on a console table near the seating area, another grouping on a bookshelf, another grouping in the loo. I now "showcase" only my favorites and the groupings are small - the grouping on the bookshelf is on a shelf with 10 books and 4 snowglobes.

If you want to add to your collections I have 3 boxes I can send you.

A set of old post office boxes would be a nice display. You could keep one snowglobe in each box.

I like Wende's idea, too. The glass, with light, might make them prettier than their plastic little selves actually area. Kind of a smoke-and-mirrors effect. As would J's shadowbox-with-lights. So many of these ideas are great, it makes me want to ramp up the collection ASAP! Wende, I was cracking up, too, at having to fess up that the "collection" was only about 30 plastic ones (plus 20 glass ones). Let's put it this way: In my small, cluttered apt., 30 of anything has a way of looking like 300! Which is why annk's idea of putting them on my existing bookcases' shelves won't work---those are already stuffed to the gills. Thanks for that link, Jen! I did like the bookcase-shelf extensions, and the cubby. Barbara, your collection is making me drool; and YES, the water not only can slowly drain from them, it can suddenly gush out as well, like an angry flood. This has happened to almost all of my wood-and-glass globes. The rubber ring inside of them erodes, dries out, I guess. One day I heard a drip-drip-drip & it was a gushing snowglobe that had been on a bookshelf. Several books were damaged by the waterfall. I now place each wooden globe in a dish. (I'm sure Teddy is groaning at that one ... but honestly, if the dish is nice--think Fishes Eddy--it doesn't look bad at all.)

Another display idea I've thought about is somehow putting the plastic ones in the bathroom---instead of jokes for the john, or other reading material, guests could play with the snowglobes. Am not sure how to display them other than shelves on a wall. Thanks for the great ideas, everyone.

Hwy! I collect them too... thank you for the awesome ideas. I display mine on a shelf in a cube style storage unit...

How about having a frame on hinges made to fit a window (bathroom or kitchen perhaps?) with a few levels of shelves in it?
That way you can enjoy the light through the globes and still open and shot the window without the fuss.

They sell plant shelves for creating a windowsill garden in your kitchen. I think Ikea actually carries such a thing. they are basically short (in depth) glass shelves that attach to the window frame. They would be great in a casement window.

The other thought that I had was that you could take one wall, like in your entry way or your living room (or in a kitchen, i htink those globes would be fun in a kitchen) and build a really short ledge just a few inches below the moulding or the ceiling line, kind of like those picture ledges they sell everywhere, the snow globes could line that wall, the ledge could be painted the same color as the wall and it would look rather "floaty". for now you could space them out and as your collection grows you can just keep spacing them closer and closer together. they would still be close enough to take down and play with, easy to admire and you won't really see the dust if the tops are above your head ;-)).

haha, I thought you meant collection, not obsession! j/k. there are some really nice ideas out here...

Strangely, I actually kind of like the way they look all bunched together in your photo...so how about putting some velcro on the bottom of each and sticking them to an object (like a mirror or a picture frame) and hanging it up on the wall? Maybe in the bathroom or kitchen if there's space, if you don't want it to clash with the decor in the main room? It would hardly take any space, and you or your friends could take one down anytime to play with it, then stick it back where it belongs.

P.S.--A shadowbox frame might work well.

Cindy: In my pic they are on a glass lazy susan, which is a fun conversation piece on the coffee table; alas, it is now full. Eeek's idea of thinking vertically, using a tiered cake plate (shabbily chic, as seen in those cupcake cafes all over the city?), would be fun. For your Velcro idea, do you mean stick them on the surface so that the tops of the globes would be what's visible?

Ami: Can you tell me more about how you display yours?

Colleen: I'll love the idea of plant shelves, but for the living room windows since my kitchen is too narrow & the dinky window too inaccessible & small to be worth anything.

Barbara and JinSanFran: If you want to, you can contact me at koffie@rcn.com.

Great ideas!

I have a small collection of Maneki Neko cats that are now just grouped on a shelf. I also have atiered cake plate that I got as a wedding present from my in-laws that's still in its box unopened. I think this thread gave me a really good idea to merge both.

Yes, I meant that the bases of the globes would be velcroed to the inside of the shadowbox so that when you hung it up, the rounded glass/plastic part would be facing you. It would look like a mosaic encrusted with giant jewels! Well, maybe not. ;) It might not be easy to tell exactly which one you were picking, but maybe that would make it more fun.

I think the 2 tiered cupcake tray would be really cute, but if you're really limited in terms of horizontal surfaces, then velcroing them to a shadowbox and hanging it in the bathroom could work.

I was trying to find the plant shelves that I was thinking of at IKEA, but I couldn't find them on line or in the catalog, but, and I don't know how wide your window is, this was a good one that should be easy to install on a wooden window frames: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15553&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=12865&langId=-1&categoryId=16001&chosenPartNumber=30047893

and, here are some directions from Martha for a DIY greenhouse window (I want to do this now too, but my windows won't stand for it) http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel1376

I am a collection junkie, and having a very traditional home I always look for interesting places to put things that still maintains my decor. My suggestion is to put one long shelf (just raw boards from home depot painted to match the walls) all the way around the room at picture rail height (even with the top of the door, usually)and display them there. You could even put rope lights behind them to get them to glow. I think these look like a fun collection and you should create a space so you can add to them easily.

why not build a snow globe half, but larger, to mount on the wall and fill it with the snow globes.

I love the idea of velcro-ing them, so that they're displayed vertically and with no shelves, but can still be removed to play with. I wouldn't do it on a door though. I'd probably pick a small section of wall and attach them in a swirl pattern so that from far back they'd be a wacky art installation. My only reservation is that I doubt velcro would be strong enough to mount them.

Simple solution: give them to Goodwill.

One of those coffee tables which is like a box with a glass lid so you can see them but they are undercover

one of those thin shelves (sometimes called picture ledges) ALL round a room at picture rail height

I love those things! I would vote for alternating them in various places in your apt. (I like your bathroom idea) That way it will stay interesting to you and to your friends.

I think having them all out at once overwhelms the collection and is not as pleasent looking.

And regarding putting them next to a window - they water will evaporate faster.

I used to collect as well. I think I stopped at 150 or so. I ended up weeding out the gift globes and displaying my favorites (the really, really tacky plastic ones) in little groupings. Some of mine faded from direct sunlight so watch where you put them. Have you seen the Nick and Nora flannel pj's with snowglobes all over them? It's another way to celebrate the kitsch. Good luck with your display.

I like the shadowbox idea, but how about making a shadowbox with a clear backing (think plexi) that's custom fit inside the window frame, and hinged so that the whole things opens like a door to allow window access. That's such simple construction & would be really cool. You could put a little lip on the bottom of each row of shelves so the globes don't fall out.

I used to have an "unfortunate" frog collection, which my relatives fed every holiday and birthday. Before I decided I didn't want to be a collector anymore, I installed narrow floating shelves from Ikea on the bathroom wall about a foot and a half down from the ceiling and ran them around the entire bathroom and then put all the frogs on the shelves, sort of like a border. I bought a frog shower curtain, towels and other accessories and made it my "frog room". You could easily do that with your snow globes, I've even seen a snow globesque clear toilet seat with sparkly stuff in it. They wouldn't really be accessible to guests though

I would take advantage of the way clear plastic colourful things tend to behave when bathed in light — eg: Do you have enough for a chandelier or some other sort of interesting light source? If not a chandelier, some other kind of interesting-light based object could be fun/amusing.

great ideas people!
file under "best threads ever' forwarding it to snow globe hoarder friend, thanx!!

this is a bit off the wall - and may label you a total nut when you bring folks home, but what if you hid them throughout the apartment?

Ie, instead of prominently displaying them, they become elements of surprise to discover under your kitchen sink - behind a curtain - in your sock drawer - all leading to their home, the bathroom vanity which they occupy entirely. Or some other “motherload” moment

Thanks to everyone for their creative brainstorming, suggestions, tips, and links!