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Is it me or does most of this look cluttered or tacky?

My grandfather was a dentist in the early 1900s. I have two vintage glass bottles with glass stoppers from his office, similar to the lab bottles. One says 'Lavoris' on it, and the other says "Cocaine Flakes". I guess they applied the cocaine flakes directly to the tooth or gums to relieve pain. Sounds like it might beat the heck out of those novacaine injections! Anyway, they're on my bureau now, but they're certainly not showcased. Any ideas for me?

I could see how someone would say "cluttered"-- but tacky? because it's not a beige box? To each their own.

I have a major obsession with curiosities- I blogged about a few cool Etsy finds a while back.

http://shockthebourgeois.blogspot.com/2009/04/curiouser-and-curiouser.html

Perhaps taxidermy could be considered tacky. I wouldn't call it cluttered--it's behind glass after all. I think so long as you prize your collection and the items mean something to you, this kind of cabinet is a fascinating addition to a home.

I wouldn't say tacky, but I would say played-out. I really like the cabinet, though.

i find it facinating.

I've always heard these called a "curio" cabinet not "curios" cabinets. Just curious, but either way, I like it

Victorians WERE kind of cluttered, so maybe it's just the aesthetic that bothers you ChrisGal... Cabinets of curiosities were full and intended to make you think of wonder and mystery... like a mini museum of natural history.

I love the cabinet and the glass shelving, wish I could find something in scale for my own home, everything I find is way too large for a small place (950 sq ft). I do love amassing everything that is clutter-y into one cabinet, rather than distributing things throughout the house, if the rest of the house is kept spare.

I'm not a fan of taxidermy, it creeps me out, one reason why I don't visit Paxton Gate more often... the time I turned around and saw the skunk skeleton dressed in full Renaissance finery is forever burned into my memory! Bizarre, creepy and funny at the same time and my friend swore that the skunk skeleton winked...

I kind of agree with ChrisGal. It's just too much for me. Plus all the dusting..............................

It's about quality, not quantity.
A collection of curios should, ideally,
be collected over a period of years...
it should reflect love and fascination (obsession).
If it's quickly assembled because cluttery
collections are currently hip, it will probably just
look and feel like
a bunch of stuff.

Limonata -- I didn't say the curios were tacky. I was actually talking about some of the collectibles - like the plastic bug. I prefer older furniture - so I take it as an insult for what you said.

A curio cabinet is nice if you have the space to spare - but it's not going to look nice unless you have decent things to place in it.

The taller, fuller plants in the terrarium are pitcher plants. The shorter ones are venus flytraps.

I dream of having a cabinet of curiosities like this, but then again, I've always loved collections, museums and the aesthetic of the Age of Discovery. We've started a small one in our cabinet of all our travels to coastlines across the globe, and I hope one day it will look as beautifully "cluttered" as planned.