Custom Cabinets Picayune | Curio Cabinets

Good afternoon readers of Custom Cabinets Picayune! Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring is back with another enlightening and educational article. This is going to be the last article in the Custom Cabinets Picayune series for a time, but we will be back shortly from our series Custom Cabinets Hattiesburg. The heat is officially borderline debilitating. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to lay out in the sun on my lunch break. In between dodging caterpillars and keeping the infamous Shockie and Mina apart, I am questioning my sanity and judgement. That blindingly white glare on my legs needed to go though.

The Curio Cabinet

Cabinets of all kinds have been Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring’s specialty. There are few areas that become a little muddy, for instance the curio cabinet. What is it exactly? Is it a cabinet or a dresser? It kind of looks like a combination of the two really. In today’s article we are going to expound a bit on the history of the curio cabinet and how it became what it is today for a better understanding of what one actually is and settle this confusion once and for all.

What Is It?

Curio Cabinet is a specialized type of display case made predominately of glass with a metal or wood frame work, for presenting collections of “curios” like figurines or other interesting objects that invoke curiosity and perhaps a common theme. Modern times curio cabinets are used for showcasing things such as unique travel mementos, small antiques, sculptures, vintage books, family heirlooms, jewelry, mineral stones, and of course, fossils. They are a great display solution and are not just for traditional design schemes. They also serve to protect the value of a collection which it does by preventing contact by dust and vermin.

Old Fashioned Days

The term “curio cabinet” today is considered a bit old fashioned. Let’s take a look into the history of how the curio cabinet got its name and the purpose it serves. Ole Worm or Olaus Wormius (1588-1654) was a Scandinavian medicine professor. He was a rich and privileged guy so he was fortunate in his time to engage in travels, regular written correspondence and “hob-knobbery” with other wealthy intellectuals and created a large continent network across the continent where the trading of information and artifacts was gaining in popularity. It was the big thing in that time to share ones adventures. Basically, they bragged for a living.

Invention of the Curio

A curio gets its name from curiosity and is derived from the interesting things kept in this spaces. Thus they are called “curios.” Back in Wormius’s day curio collections were kept in open rooms instead of pieces of furniture. Having an open space dedicated to the purpose of displaying your weird little finds on your rich person adventure was the fad for about one hundred and fifty years. Personally, I think that is pretty freaking long for a fad to last, especially one that weird. This was a fad only the rich and famous could indulge in.

What Was In These Rooms?

At first like Wormius people would display their findings in other countries and travels especially artifacts from Africa, Asia, and the Americas in these spaces. But gradually like everything people started getting freaky with it and the displays were more like circus freak shows. Medical doctors were displaying some of the strangest body parts in the curio rooms. Pretty soon the curio spaces were occupied by grotesque assorted body parts, taxidermied animals, and more normal things such as sculptures, works of art, and tribal artifacts.

The Change In Purpose

As time waned on there was a change in purpose for the curio spaces. After a while the weirdness subsided and the curio spaces were used predominately for teaching and learning. The term curio cabinets came about in the 18th century when actual cabinets were used after the hype faded. So basically us poor folk learned how to make our own display space with our little precious knickknacks in the form of the beloved piece of furniture we fondly know now as the curio cabinet. Bro. Wormius, you had the right idea, but you was freaky.

Social Media

Wish you had more of Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring during the week? Go check us out on Facebook.com and Like and Follow our page under the name Wild’s Cabinets. We post updates on our products and advertise weekly deals. If you haven’t already looked around on our website go to www.wildscabinets.com. On both of these sites we have all the contact information our customers and readers need. Do not forget to leave Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring a little happy on the review section on our Facebook page. Let Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring how you liked working with us!

Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring

Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring is a local business located in Poplarville, Ms up high way twenty six just past Loves truck stop. We specialize in cabinetry and flooring. Although we are no longer taking custom cabinet jobs call Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring at (601) 795-0305 and speak with one of our craftsmen. They may take on a custom job. If you have any questions for Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring do not hesitate to contact us. We are open throughout the week so feel free to stop by our show room and talk directly the big man Greg himself. He loves dealing personally with customers so Jonathan and his niece do not have to.

Custom Cabinets Picayune

This is the last article for the season of Custom Cabinets Picayune. We hope you enjoyed the read and learned something today instead of laying around staring at your phone. Speaking of…go to Facebook.com and like and follow Wild’s Cabinets! If you want to contact us call us at (601) 795-0305. We would love to hear back from our customers. Wild’s Cabinets and Flooring welcomes feedback. Come back next time for another article in Custom Cabinets Hattiesburg. Until next time readers of Custom Cabinets Picayune!