Ways To Display Mugs: Revisited

Ok, I know I have brought up this topic before, but I am still agonizing over how to display my mug collection in my new condo. They are still packed away after 6 months, can you imagine that?

I considered those wall mounted IKEA cabinets with the glass doors, but I realize I have too many mugs for those, I would have to buy 6, which would be silly. So anyway, I have a hallway to work with (the husband nixed the idea of me turning his computer room into a tiki room) so now I am planning the tiki entranceway.

I have a book that shows a neat configuration of simple boxes on the wall, like so:

So I am wondering, besides going to all the hassle of making these boxes (which I don't have the workspace to do) where could I get boxes like this already made for cheap? Surely soem sort of company ships their items in wooden boxes of this sort of size, and I could grab them and stain them and screw them into my wall. Any thoughts?

your wish is my command-

http://www.oriac2.com/cgi-bin/showitem.asp?itemID=3310

check out all their other storage stuff- you may get an idea or two

well, not exactly cheap..

[ Edited by: fatuhiva on 2003-11-26 21:02 ]

Lovely, but at $59 each, that is almost 100 Canadian... aieeeee

I used a coupla box's for my Stemware and Shotglasses.

And a similar route would be those floating shelves, such as the ones at IKEA. You just mount the bracket to the wall, and the shelf just slides over the top, hiding all hardware.

[ Edited by: badmojo on 2003-11-26 21:19 ]

Wow!
Looking at those displays makes me cringe: Here in L.A. the earthquake consideration takes precedence over everything else. I must admit that I'm jealous.

Good luck with your search, and be sure to post a pic of the finished spread.

Speaker Cabinets

If you like that '70s boxy look, you might like this shelf at West Elm.

http://ww1.westelm.com/cat/pip.cfm?template=6grid&pkey=cfursto&gids=p015&cid=fursto&area=shp

[ Edited by: Hot Lava on 2003-11-27 20:04 ]

I love the floating modular box shelf idea, I have been trying to find some myself for awhile, with no luck. Someone I know suggested bolting apple crates to my wall...ummmm, NO. I like Alnshely's idea of speaker boxes/cabinets. I guess that just adds one more item to my "hunt for" list on the weekly thrifting treks. There might be some good ideas over on http://www.lottaliving.com.

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2003-11-27 22:35 ]

defintely, west elm's stuff is pretty inexpensive and the "floating" shelves are easily spray painted

ikea also makes a nice floating shelf

My husband has been gently nudging me towards the flaoting shelf idea - we keep looking at them every time we are there at IKEA, but their maximim limit is 17 pounds per shelf. I don't have a scale here, but I worry that about 30 tiki mugs per shelf would be more than 17 lbs. Anyone know the average weight of a tiki mug?

I saw a great episode of the BBC's Changing Rooms, where this woman collected teapots all her life. They installed a floating shelf and put all her teapots up on it. About three per shelf, I think. The minute they left the room, the whole thing came crashing down. The woman lost her whole teapot collection in one fall swoop. She actually seemed relieved about it, though.

That was a whole different (and ill-planned) thing, those were substantial wooden shelves suspended from tension cable and it wasn't secured well enough the the ceiling, because Linda Barker's an eedjit. And yeah, the neighbors seemed way more upset about it than she did.

The first rule of shelving is to use a studfinder!!!! You can even rent one at the hardware store. That poor lady and the teapots. I would be in jail for murder if that was my stuff.

While were on the subject of Changing Rooms, Handy Andy on a recent episode said that the Ikea floating shelves were more for decoration than putting things on. Methinks that the advice given by a man who's encountered the wrath of a life long teapot collector after he's smashed them, might just know a thing or two about safely shelving collections these days.

Thanks for the good advice. I will nix the floating shelves idea. I figure eventually something that will suit my needs will come along at the local goodwill... I just have to be patient. But you must admit, having my tiki mugs packed away in storage for 5 months is pretty damn patient!

I would rather wait and do the right thing though, then rush it and have the display look crappy.

i just inherited a 60's china closet via my wife's wheelin and dealin. it's low, boxy, of a light greenish wood color, and has swell frameless sliding glass panels for the main display area. i'll post a pic once it's installed complete with muggage (sometime early 2004, fingers crossed)

(or should i say:

:P no...)

j$