The variety of cabinets of curiosities is almost as diverse as the many types of curios themselves. However, in basic terms of construction and operation, all cabinet styles can be grouped into two broad categories: mirrors again with wood paneling and back panels. Both require different lighting and techniques in the cabinet of curiosities to optimize the display of the content. Choosing the right light for a curio cabinet that may have been imported or custom built can be very difficult, if not impossible, especially when shopping online.
Generally speaking, the most difficult hurdle to overcome when curio cabinets with custom lighting glass is back reflections. Any light source above the eye is a potential bomb glare. Curio cabinets for solid wood lighting, the problem is the shadow of their pockets as a result of the uneven distribution of lighting and the specific size and shape of collection. Anything that casts a shadow, as they say, to try to get rid of all the shadows requires multiple fixtures, often causing an eyesore when more than two fixtures are installed.
Many cabinet lighting manufacturers try to find a compromise between brightness, shadows, illumination and distribution by installing one to three lights above large curio cabinets. These lights shine through a series of glass shelves, lighting stored in the process of collection. The reasoning behind this is simple. Cross-platform lights to eliminate most shadows, and if a rear reflection becomes present, the reflection instead of scattering the lighting.
Frankly, this isn’t a bad approach to lighting a cabinet of curiosities, as long as it’s a medium-sized permanent wall cabinet and where the shelves are made of glass. Recessed light passes through the lower shelves and is reflected in the mirror, enveloping the collection process. However, those who visit the safe side of an angle or sitting position do too much glare that blocks out the details of the subjects presented.
This is almost an unavoidable drawback when turning on a screen in front of a mirror of any kind.
In a wall-mounted curio cabinet made of dark wood, General glass will pass light to the floor of the cabinet without the hassle of reflections. However, every object casts a shadow below itself, so without a secondary accent lighting LED source of some kind, there will be more pockets of darkness as the eye moves up and down.
If the shelves are made of wood, which of course block out the lights, something completely different needs to be implemented instead.
To generate a lighting display source for your cabinet of curiosities, you may want to go further and consider any of the traditional cabinet of curiosities lights and invest in Phantom low voltage linear strips instead. These unique and patented lighting strips offer two things that no other lighting fixture does: precise adjustment in the horizontal, vertical, and radius planes, including dimensions, and a low-profile design that is hidden from normal viewing angles.
Of the six exclusive Linear Band designs, three offer optimally lit curio cabinet with specific features that work to get you over obstacles faster. The key is the cable’s innovative technology and the ability to hide and protect the light source itself so the viewer sees the light, not the media.
Ghost strips can be outfitted with incandescent, xenon, or LED lights, each offering unique advantages for the particular type of curio cabinet that light and the nature of the collection on display. Curio cabinets with interior wood mirrors do not need the brightest light possible, so we generally recommend incandescent bulbs to produce white light. You can set the slider to switch to a higher setting when they’re active customers throughout the house, then turn the light down to lower levels after most people have gone to bed.
Xenon lamps are low voltage lighting for the best choice for a curio cabinet displaying glass, china or silver items. In the world of lighting design, xenon is considered the most sophisticated light source and generates a slightly golden aura that works to enhance the details of more expensive ones.
Considering extreme cost consciousness, Phantom LED lamps now have the ability to provide color at levels roughly equivalent to xenon. Only a lighting expert can really tell the difference, so he or she may want to consider using LED bulbs if your cabinet is displayed in an office, library, or special room in the home for more than 20 hours at a time.
All-wood curio cabinet lighting offers greater flexibility in lighting a curio cabinet that reflects a backplane(s.) You can use up to three different types of Phantom linear strips, all of which remain hidden in any viewing angle. Our Majesty (horizontal), the series mounts to the rear of the horizontal frame or to the bottom front of a shelf or top of a cabinet. The VM (vertical mount) series mounts to any interior vertical surface. A variety of combinations of the two sets can be used to create a “field” of unsourced shelf life that appears to come from multiple directions. This is shadow free and tends to create an effect that enhances the refined mortise and less expensive look for more sophisticated ornamental curios.
In some curio cabinets with wall mirrors, the HM series linear strip lights are some of the best curio cabinet lights to use. The depth by light forces through the mirror surface, and then outward around the collection. While mirror panels have the greatest potential for displaying reflections from the cabinet’s linear strip to seated guests, the feature of wall-mounted cabinetry closer to the bottom surface actually helps create the optical illusion that the lights are actually built into the top of the box. .
An important source of lighting effect in curio cabinets can be achieved with our mounted trim (CM series) to fit any circular or semi-circular cabinet top. These strips are specifically designed to fit any radius, and can literally move a circle of light down through a series of glass shelves, with no shadows or drop in lighting levels. The interior is reflected in the mirrors, the field of light they generate is truly radiant and seems to come from within and around the exhibits.
