Home Decorating Guide: Shelf Decorating

Whether you collect birdcages or buttons, sculpture or shells, transferware or teacups, any collection you love deserves pride of place in your home. (We've even seen a collection of colorful shoes displayed in living room cubbies, to great effect.) Plus, there's power in numbers: "Anything looks better as a collection," says author and home emporium owner Mary Carol Garrity. "The different sizes, shapes and colors play off each other, and grouping a collection together gives it emphasis." Gather up your treasures around the house and mass them together for a stunning display.