Museums are undoubtedly beautiful, but they can also feel quite intimidating. After strolling through the rooms, admiring (but not touching!) all the precious art and artifacts, the gift shop greets you with a completely different atmosphere. You can flip the pages of a book or examine a sculpture's intricacies in the form of a miniature model. It's a curated but approachable space—the perfect look to replicate in your own home.
DAVID A LAND
While it can be tough to strike the perfect balance—creating a space that's filled with interesting artistic treasures but still relaxed enough to make friends and family feel at home—there are myriad routes you can take. From starting to build out your art collection—no matter your budget—to making the most of your favorite decor pieces, we have all the advice you need to make a museum-worthy space in your house.
What Is Museum Gift Shop Design All About, and Why Is It Trending Now?
The idea behind gift shop decor is to create a put-together look that shows a life well-lived. Displaying art that is meaningful to you not only looks sophisticated but can be very personal and approachable, too.
"Although I adore them, when I think museums, I am reminded that I can't get too close, touch or really interact with items on display like I want to," says Naika Andre of NJA Interiors.
Many trends these days shy away from mass-produced items, and the most popular aesthetics focus on creating a unique and individualized home. The museum decor trend allows you to display things that are beautiful, but also meaningful to you. Your collection lets your visitors in on the story of your life, from what interests you most to where you like to travel.
This trend could be considered a relative of the bibliophile and old-money trends, both of which feature artistically curated heritage pieces. Plus, it fits well with current maximalist aesthetics like layerism, so you can pull inspiration from these styles for a whole new design scheme or simply update them with your museum-inspired finds.
While this style typically trends toward maximalism—it’s all about collections, after all—if you’re more of a minimalist, you can still certainly take part in the trend. Consider taking a cue from modern art installations and hanging framed works on crisp, white walls—accented with an updated take on track lighting.
How Can You Create Your Own Museum-Worthy Home?
When trying to achieve this aesthetic, pretend that you're creating a museum all about you and your loved ones: Who are you? Where do you come from? What do you love? How do you bring meaning into your life? The items you display in your home can reflect all of these things and more, and they allow you to easily achieve your own special space.
"It's a great idea to make sure the collection is personal to the homeowner so there's a connection with what's on display," Andre says.
Another perk about the gift shop trend is that it can go far beyond what you might usually consider art.
"The trick to starting a collection that has a collected gift shop feel is to diversify your collection," Andre says. "Museum gift shops sell lots of cool items. This is a great opportunity to get creative. Frame that beautiful Sheila Bridges silk scarf that you purchased from the Met. Display that coffee table book and the trinket you purchased last minute at the cash wrap on a wall shelf."
Plus, the pieces don't have to be expensive, and there are some very simple ways to make the most of what you already have. To create a look with a collected feel, Andre recommends using various styles of frames to keep things interesting.
"Implementing curated, well-lit gallery walls in your home feels polished and tailored," he says. "A great way to do this is pairing an antique-style gold frame with a more modern, black frame. You can also do this by having many different frame edge sizes. Also, matting is important. It makes the artwork pop."
You can also take your design a step further by framing family portraits and photos you've taken of your favorite places. For a playful look, add your children's art. You'd be surprised how cohesive a collection like this might look once everything is framed and mixed in with other pieces.
"Don't be afraid to incorporate different items into your gallery wall, such as masks, textiles, decorative wall baskets—the possibilities are really endless," Andre says. "Of course, make sure your gallery walls are well-lit with picture lights or wall sconces."
Naturally, not all kinds of art can be framed, but there are certainly ways to get around that fact.
Feel free to utilize coffee tables and mantles for other opportunities to display your items. You can style a flat surface with coffee table books, attractive paperweights, vases, and even sculptural candles. If you love something, you can even create a vignette around it.
"Wall shelves are great for displaying items you can't necessarily hang on the wall," Andre says. "Here's a tip: Include items of all different sizes. That, coupled with framed artwork, makes for a curated and dynamic display that gives you a gift shop feel."