Living · Entry
The Collector's Vitrine
A floor-to-ceiling vitrine for a collection of several hundred bottles: mirrored back, glass shelves, every shelf lit on its own.
- Indicative area
- 2,4 m²
- Scope
- 4
- Materials
- 6
- Rooms
- 2
The constraint
The collection had to be shown in rows rather than in depth: a bottle at the back could not be shadowed by the one in front. A single light at the top does not solve that — the upper shelf looks good while the lower ones fall dark.
The decision
The shelves are glass, so light passes downward. A mirror at the back makes every bottle read twice and doubles the apparent depth. The lighting was concealed at the leading edge of each shelf rather than at the top, so the bottles are lit across their faces instead of from behind. The carcass was finished in a dark lacquer to push the glass and the contents forward.
What it resolves
A bottle on the bottom shelf reads as clearly as one on the top. Seen from the room opposite, the vitrine reads as a single lit surface.
Materials in this frame
- Matt LacquerSprayed over primed and sanded MDF. It does not hold fingerprints and it does not throw light.
- Bar PullA straight bar mounted on the face. The one piece of hardware a hand actually holds; its length follows the hand.
- Dark LacquerMatt lacquer in a dark tone. It pushes the carcass back so vitrines and lit shelves come forward.
- Clear GlassToughened flat glass. It shows the vitrine exactly as it is — as honest as what is inside it.
- Timber EdgeA solid timber lipping on the board edge. It protects the exposed corner and hides the joint.
Scope
- Floor-to-ceiling vitrine
- Glass shelf system
- Mirrored back panel
- Per-shelf lighting
Next study
Two Children's Rooms