Shadow boxes are a great way to capture special moments. They can help us preserve and showcase pieces of our lives that bring us meaning, taking us back to something that we’d like to share. Many find them perfect for displaying collectibles and other items that hold sentimental value. They help us establish a language that complements our day-to-day beliefs and values. This kind of custom frame can also be an aesthetic way to decorate your home or workspace.
The possibilities are truly endless and exciting when you have something special to showcase. You can make a collage of a time in your life, fix awards and medals, arrange arts and crafts, and so much more.
They can capture a place, a time, a feeling, and even hope. Ultimately, articulating a meaning is more about how you say something than about what you have to say. In this sense, a shadow box is a reflection of how we would like the tone to be perceived in our personal world.
Shadow boxes also complement all kinds of 3D art pieces and make it easy to display them on walls where they can be lined up in ways that lend themselves to an interesting curation. They serve as the perfect opportunity to establish a story, theme, or even mood.
Shadow Boxes vs Traditional Frames
Many consider shadow boxes to be more engaging than traditional frames. They invite spectators to admire the depth of intimate objects through a window.
Traditional frames tend to be mostly designed for decoration. As long as you’re able to get involved, they can serve as a form of self-expression. On the other hand, shadow boxes have a bulkier demeanor. They invite the viewer to take in the depth of objects and, as such, cultivate their environment. They allow for novel ways of appreciating objects of sentimental value. It feels more like admiring an exhibit than just complimenting a home.
This versatility means that both those designing the boxes and those admiring them can engage on a more meaningful level.
When comparing the limits of these two types of framing methods, shadow boxes make the process more rewarding. That’s because you can talk with a custom framer to explore the different possibilities available for your elements. They can help you choose the most suitable wooden framing and advise you on the design that best suits your collection.
Different Ways People Can Use Shadow Boxes
Even if you’re just finding out what they are, you’re more than welcome to contemplate what kind of shadow box setup would appeal to you, where you would like to display them, and what sort of memorabilia you’d like to present.
In the minds of many, shadow boxes are for displaying and safeguarding 3d objects as a custom memorabilia frame. While this used to be the most common case, things have broadened considerably. Now, whole families have gotten into this practice to tell their stories and highlight objects of personal significance.
Great Memorabilia to Display in Shadow Boxes
The great thing about shadow boxes is that you’re not limited to just paintings, photographs, or letters. You can place objects that hold a special meaning for you. Perhaps you’d like to display meaningful family memorabilia, such as baby clothes, with a drawing of the toddler that left them behind. The best way to decide is to see what the message is or what the centerpiece is.
A collection of wine corks or bottle caps, collectible sets, a medal display, or mementos from college years are wonderful ways to bring attention to the memories that have made us who we are. Alternatively, picture a shadow box filled with wedding keepsakes like bouquets, invitations, gloves, and pictures. These items relate to moments that couples may treasure, as if the shadow box were a secular shrine to their union.
Objects and styles differ as people do, as do circumstances and events that call for some kind of attention and enthusiasm to keep the memory and allow us to relive past moments.
The Challenges of Designing a Shadow Box
Keep in mind that shadow box building is a process. If you want the best outcome, you have to consider different possibilities. A great approach is to start with a theme or the kind of story that you would like to present. The next step can help determine a theme or story, which is to establish all the elements that you intend to use together.
Choose a Theme and Layout
The most important aspect of bringing a shadow box to life is to think carefully about the type of layout and the kind of mood that you would like it to cultivate. This is especially true because you can fit them in different places around your home or office, and can be made to hold items of almost any size.
This allows you to imagine the kind of interior display that suits your needs and is aesthetically composed. The items need to be placed so that they are easily perceived. This opens up room in the mind when you place the objects in a pleasingly affixed space. Our imagination can then connect them with our lives.
They invite people to consider a balanced display that shares with its viewers their notions of what they would like others to feel and even think about. For instance, many decide to include internal lighting, which is an interesting thing when you consider that they are often seen as windows. Others prefer a more minimalist approach, while others opt for a baroque type of approach.
Match the Shadow Box Frame to Your Display Environment and Memorabilia
The truth is that, with the freedom to use different objects of different heights set against the backing that creates the frame, you can apply your style and appreciation for aesthetics.
One wonderful thing about shadow boxes is that they aren’t overt in their display. Many people find them quite soothing and worthy of all kinds of environments. You can recreate your story or just give it a new twist that portrays a different dance with the events and people of your past.
What Memories Will YOU Weave in Wood and Glass?
Whether you’re looking for the perfect element to tie a waiting room together, an office, a restaurant, or just the living room, you can put your slant on a bit of wall or over a desk. We often find that we need to step back a little to truly see the things that we care about. Shadow boxes allow us to do just that.
