Curio Cabinet Lighting
The variety of curio cabinets is almost as diverse as the many types of curio themselves. However, in basic terms of construction and operation, all cabinet styles can be grouped into two broad categories: those mirrors again with wood paneling and back paneling. Both require different techniques and curio cabinet lighting to optimize content display. Choosing the right light for a curio cabinet that may have been imported or custom made can be very difficult, if not impossible, especially when shopping online.
Generally speaking, the hardest hurdle to overcome when custom-lit glass curio cabinets are reflected reflections. Any light source above the eye is a potential bomb glare. Curio cabinets for solid wood lighting, the problem is the shadow of your pockets as a result of the uneven distribution of the lighting and the specific size and shape of the collection. Anything that casts a shadow, as they say, to try to get rid of all the shadows requires multiple accessories, which often causes an eyesore when more than two devices are installed.
Many cabinet lighting manufacturers try to find a compromise between brightness, shadows, lighting, 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 harvesting process. The reasoning behind this is simple. Multi-platform lights to eliminate most of the shadows, and if it is reflected off a rear part it becomes present, the reflection instead of scattering the lighting.
Frankly, this is not a bad approach to lighting a curio cabinet, as long as it is a medium-sized permanent wall cabinet and where the shelves are made of glass. Recessed light passes through the lower shelves and reflects off the mirror, enveloping the collection process. However, those who visit the safe side of an angle or a seated position must do too much glare that blocks the details of the subjects presented.
This is almost an unavoidable disadvantage when lighting a screen in front of a mirror of any kind.
In a curio cabinet wall made from dark wood, Glass General will shine light onto the cabinet floor without the annoyance of reflections. However, each object casts a shadow under 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 blocks the lights, something completely different and has to be implemented instead.
To generate a lighting display source for your curio cabinet, you may want to go further and consider any of the traditional curio cabinet lights and invest in low-voltage Phantom linear strips instead. These unique patented lighting strips offer two things that no other lighting fixture offers precise horizontal, vertical and radius adjustment, including dimensions and a low-profile design that is hidden from normal viewing angles.
Of the six exclusive Linear Stripe designs, three offer an optimally lit curio cabinet with specific features that work to overcome obstacles sooner. The key is the cable’s innovative technology and the ability to hide and shield the light source itself so that the viewer sees the light, not the media.
Phantom strips can be outfitted with incandescent, xenon or LED, each of which offers unique advantages for the particular type of curio cabinet that light and nature of the collection on display. Curio cabinets with wood interior mirrors do not need the brightest possible light, so we generally recommend that incandescent bulbs be known to produce white light. You can set the slider to switch to a higher setting when they are active clients throughout the house, then turn off the light to lower them after most people have gone to bed.
Xenon lamps are low-voltage lighting for the best choice of a curio cabinet displaying glass, porcelain, 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 the most expensive ones.
Considering extreme cost awareness, phantom LED lamps now have the ability to provide color at levels roughly equivalent to xenon. Only a lighting expert can truly tell the difference, so you may want to consider using LED bulbs if your cabinet is on display in an office, library, or special room at home for more than 20 hours straight.
A curio cabinet lighting made entirely of wood offers greater flexibility in lighting a curio cabinet that mirrors a backplane. You can use up to three different types of Phantom linear strips, all of which remain hidden at any viewing angle. Our Majesty (horizontal) series mounts to the back of the horizontal frame or to the front bottom of a shelf or top of a cabinet. The VM series (vertical mount) mounts to any vertical surface indoors. A variety of combinations of the two sets can be used to create a sourceless shelf life “field” that appears to come from multiple directions. This is shadow-free and tends to create an effect that increases the refinement of the mortise and looks for more sophisticated less expensive ornamental curiosities.
In some wall mirrored curio cabinets, the HM series linear light strips are some of the best curio cabinet lights to use. The depth by the forces of light through the mirror surface and then outward around the collection. While mirrored panels have the greatest potential for displaying reflections from the linear cabinet strip to seated guests, wall-mounted cabinets closer to the bottom surface actually help create the optical illusion that lights they are actually built on top of the box. .
A significant source of lighting effect can be achieved in curio cabinets with our Mounted Cove (CM Series) to fit any circular or semi-circular cabinet countertop. 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. Inside it is reflected off the mirrors, the field of light they generate is truly radiant and seems to come from within and around the exhibits.