Shadow Boxes Get a Sophisticated Spin

Not just for knickknacks and cutesy collections, shadow boxes can elegantly integrate with your decor

Lisa FrederickJuly 28, 2012

Houzz Contributor. After journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.

I fondly remember my childhood shadow box. It was filled with little trinkets and tchotchkes I'd collected from family beach trips or received as gifts, and I treasured every one. But while I still love the shadow box idea, I'm looking for a more elegant, cohesive approach these days. Here are 12 fresh shadow box treatments perfect for an adult space.

sarah & bendrix

A simple heart cut from the pages of a book creates a striking display that's all the more poignant for its simplicity.

Even something as humble as bottle caps can look artful and chic when massed together in a shadow box.

Becky Harris

What a great way to preserve ticket stubs and other paper memorabilia — much better than my current method of shoving them into a box and hoping I'll get around to organizing them one day.

Allen Patterson Builders

Modular shadow boxes, each painted a bright color, give kids plenty of room to display their favorite things and help to preserve floor space.

Mustard Seed Interiors

Here, an inside-out shadow box approach makes a beautiful, textural display for a simply hung garment. The lack of glass creates a rustic feel.

Maria Barros Design de Interiores

Framing a pair of necklaces in twin-frame shadow boxes elevates them to art status.

Robin Muto

Tiny shells in an orderly grid give this shadow box graphic appeal. It's a new take on piling them in a glass lamp base or tumbling them into a bowl.

Pour Toujours

Frame wine and champagne corks from special occasions in their own shadow boxes rather than piling them into a bowl.

It's The Little Things...

Sometimes limiting a collection to a coherent theme can keep it from looking kitschy. This old crate–turned–shadow box showcases a series of sculptural shells.

My Sweet Savannah

Transcribing a classic recipe on the back wall and arranging a few artful groupings of dishware and decorative finds have transformed this shelf into an oversize shadow box.

Lola Nova

How clever is this? Fronted with glass, a suitcase lid makes for a delightful display.

Liz Williams Interiors

Chunky box-style frames, minus their glass, become cute, cottage-style display spaces.

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