When does a collection room not work? Part 2

 I would hazard to say that the Geek Cave is currently not working as a collection room, but this is largely because it’s in a state of flux that just keeps going and going.  Supply chain issues have hit both the Cave and the basement display area (geeky name still to come) and we’ve not had the chance to get all the shelving and display cabinets that we want to finish the transition.  So, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, the rearrangement of the Cave has been somewhat delayed.

Happy with this bit.

I’m also finding I’m slightly dissatisfied with the arrangement of the furniture in the Cave.  Now, I’m not sure there is a better way to make use of this space, and it’s unlikely that there will be significant changes.  But the act of renewing the Cave is naturally the time to think about these things.  I think, actually, it’s the act of renewing that’s made me dissatisfied with the current set up.  I feel like I should make a bigger change than just moving things around on the shelves.  We’ll see if that amounts to anything.

Less happy with this bit.

I would also say that I’m in no way thinking of getting rid of the Cave.  A collection room absolutely does work for me, allowing for the collection to be displayed and protected, and also allowing me to have space for my dioramas, to photograph the collection, and to sit there and enjoy it, as well.  Once I’ve made my decisions and picked up the missing furniture, I will become enthusiastic about updating the Cave.  In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy the glorious mess.

Elf

When does a collection room not work?

Pretty well every collector yearns for their own room dedicated to displaying their collection.  Or, once you have one, spends hours setting it up, tweaking it, and enjoying it.  But does a Geek Cave work for everyone?

The short answer is no, and that's why Marie and I are separating our collections.  While I love the Cave and tend to spend time there every week, Marie didn't tend to spend much time with her collection in there, unless there was a specific job to be done.

However, Marie works from home and her office is in the basement (where our tv room and my art station also are), so naturally she spends a lot of the day down there.  When we started adjusting the tv area to better fit our house and our lives, we also decided to try moving the MOTU/POP collection downstairs.  Marie quickly decided that this was a far better way to enjoy her collection.  She can visit it during the day when she needs a break from work, or when we're relaxing in the evening.

Of course, we still needed to take the cats into account, and we have two confirmed chewers in the house. So we’ve been slowly collecting closed cabinets to protect the collection.  There’s a long way to go, but it’s starting to look good.  And most importantly, it works for the collector.

Elf