collecting: benita larsson



i'm so happy to have another collection to show here (and hopefully they will continue - i've got a couple more on the radar). this time all the way from the suburbs of stockholm, visual merchandiser, benita larsson agreed to share her fun things i spotted at her flickr account last week. i especially like seeing things from different countries as they are often the same, but different (if you know what i mean). and benita's collections don't dissappoint. also she has (in her own words) "a teeny weeny etsy shop called, chez larsson where she has some lovely brand new pillows for sale (see image just below). enjoy!




why you collect these items and how your
collection started?


I've never consciously started a "collection". I've always bought what I like and sometimes my buys turn into collections simply by accumulating. I don't like to spend huge amounts as I tire of things easily and can let collections go as easily as I start new ones. The items pictured though are things that have been with me for a while now and I add to them now and then. The miniature chairs I collect because I a) enjoy the design b) can't afford the large versions and c) don't have enough space for the big ones anyway :)




how do you display them or would like to display
them?


I don't necessarily display my collections all the time... Some are in boxes and some in cabinets. I bring a few items out at a time and after a while I change them to other items depending on my mood. The maps are displayed because they look great (love the colors) but also because we often discuss travel at dinner parties and it's nice to be able to whip out a map when needed. I also like to use maps as backgrounds in the travel scrap book I'm making for Wille . I also cover ugly school atlases and boxes with duplicate ones.




what are your favorite pieces in the collection,
is there anything unique?


I really like the Brio Pluto. When we got him his nose was facing down and we thought he had a ball in his mouth... After a few months we figured out we could turn the front bit over and that it was actually his nose:)

I like to be able to use my collections. The metal boxes contain all sorts of things and are also used as little podium for other things around the house. The green glass dishes are used as containers for growing bulbs and for corralling keys, sun glasses and other stuff by the entrance and in a lot of other ways.




what piece are you most looking for, and what piece would complete your collection?

I'm not really looking, things just happen to find me...


besides this collection, if you could collect anything in the world, what would it be?

If I had more wall space (and cash) I'd collect art.



thanks benita!

Jan Halvarson

9 comments:

please sir said...

I love the way these items are displayed. I think it is great to change them up here and there. I have several little collection of items, so this gives me some ideas on display. Thanks!

Moxie said...

I have a frighteningly similar collection of tiny chairs (x10). I like the idea of only displaying a few of them at once. I think I need to put most of them away since they've taken over the top of my book shelf.

I love the way the collections are displayed here. I need to take some notes for my other collections like the mini-museum of natural history and paint by numbers cats.

Thanks for a great post.

Anonymous said...

Love, love, love the collection feature! As a diagnosed collector I'm lovin' it. Sometimes I get the feeling we've gotta keep collections a secret from the anti-clutter crowd. These all have been great, creatively organized and displayed. An inspiration....

Tizzalicious said...

The bottle caps look so cool that way!

Anonymous said...

Oh, the tiny chair collection is so fabulous! And I have to say I am so impressed with the bottle cap collection; the way she's displaying them transforms that collection from being a little weird (sorry!) to being super-cool! Thanks for sharing.

I adore these collections posts so much!

m-l-e said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
m-l-e said...

I'm so happy the collections are back! I'd love to know what each of these collections is-- like what kinds of books does she collect etc.?

Anonymous said...

The books are on the subject of home making, house keeping, cleaning, manners and such. (sick, I know...)I especially like vintage ones but I'm also a sucker for Martha and Kate Spade...

lisa solomon said...

i love the way the colors pop in her photos....
collections live on!!