Cabinets of Curiosities: How a Renaissance Obsession Can Inspire Your – Natalia Willmott

Cabinets of Curiosities: How a Renaissance Obsession Can Inspire Your Home Today

November 28, 2025By Natalia Willmott

Open the door of a cabinet of curiosities and you’re stepping into a tiny universe.

Shells and fossils sit next to miniature portraits, botanical specimens, carved stone, antique jewels and strange little objects whose purpose has long been forgotten. It’s part study, part theatre – and entirely about wonder.

That sense of wonder is exactly why I think curiosity cabinets feel so timely again. They invite us to slow down, to notice, and to surround ourselves with meaningful, beautiful things – not just more stuff.

What is a curiosity cabinet?

The cabinet of curiosities – or Wunderkammer (“room of wonders”) – first emerged in Renaissance Europe in the 16th century. Originally, “cabinet” didn’t mean a piece of furniture at all; it referred to a small private room. In these rooms, scholars, aristocrats and early scientists gathered objects from across the known world – long before we had modern museums.

These collections blurred boundaries we now separate neatly into subjects:

Naturalia – shells, corals, fossils, minerals, stuffed animals, pressed plants
Artificialia – artworks, antiquities, coins, jewellery, scientific instruments, ethnographic objects

Think of narwhal tusks displayed as “unicorn horns”, crocodiles hanging from ceilings, delicate corals and rare shells, alongside paintings, carved reliquaries and scientific oddities. Some collections were more serious and scholarly; others were unabashed displays of wealth and power.

Over time, many famous cabinets formed the basis of the great museums we know today – the British Museum and the Ashmolean in Oxford among them.

Why curiosity cabinets still fascinate us

Although their golden age was roughly 1550–1750, the spirit of the Wunderkammer is everywhere again – from museum exhibitions to fashion and contemporary interiors. Shows like “Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities” at the Museum at FIT in New York, and “A Cabinet of Wonders” at Palazzo Grimani in Venice, have revisited the idea, mixing natural specimens with art, textiles and design to recreate that feeling of delightful overload.

So why does this old idea feel so modern?

We’re craving meaning over minimalism
We want our homes to tell our stories, not just follow trends
We’re drawn to tactility in an increasingly digital world
We love a good conversation starter

A curiosity cabinet is essentially a three-dimensional diary: every piece has a story – where you found it, who gave it to you, why it fascinated you.

From Renaissance rooms to modern shelves

You don’t need a dedicated room (or a crocodile on the ceiling!) to create your own cabinet of curiosities. A glazed vitrine, a bookcase, a mantelpiece, even a well-composed tray on a console can become a mini Wunderkammer.

Traditionally, collectors mixed:

Natural history – shells, stones, fossils, feathers, pressed leaves
Small artworks – etchings, miniatures, sketches, tiny sculptures
Antiques and relics – coins, devotional objects, fragments of ceramics or glass
Personal treasures – jewellery, keepsakes, travel souvenirs

When I’m sourcing pieces , I’m always thinking in these terms:
How will this object sit next to others? What story will it help someone tell in their home?

Ceramics with beautiful glazes, unusual antique pieces, art with a strong sense of mood, and tactile objects like antique French dies all lend themselves wonderfully to curiosity-style displays – they’re small enough to group, but distinctive enough to invite a closer look.

Curating your own curiosity cabinet

Here are some gentle guidelines if you’d like to create one at home using pieces you already own, and perhaps a few discoveries from my collection.

1. Start with a theme – or a feeling

Historic cabinets often had loose organising principles: the marvels of nature, the wonders of far-off lands, or simply “rare and beautiful things”.

You might choose:

Colour – cobalt blues, earthy neutrals, or soft pastels
Material – glass and ceramics, metals and stones
Place – coastal finds, pieces from France or a beloved city
Mood – dreamy and romantic, scholarly and architectural, playful and whimsical

On my site, you’ll find plenty of pieces that naturally fall into these themes – from decorative ceramics and artworks to distinctive jewellery and antiques.

2. Mix scales and heights

The magic of a curiosity cabinet lies in the densely layered look – but it still needs rhythm.

Try:

A taller object (a vase, a small sculpture, a candlestick) as an anchor
Mid-height pieces – bowls, boxes, framed miniatures
Tiny treasures – rings, charms, coins, shells, small antique finds

Stack books, use small plinths or boxes, and lean mini artworks at the back of a shelf to create depth. A single striking antique or piece of jewellery can act as the “jewel” of the whole arrangement.

3. Tell stories with your objects

As you place each item, ask yourself:

Where did it come from?
Who made it?
What does it remind you of?

You might group:

A vintage or antique piece of jewellery with a framed portrait and a tiny box for keepsakes
A hand-thrown ceramic bowl with a found stone and a small artwork inspired by nature
An old key, a miniature painting and a fragment of architectural salvage

Many of the pieces on my website come with their own stories – about the maker, the region, or the period. When you bring them into your home, they become chapters in your own narrative.

4. Embrace imperfection and patina

Historic cabinets were full of cracked glazes, worn gilding, faded textiles and surfaces softened by touch. That lived-in quality is part of the charm.

When I curate antiques and vintage pieces, I look for character rather than pristine perfection: a tiny chip that shows a ceramic has been loved; a softening of a gilded edge; the particular glow of an old stone. These details sit beautifully in a curiosity cabinet, where age is a badge of honour.

5. Refresh slowly, not constantly

A curiosity cabinet evolves like a garden. You might bring in a new piece from a trip, rotate a few things seasonally, or give one special object more prominence for a while.

You don’t need to change everything all the time – in fact, part of the pleasure is getting to know each piece over months and years, noticing new things as the light changes or your mood shifts.

Building your own cabinet with my collection

On nataliawillmott.co.uk you’ll find:

Ceramics and homewares with beautiful textures and glazes – perfect as anchors on a shelf
Artworks that bring atmosphere and context to smaller objects
Antique pieces that carry history into your home
Jewellery that can be worn by day and displayed by night, like tiny sculptures

When I source these pieces, I’m thinking very much like a Renaissance collector – seeking out the unusual, the finely made, the quietly extraordinary. My hope is that when you bring them into your home, they spark that same feeling of wonder that early Wunderkammer owners must have felt.

If you’ve always loved the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, perhaps now is the moment to start yours – one meaningful piece at a time.

You can begin exploring the collection here:
👉 Cabinet of curiosity gifts

And if you’d like help choosing pieces that work together as a modern curiosity cabinet, you’re very welcome to ask – I love helping people create corners of wonder in their homes.