An important decision I had to make was how I wanted to display my shot glass collection in my man cave. In this post, I will talk about some of the best options, their pros and cons, and some other things you will want to consider.
If you are looking for the best way to display your shot glass collection, there are three good options. If you have a smaller collection or want a DIY project, floating shelves on your walls are a great idea. If you have a larger collection and want something more secure, a hanging wall display case is a great way to go. If you have a large collection and are looking for something that demands attention, a floor tower display case is your best bet.
The three best ways I have found to display your shot glasses are:
- A Floating Shelf
- A Hanging Display Case
- A Floor Tower Display
Reasons To Or Not To Get A Floating Shelf:
A floating shelf is just a shelf that is fixed onto the wall. There are all kinds of designs you can find for floating walls; what they all have in common is that the shelves don’t have any walls or a top. If you go with a plain one, it could be as simple as a plank of wood lying across two supports. Depending on how handy you are, this is a great chance to save a little money and add your own flair to your room.
These can be a good option to display shot glasses because they can pretty much go anywhere. The sky is the limit with where you could put these. If you wanted to line the top of the wall your TV is on with your Shot glasses, you could totally do that with a narrow floating shelf. Because it’s a shelf, you can also display other things on your floating shelf as well.
Unlike some of the other options, if you decide to use a floating wall to display your collection, there is nothing holding them or securing them. Unless the shelf is up high, they will stick off the wall a bit, so they may not be the best choice for high traffic areas where they could be bumped.
The other potential issue with floating shelves has to do with the number of shot glasses you want to display. If you have an extensive collection as I do, they may not be the best choice… That would be a lot of shelves!
Pros:
- Can Go Anywhere
- Flexible
- Awesome DIY Opportunity
- More Design Flexibility
Cons:
- Not Secure
- Not Good For Extensive Collections
- Will Stick Out Off the Wall
Reasons To Or Not To Get A Hanging Display Case:
The next option you have is a specialized display case that you can either hang on your wall or have it sitting on your bar or a side table. The design of these is a little more intricate than a simple floating shelf. This is the option I ended up using for my shot glass collection There are a whole bunch of them available, but the ones I have used individual compartments for each shot glass.
In addition to having a separate compartment for each shot glass, mine has a glass door that latches shut. This gives me a little peace of mind knowing my collection is a little bit more secure. I also went with this option because one hanging display case can hold a bunch of shot glasses.
For the money I spent on my display cases, they are very durable and look great. They aren’t the center of attention while on the wall or sitting on the bar, but they definitely show that you are proud of the collection you have put together.
All that being said this option does have a few downsides. Because there is much more to building one, it is much harder to DIY one of these hanging display cases. Because of this, it is not going to be the cheapest option. Although, there are some very affordable options available.
The biggest issue with buying a hanging wall display for your shot glasses is the lack of flexibility. The ones I bought are display cases specifically for shot glasses. Because of this, that is the only thing I can use them for.
Pros:
- More Secure
- Good For Displaying Larger Collection
- Affordable Options Available
- Looks Great For The Cost
Cons:
- Not the Cheapest Option
- Only Good For Displaying Shot Glasses
Reasons To Or Not To Get A Floor Tower Display Case:
The final option I have for you is a tower display that sits on the floor. I figured I would add this because sometimes, we just want to have a display that demands more attention. If I had to compare it to the first two options, a floor tower display is probably the next step up. This is probably the option you want to go with if you are serious about your collection.
Like the hanging wall display, this has many different styles available. Typically, there will be separate compartments so your shot glasses stay secured. I didn’t want to sacrifice the extra floor space, so I decided not to go with this option.
In addition to taking up extra floor space, this option is the most expensive option. If you are willing to spend a little extra money, there are some pretty impressive shot glass display cases that stand on the ground.
Pros:
- Draws The Most Attention To Your Collection
- No Hanging Or Installation Required
- Great For Large Collections
- Higher End/Designer Options Available
Cons:
- Takes More Floor Space
- Expensive
- Requires Large Collection
What Are Some Of The Customization Options?
So now that I have given you the big three for options available to you for displaying your shot glasses, I thought it may be helpful to mention some of the other options available if you keep looking.
Displays With LED Lights:
LED lights can add some extra personality to your displays. Some of the cases I have seen come with lights already installed. But honestly, it may just be worth buying a strip of LED lights that you can install yourself.
My ultimate goal for whenever I am starting to choose what décor/display to go with is to pick whichever looks most like the authentic version of me. If you have been following some of the other articles I have written, I enjoy the rustic, natural look. So lights wouldn’t be my go-to.
But if you are looking for a sweet bar look, or you are looking for a little bit of color, I think it would awesome to install lights around your display. Especially since that light will look awesome reflecting off your shot glasses. Man, I am talking myself into buying some LED lights… 😊
Buy A Clear or Wooden Display:
For all of the options listed above, you are able to find a wooden version and clear glass/plastic versions. This is another way for you to decide which is most “you”. As you may be able to guess by now, I went for wood. I think using wood in a rustic man cave looks great and makes your shot glasses feel like a welcome addition to the room.
I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but I have this feeling that the wooden case is more rugged. Again, this is not based on fact, but I just feel less worried about it falling and shattering. I know you are probably yelling at your screen right now saying “but the shot glasses will shatter!”. To that, all I can say is yep! Going back to that authentic me thing, I just FEEL better buying the wood version.
If you have a contemporary theme going, having clear shelves or display cases may look best. There are a surprising amount of options available thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, out of everything out there, I am sure there is something that will resonate with you.
Where Should I Display Them?
There are all kinds of places that you could put these different display cases. The first thing I would suggest is to not display your shot glasses near a place that is getting a lot of foot traffic. It would feel… real bad if your shot glasses got knocked down off their perch.
Like I mentioned above, the floating shelves can be put just about anywhere. One of the places I think they would look nice is up at the top of the same wall your TV is on. This would take a little handy work, but I think they would look awesome up there. You also wouldn’t be worried about them getting knocked down…
The hanging wall display which I have actually looks great just standing on the bar against the wall. I think another good spot for these would be to have the on a wall that is overlooking a spot where people are usually gathered.
If you have multiple of them you are hanging, It could look great if they are staggered. These ones, because they are more secure, I would feel better about having in a higher traffic area.
The tower display can be a little bit harder to give suggestions on. Because of the need for floor space, I would guess that the places you are able to put it are limited. If you were to install some LED lights into it, I think it would look great in a corner. Maybe a corner near your pool table or dartboard?
Final Thoughts:
If I had to give a suggestion, I would say start with a hanging display case. They are fairly cheap, and look nice, and are secure. If you are lazy, like I am some times, it even looks good just sitting on your bar against the wall.
The floating shelf is one of those options that sure, it’s cheap. But it can be a pretty involved process setting it up, and it would feel kind of bad if you damaged your walls and didn’t end up wanting to use it.
Similarly, the floor tower option is an expensive option. It would feel awful if you spent a good chunk of money and just didn’t like how it turned out.
I hope this article gave you some direction and ideas for displaying your awesome collection. At the end of the day, go with what stands out to you, and it will be hard to go wrong.
Until next time,