What’s the difference between a curio and a china cabinet?

What’s the difference between a curio and a china cabinet?

A china cabinet is a cabinet that typically features solid wood construction, with drawers and concealed storage space below. Glass panes along the face of the cabinet allow for fine china and special occasion glassware to be showcased. Since china cabinets are generally designed to exhibit sprawling china collections, they’re almost always outfitted with sturdy shelving, often made of wood. China cabinets are frequently composed of two separate pieces, a buffet and a hutch. As a result, curio cabinets tend to be more visually substantial than curio cabinets, which generally consist of only one piece.

Curio cabinets feature large glass panels set in a wood frame. This minimalist construction ensures that the items on display are more visible, and can easily be viewed from different angles. Unlike china cabinets, curio cabinets’ shelves are typically made of glass. Glass shelves optimize the display, while also dictating that curio cabinets’ contents be fairly limited in weight. All of that said, curio cabinets tend to be a bit more liberated when it comes to their contents. China cabinets typically display only dishware, while curio cabinets can spotlight anything from crystals to coupes.