Bookcase/shelf for displaying (colour?)

[Maegnus]

So I am looking into buying a large bookcase and another similar large unit with a bunch of square niche-like shelves. Both will be used for displaying my LEGO collection and MOCs. I also will be purchasing a new desk and chair (these will both be black).

I would like my bookcase/unit to be black so to match my other stuff, but I was just wondering how that might affect the aesthetics of my displays. At first it seemed logical to go with black, as colours tend to pop like crazy on black surfaces. Then I remembered how almost every MOC is photographed around entirely white backgrounds, probably to create that negative space and focus all attention on the bricks and not the area around them. I would imagine the white would look cleaner, but the black might look more realistic for space displays or things in dark caves (upcoming Space Police and Power Miners). I also don't like the idea of white furniture, as it is harder on the eyes.

This is the logic behind my current presumptions, so any further reasoning I haven't mentioned would be appreciated. What are your opinions on the issue of black vs white display shelves?

Perhaps someone could post pics of their collection to demonstrate a thing or two.

If the overwhelming concensus is that white is the way to go, then I might just get a white chair/desk instead. I will be moving out next year and would like all my stuff to more or less match.

[soc399]

I say go with the black if that's what you like better. You may have to take pictures against a white backdrop, since the glare of a flash on black is bad. I'm not much of a photographer, but you can see some pictures of my setup here. It sits on a navy tablecloth, which is mostly covered by the baseplates.

[CP5670]

It depends on what themes you collect. I think white would look better for City displays and black would be better for Space ones. One thing to keep in mind though is that the black shelves would show up dust more prominently than white ones, so you may need to clean them out more often.

My own display shelves are all white, but they are essentially garage shelves and are very open, so they wouldn't have given the right effect in black anyway.

[mechamike]

If the rest of the room will go in black furniture style I would go with black but make sure the bookcase has glass doors.. and add some nice led light to shine on you display. I plan to display some of my stuff in a IKEA billy with glass doors to keep the dust away

[3.14 Toasts]

I use a red one from IKEA to display my MOCs (€ 9.95). But, if I were you and I could choose from only black and white, I would choose black (white gets dirty easily).

[Maegnus]

Interesting factors to consider. Thanks for the input, all!

Sounds like white would get dirtier quicker but black would show the dust more. Sounds like black with a glass door might be the way to go.

[Bundalings]

I collect Bionicle and they all look great on my black shelves. I see lots of MOCs photographed on black as well, and I think it often looks better and more professional. =)

Go black!

~Bunda

[The Who]

I don't have or want any black shelves, and hand made only one white shelf (that I like).

So, simply put:

Pros:

White--Backgrounds; see dark bricks easily; looks bigger; see shadows (I like this).

Black--Space backgrounds; see light bricks; often don't show as much dust.

Cons:

White--Shows a lot of dust; can't see white parts easily.

Black--Looks smaller overall; some sets don't look good in it.

Usually I just go with plain wood-grain, as it goes well with a lot of my stuff.

[prateek]

it depends on your collection and your other furniture. since everything else is black for you, you should get a black one, but if i got a shelf i would get a white one

[JimBee]

I'd say black. It would match your other furnishings, and compliment most Lego sets nicely. White would stick out, and probably wouldn't make photographing any better (depending on the material/ finish of the shelf). Plus, you can always set up a few sheets of paper, add some lights, and have a studio.