The Knick-Knack Is Back ~ What Is It? Where Do You Get It & Where Do You Put It?

I had been wondering if my new found love of tiny things after my three month stay in Bangkok had gone too far when I bought the ultimate in Knick-knackness - a vintage brown knobbly collectibles shelf.

Even I felt a wave of shame when I bought it and had to assure the sales assistant that they were definitely back in and that they’d be all over Instagram any minute now. She could only manage an uncomfortable “they put thimbles on them don’t they?” in response, putting as much safe distance between her and it with a “they” and “them” arms length. 

I don’t blame her. I felt exactly the same at her age when I moved into a shared flat in Islington, north London in the 90’s and entered a real life or death games room of knick-knack traps. They were everywhere. You couldn’t turn around on tip toes without that mortifying sound of something fragile tippling, toppling and wobbling.

They were the wrong type of knick-knack. Plastic crap that will always be in the gutter of kitsch or vintage style. No matter how much time passes they will always be the “not that kind” of antique undesirability. Landfill shit every bit.

It was like living inside a virus. All I wanted to do was get a bin bag and rake every surface clean like a Feng Shui zen cleanse.

Every tiny knick-knack tells a story: “Cat hate happy Rabbits and Dog worry why, but Duck don’t care”.

When I moved to Hong Kong I turned up with just what I could fit in one suitcase and a cabin bag. It did not take long to feel the emptiness of this existence and one walk up a mountain to unleash a typhoon of knick-knack gathering. My first room was in Quarry Bay in a building at the foot of Mount Parker and I scurried past it every morning on my way to the MTR, not knowing what life changing inspiration awaited at the summit. Imagine scurrying past a mountain every morning, so Hong Kong. 

The view from Mount Parker, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.

Finally, on a rare day off work, a hike with some new chums took me up what I had nicknamed (knick-knamed) Mao Mountain, as the place was a metropolis for cats, I came upon a sight that took my breath away. Being a fresh foreigner I was still soaking up the customs and learning everyday. Right at the top of the mountain, on a carved plateau was a huge collection of ceramic figurines, some life-size, some small, and I was told they were left by people as a memorial to their belated relatives. It was stunning and serene and inspiring. 

The memorial site on Mount Parker, Hong Kong.

Here, on top of a mountain I was introduced to my first knowledge of Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of compassion and I have treasured what she represents ever since. I also started hoovering up white ceramic figurines from the street markets in Wan Chai and Sham Shui Po and the Buddhist shops on Cheung Sha Wan Road. 

My own personal homage to Goddess Guan Yin.

White peacock snow globe with Guan Yin statuette.

In my first job in Hong Kong I worked with a local woman called Mae who embodied everything that was kindness and caring. She was the closest a human could get to being Guan Yin. I absolutely loved her and she was a God in the guise of a tiny delicate body. We had been chatting over the office reception desk about my love of knick-knacks for weeks and one day she quietly and confusedly delivered a ‘you had to be there’ line “what is a knick-knack?” Which was one of the best laughs I’ve ever had in my life. Just thinking about that moment is even making me nostalgic for the worst job I’ve ever had in my life. 

I took great delight in showing her pictures of thousands of knick-knacks on the Internet and the conversation developed into what exactly constitutes a knick-knack. The official definition is bric-a-brac, but that just made things worse. We both settled on the answer of small ornaments, figurines and souvenirs of low financial worth but high sentimental value. However many questions remained. Does the criteria change in international territories? How small can a knick-knack go? At what height does a knick-knack end and a statue start? Does the value matter? Does quality count? How do you actually spell it - knick-knack, nick-nack, nic-nak? We never did settle on what constitutes the definitive knick-knack (UK spelling). Mae left, then so did I and we lost touch. 

A display of Gods in a cabinet in Hong Kong.

When the time came to leave Hong Kong, nothing was going to part me from my hoard, so knick-nacks were packed and despatched on a container ship to London, from there to Madrid and eventually onwards to Liverpool. 

The Grand Unwrapping of the family upon their arrival in Madrid.

There is a negative connotation to the word with a suggestion that it’s worthless trash, but they are all really precious to me, I know exactly where I was and who I was with when I look at each one. The style challenge however is how to display them without turning into a cluttery old knick-knacker, as this leads to lingering anxiety when you have a cat. 

Begonia learned very quickly the most effective way to get me up to give her her breakfast was to admire at close quarters my collection of May And Clay contemporary ceramics from Bangkok. There’s nothing like the unmistakable sound of a precious piece of fragile china being shoved by paw slowly across a surface at dark thirty to raise you from the deepest sleep.  

An early morning alarm cat innocently ignoring the knick-knacks.

So here we have it. The nasty brown trinket shelves were painted gold and low and behold we have a fabulous Hollywood Regency inspired object d’art display wall unit in all its glory. An interior design trend perfectly timed with the revival of the brooch too. I suggest using blue tac to secure your knick-knacks at the bottom, especially if you have high flying cats or draughts. 

Upcycled, redesigned and ready for knick-knacks wall shelf.

Gold painted and ready for mini Leopard Lovers.

Fully loaded upcycled display shelves of dreams.

NOTE: No self-respecting British person could write an article on knick-knacks and not mention the Spicy Nik Nak - a god amongst tangy snacks and definitely one of the greatest pleasures of a miserable childhood for millions of kids. No matter how bleak your life was, there was always a 10p buzz to fuzz-out on for five minutes.

Spicy Nik Naks - the god of snacks.