Configurations

Find the Configuration That Fits Your Space, Your Objects, and Your Vision

Obsidian Manufacturing builds two families of display products: custom glass display cases in nine physical configurations, and the Logic Exhibit System, a modular exhibit infrastructure for museums and cultural institutions. Both are made in Canada. Both are built to last. This page gives you a clear picture of every option available across both lines, so you can arrive at your consultation with a better sense of what you are looking for.

Two Product Families. One Place to Explore Them.

Use this page to browse the full range of what we make. The first section covers custom glass display cases, organised by physical configuration type. The second covers the Logic Exhibit System, broken down by component. If you are not sure which direction you are heading yet, that is fine. Read through, look at the examples, and reach out when you are ready. We are good at helping people figure out what they actually need.

PART ONE: CUSTOM GLASS DISPLAY CASES

Everything in this section is custom fabricated at our Ontario facility. There are no standard sizes or off-the-shelf configurations. Dimensions, materials, glass type, lighting, locking mechanisms, and finishes are all specified during the design consultation and built to your approved drawing.

Freestanding Display Cases

Freestanding cases stand independently on the floor, making them one of the most versatile configurations we build. They can be positioned anywhere in a room, repositioned as the space evolves, and viewed from multiple sides when the design calls for it. We build freestanding cases for jewellery retailers, museum collections, cannabis dispensaries, galleries, and specialty stores.

Wall-Mounted Display Cases

Wall-mounted cases use the vertical surfaces of a room as the primary display plane, making them efficient for spaces where floor area is limited or where a linear, gallery-style presentation suits the collection. They can span a single panel width or extend across an entire wall run.

Pedestal Display Cases

A pedestal case combines a solid base or column with a glass enclosure at display height, elevating a single object or a small grouping to eye level in a way that communicates significance. This configuration is widely used in museum environments for headline objects: the piece that anchors a gallery, the artefact around which the rest of the exhibition is organised.

Tower Display Cases

Tower cases are tall, narrow freestanding cases that present objects vertically. Where a standard case uses horizontal shelves to display items side by side, a tower creates a vertical line of objects that draws the eye upward. In retail environments, towers are effective for drawing attention to a focal product from across the room.

Corner Display Cases

Corner cases are designed to fit into the right-angle intersections of walls, occupying space that is often wasted in a standard room layout. They present objects at an angle that is visible from both adjacent directions, making them efficient and visually interesting in environments where every square metre of floor space is being used.

Hexagonal and Octagonal Display Cases

Not every space calls for a rectangle. Hexagonal and octagonal cases add a geometry that standard rectangular cases cannot, and they work particularly well as centrepiece installations in open gallery or retail spaces where visitors approach from multiple directions.

Six-sided cases with equal-width glass panels on each face. The hexagonal form creates a natural centrepiece that invites visitors to walk around it, making it well suited to three-dimensional objects with visual interest from all sides. Available as freestanding floor cases and as tabletop vitrines.
Eight-sided cases with a slightly rounder profile than the hexagonal form. The additional facets soften the geometry and create a more organic visual impression. Available in floor and tabletop configurations.

Metal and Steel Display Cases

Where wood and glass create warmth, metal cases create edge. Aluminium and steel-framed display cases suit environments where an industrial, contemporary, or high-security aesthetic is the goal. They are also well suited to outdoor or semi-outdoor installations where wood-based construction is not appropriate.

Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and available in a range of powder-coat finishes. Aluminium frames can be finished to match almost any interior palette and are well suited to high-traffic retail and commercial environments where durability is a priority alongside appearance.
Heavier and more robust than aluminium, steel-framed cases are chosen where maximum structural rigidity is required: high-security installations, environments with significant foot traffic or physical contact risk, or applications where the weight of the displayed objects demands a particularly solid base.

Custom Millwork

Not every display solution is a standalone case. Custom millwork covers the built-in joinery, cabinetry, shelving, and display infrastructure that integrates directly with the architecture of a space. This is the work that gets specified when a freestanding case is not enough: when a client needs a full wall of display cabinetry that reads as part of the building, or a custom reception desk that incorporates product display, or a back-wall shelving system that carries both branding and product.

All millwork is produced using premium-grade panels from Tafisa, whose melamine and wood-composite products are among the most durable and consistently finished in the Canadian market. Surface treatments are available through Formica laminates, offering a wide range of colours, textures, and patterns to match any interior specification.

What You Can Specify Across Any Custom Case

Every custom case from Obsidian Manufacturing is specified individually. The following options are available across all case configurations and are discussed and confirmed during the design consultation.

PART TWO: THE LOGIC EXHIBIT SYSTEM

The Logic Exhibit System is a modular display infrastructure designed for museums, galleries, and cultural institutions. It was built on a single principle: achieve the greatest number of possible display configurations using the fewest possible components. Every element in the system works with every other element. You plan your layout on a predictable 18-inch grid, order the components you need, and assemble the installation yourself or with our team on site.

Frames

The frame is the primary structural element of every Logic installation. Frames are made from lightweight, durable aluminium and stand 90 inches tall. They come in three widths: 18 inches, 36 inches, and 72 inches. Because the entire system works on an 18-inch grid, planning your floor layout is straightforward: any combination of frame widths produces a clean, mathematically consistent configuration.

All frame surfaces are painted and can be repainted with standard latex paint when a finish refresh is needed, which is a practical advantage in institutional environments where cases may be redeployed many times over their life.

Connectors

Connectors join frames together and define the shape of your configuration. You always need two connectors to join two frames: one at the top and one at the bottom. The type of connector determines the angle at which the frames meet, and therefore the shape of the case or wall run you are building. Three connector types cover every configuration the system can produce.

Solid Panels

Solid wood panels slot onto the frames to form the opaque walls of the system. They serve as the backing surface for wall-mounted displays, the solid sides and backs of enclosed cases, and the mounting surface for graphics and labels.

Panels can be ordered with or without holes pre-drilled for shelf hardware. Graphics can be attached to solid panels in several ways: adhesive mounting, cleats, hooks, or suspension from the top edge of the panel. Panel surfaces are painted and can be repainted with standard latex paint.

Glass Panels

Glass panels slot onto the frames in the same way as solid panels, forming the transparent walls of enclosed cases. Two widths are available, and the 72-inch panels come in both static and sliding configurations.

The sliding glass option is particularly useful in active exhibition environments where objects are regularly rotated, replaced, or accessed by curatorial staff. It eliminates the need to dismantle the case front for routine access.

Dustcovers

Dustcovers sit at the top of enclosed cases to keep dust out of the display interior when the case is in storage or during installation transitions. They are a straightforward protective component with a practical purpose: maintaining the cleanliness of a case interior without requiring full disassembly. One important note: dustcovers must be removed before a case can be disassembled. This is the first step in any take-down sequence.

Glass Shelves

Glass shelves are made from 3/8-inch tempered glass and are supported by shelf hardware installed in the pre-drilled holes of the solid panels. Two sizes are available to fit the two standard case depths.

Glass shelves can be positioned at any height within the case where shelf holes have been drilled. This allows the same case to accommodate objects of widely varying heights by repositioning the shelves between installations.

Glass Dividers and Coverplates

 Glass dividers are used in 72-inch wide cases to join two 36-inch wide glass shelves across the full case depth. They allow shelves to be positioned at different heights on each side of the case interior, accommodating objects of different sizes within a single

Coverplates are the finishing element that gives a Logic installation its polished, professional appearance. They cover the visible hardware where frames and connectors meet, concealing the structural elements of the system and producing a clean, seamless surface at every junction. Four coverplate types address every joint condition in the system.
Coverplates are available in finishes that can be matched to the painted frame and panel colour. Applied correctly, they make the assembled system look like a purpose-built, permanent installation rather than a modular assembly.
Coverplates are available in finishes that can be matched to the painted frame and panel colour. Applied correctly, they make the assembled system look like a purpose-built, permanent installation rather than a modular assembly.

Shelf Hardware

Shelf hardware consists of the pins and brackets that slot into the pre-drilled holes of the solid panels and support the glass shelves from below. The holes are spaced at regular intervals along the panel height, which means shelves can be repositioned at any point in that range without tools or modification to the panel itself. This adjustability is what allows the same case to accommodate objects of very different heights across successive exhibitions, from a shallow tray of coins to a tall sculptural vessel, without any structural change to the case.

Configuration Possibilities

The power of the Logic Exhibit System is in how few components produce how many different configurations. The same frames, connectors, panels, and glass that built one exhibition can be completely reconfigured for the next. Here is a summary of what the system can produce.

Wall Runs

Continuous or interrupted wall display runs of any length, using solid panels for opaque sections and glass panels for display windows. Can span small niches or entire gallery walls.

Open Cases

Enclosed cases with glass on three or four sides, built by connecting frames at 90 degrees and slotting glass panels into position. Used for three-dimensional objects viewed from multiple directions.

Half Cases

Shorter configurations using reduced-height assemblies within the 90-inch frame structure, typically formed by positioning the display elements in the lower portion of the frame run.

Combination Walls and Cases

Mixed configurations where a wall run transitions directly into an enclosed case. A single installation can include both open wall-mounted display sections and enclosed case sections, all built from the same component set.

Freestanding Room Dividers

Using T-connectors, the system can form T-shaped or cross-shaped freestanding structures that function as room dividers with display surfaces on both sides.

Travelling and Modular Exhibition Packages

For institutions that tour exhibitions or store components between programmes, the Logic system disassembles into flat-packable crates, travels efficiently between venues, and rebuilds identically at each location. No specialist tools. No fabrication twice. The same components serve every iteration of the exhibition.

If you have a hard deadline, tell us upfront. We will be straight with you about what is achievable.

Not Sure Which Configuration Is Right for You?

Give us a call, fill in the contact form, or send an email. We will get back to you the same day.