Tag Archives: wall art

11.7.2014

DIY Friday Vol. 7

by Katie

Hey everybody, and welcome to the seventh installment of our DIY Friday series!  One Friday a month we do a roundup of DIY projects from around the web that we’re dying to try.  You can check out previous DIY Friday posts, as well as some of our own DIY ventures, here.  Now for this month’s inspiration!

From Katie:

Oh man do these color-washed plywood tiles over on Marion House Book make my heart go pitter patter.  I love the colors, the design, the scale – all of it!  It looks like a straightforward project, and pretty inexpensive to make.  It’s gorgeous over her mantel and I can also imagine using the tiles on a headboard or a small accent wall.

Marion House wall tiles

Marion House wall tiles 2

Another wall art DIY I’m loving is this painted cross stitch.  I like the way it tricks the eye, and it could be a really fun and playful element.  Mera could even take her love of irreverent cross stitch large-scale :).

From Mera:

When I was a kid one of our neighbors had an elaborate geometric painted door that sparked my burgeoning interest in design and style at a really young age. Since then I have had a thing for decorated doors and this one, covered with leather scraps and nail heads, makes me swoon:

Red House West||DIY Friday

In between realizing that our chaise wouldn’t fit through the playroom door and remembering that we have an old captain’s bed stored in the basement I did some internet searching for daybed DIYs. I came up with a really detailed tutorial to make this daybed that I’ve bookmarked for future cabin use, or as backup in case we can’t squeeze the captain’s bed into the playroom after all.

source

source (the website appears to be under construction right now, but hopefully the tutorial will be back up soon!)

Have a great weekend everyone, and come back on Monday for another post from Katie!

7.2.2014

Heading for Home Plate

by Katie

Hi everyone, it’s Katie again!  Next week we’ll be back to our regular schedule of each doing one post a week and a collaborative post on Friday, but for this week you not only get a double dose of me, you also get this terrible and punny post title (please forgive me).

I’ve gotta say that I am loving the new color in the dining room.  I’ve spent the last couple of days watching the way the light moves across the blue with an avidity lately reserved for Season 2 of ‘Orange is the New Black.’  Here’s a picture I snapped late in the evening when the walls were deep and inky:

I recently got the nun decanter (is that a thing) at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. Good score!

I recently got the nun decanter (is that a thing?) at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. Good score!

I’ve always loved the way art looks against dark walls, and long before I painted this room I was daydreaming about what I might hang in there.  Now that I can see the color I’m less interested in the large-scale art and murals I was coveting before–I don’t want to cover up the pretty blue.  So what am I thinking about?  Well here’s a phrase I never thought I’d utter in reference to my own home: decorative plates.

Does that conjure up for you – as it did for me – images of gilt-edged commemorative plates sold on QVC and in ‘Parade’ magazine?  Porcelain souvenirs emblazoned with Mt Rushmore, or the Grand Canyon or Golden Gate Bridge?  Plates painted with the rosy and smiling (or dour, depending)  faces of British Royals?  Well I wouldn’t say no (in fact I’d give an emphatic yes) to a Wills and Kate plate, but the decorative plates I have in mind for my dining room are decidedly more modern, and here are some of my favorite options:

The glaze on these plates is unreal.  I love the colors and think they would look gorgeous on the deep blue walls.  I also love the loose way they have arranged them here.

Pastel glazed plates on wall

Found on toast.co.uk

I am also crazy about these plates – the monochromatic palette and the simple drawings are so charming – and I like the irregular shapes and raw edges.  I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to DIY something in this same vein (maybe with paper mache?).

I’ve been admiring the combination of paintings on traditional chinaware for a while.  I love how cheeky these are.

Via

Via

I particularly like the arrangements of the plates in these next three images–there is something very modern about the way all of these collections are displayed.

 

Finally, these colorful baskets are also a beautiful option and would add a welcome punch of color and pattern.  I like the mix of sizes and designs.

For now I’m happy just enjoying the blue walls as-is, but down the road it will be fun to experiment with bringing other elements into the room.  What do you think?  Would you (or do you) hang plates as decoration in your own home?  Which of these options is your favorite?