Happy first day of spring! Its a glorious, crisp sunny one here, and we are loving the idea of the new season ahead. This winter with the help of a grandparents sleep-over, and a few growlers of 33 acres beer, we tackled a big job in our house- painting the main living room and hallways. After alot of grey/beige debate we settled on a great color- Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. We have been in our place now almost 8 years, so it was nice to add a fresh coat of paint to the walls. But more exciting- re- hanging art and putting up some new pieces!
We have been collecting eclectic pieces over the years. We love this way of decorating, as it feels a bit more organic and more personal. Often when we are traveling we will stumble upon a print or piece that we love. And then every time we pass it at home, we think of that place, and our trip.
Collecting art and filling your walls can often seem like a daunting task, as it can be expensive, and overwhelming on where to start. A common mistake people make is they want to fill the walls fast, and don't have much of a budget, and go too small. It is better to go slower and always go bigger than you think. It makes for better impact. There are lots of great DIY type things you can do, as well as etsy and local community college art fairs. Antique stores, garage sales, In laws basements, and museum gift shops are also great resources. And it always helps to have a great framer who is open to simply matting a basic Ikea frame and doesn't blow the bank! Here are some of the pieces in our home.
This is a small vignette I did in our bedroom above the dresser. I originally wanted to get a bunch of old photos from both sides of the fam and blow them up and frame them. But that idea sat in the closet for about a year, till one day I realized some washi tape and the simple images themselves, raw on the wall looked just as good, if not better. Less forced and more natural. I love waking up to this in the morning, putting on jewelry and thinking about the amazing history and family we have.
Our most recent purchase (our christmas gift to each other). We've never bought art online before, but we love this photographer- Max Wagner- and new it would be perfect. Its called County Line, and its a shot of surfers waiting for the wave. It was so fun to receive months later in the mail and frame.
This is an old print drawer that we got in portland at a salvage yard. We use it to hold little nature finds and bits in Lucie's room.
This is a wall in Lucie's room that used to be her changing table area, and is now her bed nook. It's always challenging to think of something to decorate a wall above kids heads that isn't dangerous. I got the idea to get dollar store butterflies and paint them neon green, from a really neat installation Kelly Deck did at one of her show homes. The lil swimmer mobile is paper and is from Hatch- a cute little boutique at the end of our street.
This is another really special piece by a local artist, client and sweet friend of ours Fei Disbrow.
This is a cluster of prints in our main living room. I love the bright cheerful colors. These prints were all very reasonable and easy to frame.
This is a fun vintage aluminum sign that we found at Napiers Antiques in Langley. And the funny thing is Myers was actually a garden hose company back in the day. Pretty fitting for us gardeners!
This is a vintage window that we got at a garage sale. It sits above our mantel piece and makes it really easy to swap out the mantle with different vignettes based on the season!
This is also a real inexpensive piece- it was a hand towel that I found in the sale bin at Anthropologie one year. I love hits of yellow, especially in the kitchen.
This is a print of paper airplanes by Emilie Madil that Owen got for me at A Walrus art show as a gift when we moved in. It reminds me to travel, and also how much I love our neighbourhood and the great stores and communities that are created here.
This is a bit of an unconventional print that we got in little italy in NYC. It is actually a rifler's target. Fitting for the hunter history in the family!
This is one of my favourite prints that we got in LA. We have it right in the hall and it is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. A great message to remind us to be at peace with things at the end of a stressful/long tiring day.
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