Using Photographs and Children's Art in Home Decor

Artwork can add a lot of personality to a home, but it can also be expensive to cover all those walls with art.

Believe it or not, you can make your own art, and even if you don't have a creative bone in your body, it can still look good!  The secret:  Use multiple pieces together in one big arrangement, so the individual pieces are just a small part of the whole look.

See examples below, and keep in mind that these would be great gift ideas if you're on a budget (and we all are!)

You can use this approach with photographs:

from raenovate

by Stuart McIntyre, via desire to inspire

Our dining room (I took all the photos, and the frames are all from Ikea)

  You can do the same thing with kid's art:

from Flourish Design and Style

from Nursery Notations

from Caitlin Creer (family portraits, painted by the kids)

Eric Cohler via vivafullhouse

I love the following images, where the children's art was scanned or photographed and made into a poster collage:

from Sixx Design via Little Green Notebook

from Living Livelier and Kristen Fitzgerald 

You can also use non-traditional display methods:

from Caitlin Creer (hanging wire from Ikea)

from houzz.com

Of, if you are somewhat confident in your creative abilities, try something like these resin art pieces :

from Design Ties (see step-by-step instructions here)

Milk Glass

I love my milk glass vases.  I picked them up at various thrift stores one day last year.  I bought 4 vases for a whopping $ 3.50, and there were so many there it was hard to choose which ones I wanted!  Because of the stark contrast against our black walls, these inexpensive vases are one of the most dramatic elements in our dining room.

Apparently I'm not the only one who loves milk glass (nor am I the only one who displays them in groups of three).  Here are a just a few photos I've collected of vintage milk glass in more modern settings:

from Wit and Whistle

from operadork on flickr

from Lulu'sDressingRoom on flickr

photo by HotHoller via milkglass.org

from Be Merry Kate

from Punam Bean via Ruffled

DIY Inexpensive Credenza

Anna over at Door Sixteen recently unveiled her "fauxdenza" (her words, not mine), and I love it.  She used 3 Ikea Akrum wall cabinets at $52 each.  It's a clean look that doesn't take up any floor space, and will cost much less than any furniture pieces you'll find out there (unless you find an amazing craig's list deal or undertake a much larger and more time-consuming DIY project).  Yes, it's Ikea (someday I promise I'll post about all my research comparing Ikea cabinets to other cabinet lines), and you have to assemble it yourself, but if you're in a pinch and you need some extra storage / display space, it's a great option.

Note that the wall cabinets do not have finished tops, which is why she has a table runner (temporary).  A wood top would look great, or maybe a back-painted glass  (I've always wondered if I could do a good job of painting glass myself, though I think it would be tough to make it look just right)?

What do you think?

P.S.  Isn't the ampersand fun?  And the Eames-like rocker?  Oh, and I have those same candlesticks in my dining room (yes, also Ikea)

Goodbye Grasshopper!

We took the grasshopper chair to the upholsterer last weekend.  

I was a little sad to see him go.  There's so much life and history behind that chair, it's almost as if he's a person.  Okay, maybe not a person, but definitely like a pet.  Maybe because it's called grasshopper, and  when I was younger I always tried to keep grasshoppers as pets.

Anyway, in a few short weeks he'll be back as good as new, well-groomed and sporting this awesome new fabric:

Maharam Steelcut Trio #533

Stay tuned!

And if you're interested, find info about the chair, and the original look we are going for, at the Knoll Museum website.

Collages by Google Picasa

I just recently discovered the capability of the collage feature from Picasa, and I'm loving it!  I've been using it for collage boards for clients.  The collage feature allows you to move, resize, rotate, and change the order of photos.  I can mix photos I've saved from various websites with actual photos I've taken.   I can use the eyedropper thingy (I really don't know what that's called!) to make my background match a paint color exactly.

Here's a project I'm currently buried in:

I've created this collage to help envision the sofa, chair fabric, area rug, wall paint, and floor with various accent pillow options that will help keep the space lighter and more playful.  I'll add accent tables and other accessories as we get further along in the process (oh yes, after you've created a collage you can edit it and add more photos!)

Where Have I Been?

Well, I never intended to go so long without posting!  But I have my reasons... First of all, I'm BUSY!  And in this economy, that's great news.  Second, I recently took a trip to southern Utah.   A group of us mountain-biked the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park.  Over 90 miles in 3.5 days.  It was one of the most incredible things I have ever done.  Typically this blog is all about design and DIY and my own home projects, but this trip was so amazing I just had to post a few photos.

I'll really REALLY try harder to post more from now on, okay?

Traditional Kitchen Remodel

We just finished a beautiful kitchen remodel for a great client!

The kitchen used to look like this:

From the beginning, the clients wanted to remove the wall between the Kitchen/Dining area and Family Room.  We decided that also closing up the exterior door, removing the closet, and widening the window would help us create the perfect layout.

My colleague at Arendal, Jeff Byington, did this 3D rendering during the design phase.

And here's the final product!

The cabinetry is Columbia Cabinets, supplied through Arendal Kitchen Design.  And Re-Vive was the general contractor.  

And this beautiful floral arrangement came from Lindsy at TriFecTa!