Our wall art tells a lot about us. It is our way to express ourselves without saying a thing. When we were remodeling our family room, I wanted something on our wall that was bold, timeless, and made me smile every time I saw it.
My parents were both born on farms. They were both members of the FFA (Future Farmers of America), have shoveled manure, and milked things. I have ridden in tractors and combines with both of my Grandpas and have very fond memories of playing in barns with my cousins.
Barns have always captivated me. They seem so uniquely Midwest. They come in all sizes, seem to last forever, and hold so many memories. Memories of family bonding, hard work (as my dad recalls), and strong heritage.
I decided that I wanted those reminders of my lineage in my suburban home. And now I have it. Whenever I see this wall I think of my Dad's "Lonesome George" stories, the hard working men that my Grandfathers were, and my everlasting roots in country living.
While this wall was my dream, as always, we had a strict budget. This entire wall was established for around $100. And now I will tell you how I did it.
Each of these pictures was handcrafted by an actual artist. I have a thing about "real" art. Prints or ready-made wall art is fine for some. I prefer the real thing, however.
I searched estate sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. When I found something, I would only look at the painting. A lot of oil painting out there are wearing horrible frames. It's hard for a lot of people to see past them. Which is usually why they end up in the "give away" bin in the first place.
So I collected, collected, collected paintings. Then, I de-framed them. I kept a list of dimensions of frames I was looking for and searched the art aisle whenever I was perusing the thrift store.
The whole process, casually, took me about 6 months. I planned ahead while we were remodeling and it worked out great.
If barns aren't your thing, there are tons of different types of artwork out there. In my opinion, your artwork should be unique and one of a kind. It should last decades. It should be something you're passionate about.
You shouldn't limit yourself to paintings. There are so many companies out there that can do wonderful things with photography. I snapped this picture while hiking with my family. It was a day that this message was really needing to find me. It means so much. I found a Groupon and had this made for under $30!
Also look for things not normally considered art. Architectural salvage (like wrought iron fence pieces) always looks unique. When I was single I hung an old door on the wall of my apartment. It was the most talked about thing in our place. In fact, the realtor asked me to leave it because the new tenants loved it so much. I might add that this door was acquired for free.
One of my favorite things to find is primitive art and old advertising. Old signage really knocks my socks off. I found this sign on Craigslist years ago. It came from a church that used to host a fundraising carnival. I love it!
This is the most fun part of interior design, in my opinion. You can really let your creativity fly. Your walls should be filled with treasures. Now go out there and find some!!!
No comments :
Post a Comment