The Evolution of a Gallery Wall!

I'm gitty over my latest find!

Restoration Hardware: $850

Well, if you've been following my blog, you might already know that I LOVE subway art.

I've been dreaming of this piece from Restoration Hardware for like ever, but, hey, at $850,  I'd better not get too attached to the idea of having it!  A girl can dream though, right?


Well, that was until the other evening when I popped by Homesense to buy a dog bed of all boring things. Being the decor addict I am, I decided to take one quick pass through the wall art aisle.

HomeSense (Canada): $25

Well, low and behold, just look at the lovely canvas that was peeking out at me!  I snatched it quicker than you can say "ooh la la"!  The thing I love about this piece is the list of cities.  My hubby is in international marketing and travels extensively.  The cool thing is that he's been to all ( but 3) of these cities, and many of them numerous times. So it's personally meaningful.

I knew I had to have it, despite the price.  So you can imagine my complete surprise when I turned it over only to see a price tag of just $24.99.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I mean, what the heck?!?  Guess it was my lucky night! 


So can you guess where I hung it?!? ;-)

You got it! 

I knew it absolutely HAD to go up on my new gallery wall in my living room. 

You know, the one that was already 'finished'. (Remember that post earlier this week?)

Finished schmimished! Yes, people, I tweaked it AGAIN!  Please don't judge, lol.  I admit I need therapy!

What I'm learning is that a gallery wall really is always a work-in-progress.  There's not really a finish line, as such.  It's a creative exercise that continues to evolve until it's comfortable in it's own skin.
 
If you recall, this is where I started about a month ago...

And here's was my first stab at it...



And, after a few other iterations, here's where it stands today...

After some hard negotiation with pieces that were quite happy to stay put, I found a new arrangement that would accommodate the new 'subway' city name piece.

Sticking with the travel 'theme', the new piece also inspired me to pull this one in from another room (see right). 

It's a collection of black & white New York City street sign photos that I bought off a street vendor in NYC a couple of years ago.  I think it balances out the city 'subway' art really nicely.

Also, I love effect that the hit of black from both these new pieces gives the gallery wall.   I really liked the wall before, but the softness was feeling a little on the insipid side.You can always count on black to bring strength and sharpness, especially on something like a gallery wall.


You might notice a couple of other small changes as well - like the new column of cream plates, and the little starfish.  A gallery wall is like a puzzle, and as with most decorating projects, once you move one item, it sets of a chain reaction, and before you know it, you're up to your eyeballs again in plates, and pictures and 3MCommand strips!


I have promised myself NO MORE TWEAKING for a least a couple of months.  It's just way too much work!

But it was all worth it to incorporate my new 'subway' style canvas which, at $25, just happens to be my... Best Find Ever!

I'm off the enjoy a Friday night BBQed steak and glass of red wine.

Have a happy weekend!

PS. I am sharing my gallery wall at Melissa's Gallery Wall Party at The Inspired Room.

The Gallery Wall: an exercise in patience!

It turns out that I wasn't finished with my gallery wall in my living room after all.

It also turns out that this gallery wall is just one more thing in my life that is going to make me crazy!

When I went in search for gallery wall inspiration, the examples I found all seemed so, well, perfectly imperfect. For me, their 'perfection' came from being imperfect. It didn't matter that the distance between each element was inconsistent, or that something was a little off-center.

So why is that I keep asking myself...Is that picture centered? Should it be? Is that picture level?  (I swear it was yesterday!) Should I fill that empty spot? Is it too crowded? Yes, each and every time I sit in my living room, I stare blankly at the wall and think...hmmm...that needs a little adjusting here...and that could be better there! 


But despite those little irritations, I really enjoy this wall.  I realize that gallery walls are not for everybody, but they are high on my list of favorite things. And, this one has really grown on me over the past month.

Here's where I started out...

Here's where I was with it the last time I posted about it:

At that time, I really felt that something was off.

The more time I spent with it, the more I determined what needed to change.

I determined that the sconces needed to go.  Because the large canvas was centered between them, it felt like everything else was just floating on top.  It felt like two separate wall groupings, rather than a cohesive 'gallery'.

I also felt like it needed more personal relevance and personality.  It needed to be meaningful, not just a bunch of pretty things. So I added more of my favorite photos, as well as my favorite rustic sign and a little chalkboard.  It now incorporates so many of the things I love - my favorite photos of my babies and my niece/nephew, a bird and a butterfly, french wine labels, pretty plates (one with the Eiffel tower), a chippy vintage sign, and a chalkboard.

And, tada, here's how it looks now...

 And here's a closer look at some of the elements I used...

 

I know it will probably be tweaked again later, but for now, it makes me happy. And isn't that what decorating is all about? :-)

 So how do you feel about gallery walls? Love em or leave em?





PS. I'm sharing this at

My New Gallery Wall (Risk = reward!)

I *think* I have finally completed my gallery wall in my living room.

I say "think" only because I am convinced there is a little something missing. I still haven't figured out what it is. I'd really like to have something surprising and unexpected up there - a conversation piece. I tried a bunch of {crazy} things, but wasn't happy with any of them. So I am not going to force it; I'm sure it will come to me in good time.

Before

I though I'd share it with you for now.

Here's my wall before...

Nine foot ceilings meant that there was a whole lot of empty space above this lone canvas. The piece just seemed to get swallowed up with wall.  Even flanked by sconces, it still felt too small to me.

I wanted to create more height, without investing in a new, larger piece. I am really attached to this one. I love the colours, and the tranquility of the watery scene.

I decided that a gallery wall was a great solution.

I've mentioned in earlier posts that I am a big fan of gallery walls, but until recently, I was a little fearful to do one in my own home.  I'm not exactly sure what held me back, other than a fear of not doing a good job.  And well, there's just something about all those nail holes in my new home!

Conincidentally, The Nester wrote a couple of great posts over the past few days about fears that hold us back from taking creative risks in our homes (using gallery walls as just one example).  I love how she summed it up : “It’s a ding a ling nail hole in the wall, is there anything in life LESS risky than creating a 1 millimeter hole in a wall that can be filled with your finger and some putty in 2 seconds?!" LOL.  So true!

Clearly, with risk comes reward.

My wall now looks like cottage cheese, but I couldn't be happier with how the wall turned out.

You might notice my painted monogram art that I posted about earlier this week.

I also included my favorite pictures of my 3 babes.

Until next time, happy decorating!

Gallery Walls: Inspiration!

I LOVE gallery walls.

I have fallen in love with (and purchased) a lot of different wall art along the way. The problem is that I am running out of wall space! My new home is open concept, so spots for hanging art are limited.

I like the idea that gallery walls allow you to display several pieces on one wall. You can express yourself and your home's personality without having to commit to any one piece of artwork.

I also love living with things that are personally meaningful, like family photos and souvenirs from our travels. Sometimes this stuff starts to feel like clutter; but on a nicely organized gallery wall, these miscellaneous items suddenly feel more orderly - like a collection.

This wall from Nesting Place is one of my personal favorites. I know, I know, I keep harping on about it. But I just love how in incorporates so many meaningful items - family photos, family silhouettes, subway art and the 'M' monogram. And the chalkboard in the fancy white frame seals the deal.  I just love how whimsical it is.

Photo credits to Nesting Place

 Until recently, I'd been afraid of trying a gallery wall in my own home. I didn't think I could achieve the same look I'd seen in magazines. I assumed that there must be some secret formula to getting that perfectly imperfect look - too much math and measuring for me! (I'm not really one for the "measure twice, cut once" theory; I usually dive right in!) But the more gallery walls I've seen, the more I realized that there is no special code. It simply comes down to creativity.

It's actually a fun process! I recently created a gallery wall in my daughter's room. And, right now, I'm working in one in my living room.

Here's some pictures of gallery walls I've been collecting recently. I love how different they all are. They prove that, when it comes to creating a gallery wall, your imagination (and a hammer) is pretty much all you need.

Just click on Photo Galleries below.

Photo Galleries

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Interiors and Decorating ideas:

Kitchen Design · Bathroom Design · Living Room Design · Bedroom Design · Dining Room Design · Patio Design · Landscaping Design ·

Until next time, happy decorating!