Texas Client Project {Gallery Wall}

This is something I talked about the other day.  Remember those cool prints I shared?  Today, I want to show you guys the full concept for the gallery wall, I'm proposing, for above the sofa.  Of course, this can be a gradual process, but I think I like this better than what we have going on right now with the driftwood and oyster shell mirror.  Decorating is definitely a fluid (costly) thing...always adjusting and changing. 

Here is how it will look with the newly striped walls. 

You can find all the art sources on my Texas Client Project board.

Texas Client Project {Art}

The wall striping is now finished (more pics coming soon) and now it's time to add a couple prints to the wall above the sofa.

So far we have a collection of three large pieces of driftwood and a mirror covered in oyster shells hanging above the sofa.  To round it out and make it feel like a gallery feature wall, I think we should add some abstract art.

Here are my two favorites and the ones I'll be suggesting...

I really love this blue print...I may even order one for myself!

{image: print by Samantha Hallenus}

{image: print by Douglas David Walker}

To keep costs down, I suggest using the same RIBBA frame from Ikea, to unify the pair.

Living Room {Australia}

Will this ever end?  Today, I'm presenting you with yet another design board for our living room.  In the past I've discussed getting a new sofa and how that has been a real challenge.  A couple months ago we searched and searched, but couldn't find anything we absolutely love and could live with for many years to come (when you're spending that kind of money you should really love it).  However, we did end up making a  decision.  I know shocking!  We decided to just order a white custom slipcover for our existing sofa.  I think that was the logical choice, we get a couple more years out of the sofa (until we move back to the States) for the least amount of $$$.  Hopefully, when it finally comes in (from England) we will love it and it will provide the "transformation" we've been seeking. 

The sofa we have is a discontinued Ikea model and is slipcovered (we bought it second hand when we arrived in Australia).  Apparently, they had a wide variety of slipcover colors to choose from, but since they no longer sell them I did a search for anyone who makes slipcovers to fit that model and I lucked out and found several.  The only catch is it takes a month or two to make and then has to be shipped.  At first we were looking at mid September, but now it's looking like mid October, before it arrives.

So here is what I'm thinking the room will look like in a couple months....

As you can see there are a couple new things on the board I'm still wanting to purchase.  The jute rug I purchased, from Ikea, last year, is already starting to fray on the corners, so that needs to be replaced.  This time I'm thinking of a flatweave, like a graphic dhurrie or kilim. 

And then the lamps...A.K.A my arch nemesis.  They're kind of like the problem I was having with sofas...I just keep hitting a wall at every turn.  The lamps I pictured on the board are from West Elm, but again, I don't care for the shade or the price tag, but I like the lamp and color.  But, I also still really like the Buddha lamp I've blogged about a couple times.  My new teak side tables and the room are in desperate need of ambient lighting.  Designing for oneself is really the most challenging. 

We've lived in our current house for two years now (still hard to believe) and I've only hung bamboo roman shades in the master bedroom (we have a pretty large collection of bamboo shades that we carry around from place to place...house to house), so I'm going to finally put them up in the rest of the house.  I also have a few sets of curtains I made about seven or eight years ago, but they're off white and won't look right with the white slipcover, so I think I'll grab a pair of white ones from Ikea, but I want to jazz them up a bit.  How do extra large white pom poms down the leading edge sound (bringing in a little Moroccan flare)?  I think I'm going to order some thick white yarn and make them myself.  I'll also order a few colors of yarn and make cute pom poms like the ones on the inspiration pillow, but I'll add them to the pillows I'm going to make with my new links fabric. 

As far as the art goes, I want to create a gallery wall above my antique Chinese console (pictured).  I'm, also, still searching for a frame to fit my otomi...I so don't want to spend money on a custom one.  Lastly, I think I'm going to buy that travel sketch of India I blogged about recently.  They're just so amazing, I'm going to start a collection (good/inexpensive idea for any family who want to know what to buy me for birthdays or Christmases).

So, what do you guys think of my most recent presentation?  It's a bit more colorful than I usually gravitate towards, for myself, but I think my otomi is inspiring me to be more adventurous with color.

Etsy Find: Travel Sketches

You guys must check out these beautiful watercolor travel sketches from the Etsy shop Sketch Away, Sketches and Prints by Suhita. 

I especially love the sketches of India Travels...

{Sketch from India Travel, Indian Temple Gate}



{India Sketch, Gateway of India, Mumbai}

{India Varanasi Temple Sketch}

{Sketch from India Varanasi in Terracotta}

{India Monument Sketch}

They would make a wonderful addition to my budding art collection.  I may have to order the first print!  The artist is very talented.

Birthday & Otomi...

My birthday is next week and a gift from my Mom arrived today.  She knew that I'd been admiring obsessing over Mexican Otomi textiles, so she purchased a wall hanging for me. 

{this is mine}

The plan is to frame it and hang it above my antique Chinese console.  I love, love, love it!  Thanks Mom.  My new art collection is coming along quite nicely, if I do say so myself!

Our New Art...

The pieces are framed and hanging on the walls and I'm so proud of myself for not procrastinating.  Since we live in a historic house, I only use either 3M hooks or hang pictures from the picture rail.  In the living room, however, there is only a plate rail, so it had to be 3M hooks.  So far, the hooks seem to be working out really well and if I don't hear any loud bangs and the sound of breaking glass in the next few days, I may be converted for life! 

Without further ado, here are the new pieces...



This is my FAVORITE one!  The other two prints were mentioned in a previous post, but I kept this one as a surprise.  I've seen this vintage photograph around Pinterest and have pinned it several times and fell in love with it instantly.  I really wanted it, so I went on a little mission to track down the source for this photograph and after many links found it on Wikimedia Commons and they had all the information about the photo and mentioned that this photo was in the public domain because the copyright has expired.  The photo is described as "Young Berber woman of Tunisia, with tattoo and traditional jewelery (early 1900s)...1905"  With this information, I downloaded the image and had it made into a poster (only for my personal use).  With all the great deals I got on the prints, and some great inexpensive ready made frames I tracked down (after searching many, many, many stores), I was able to bring all three pieces in at $98 total cost.



 

 how adorable is she?  I just love her!

O.K. I will admit that the old man kind of startles me, when I walk into the room, and he really freaks out the hubby...he thinks he resembles my late father.  Actually, the first thing he asked me when he saw him was, "when did your father ever wear a turban?"  Maybe there is a very slight resemblance.  I think he'll look better as part of a future gallery wall.

After hanging them, I started thinking about rearranging some of my furniture and making room for my antique Javanese cabinet that's been hanging out in our guest bedroom.  If the furniture ends up moving around, some of the pictures may move too.  Bringing in new items always causes a chain reaction...at least in our house.  Still needing a new sofa, side tables, table lamps....Next up, however, is decluttering and organizing.  We're turning the guest bedroom into a playroom.  I'll be sure to keep you all in the loop.

Photography Love...

Guess what! Do you give up?  O.K. I'll tell you.  The three photography prints I ordered over four weeks ago (it always takes between 2-5 weeks for anything to reach us) arrived Friday and I've already framed them and I've hung two of them.  The third will be hung today, after I go out and get some wire.  Then I'll take some pics. Can't wait to show you guys....I love, love, love them. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd share another print that I'm dying to order. 

{Riziere, Bali Print by Diagentur}

I've always had a slight major obsession with Bali and am hoping to visit sometime in the near future.  This print could keep me company and keep the dream alive, until that time.



some art...

Found a few more prints that I'd like to add to my collection...

{Print by Hisham Ibrahim}

 

 

{Print by Tom Cockrem}

 

{Photographic Print by Ken Gillham}

 

{Print by Bill Bachmann}

Buying each of these in the smallest size and all framed in matching frames would make a great start to a gallery wall. you can find the links on my "ART" Pinterest board.

Art Purchases...

One of my goals for this year is to purchase some new art for the house.  My favorite type of art is photography, so I'm kicking off the new year with two purchases...

My favorite of the two is a colorful print from India by Bruno Morandi

The second purchase is an adorable B&W print from the series The World of Kim Anderson VII by Kim Anderson


Can't wait for them to arrive so I can get them framed and displayed!  If you like either of these prints you can find easy links to them on my Art Pinterest board or go to art.com.  You can also check out some of my other picks on my Art board that I'd love to add to the collection.

Chinese Ancestor...

paintings....I've wanted one or maybe two traditional Chinese ancestor paintings/prints for years.  I still kick myself for not buying a huge gorgeous one I found at an antique store in Korea eleven years ago.  Here are a few lovelies to rekindle the desire...

you can find the above paintings at Antiques by Zaar.

{home of Julie Murphy}

{image via Country Living}

{via Circa Trade}

B&W Photography Love...

When I saw this image on a French site, I was so taken with it, I had to have the page translated, so I knew exactly what it was I was going to share with you...

{the translation: "Bed end, a photograph of a Brahmin in Jean-Baptiste Huynh meditation with its monumental framework black wooden bar and furniture the surface of the wall."}

Cote Maison Francaise (In House France spring/summer 2012). Photographer: Gilles Trillard / Christine Soler.

What I wouldn't give to have this piece in my home.  My favorite art...B&W photography.

Oversize Loads...

Lately, I'm just loving any photo I come across with unique oversize loads.  Maybe it's a bit odd, but let's just go with quirky...

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I'm sure this is photoshopped, but I just had to share one last load...

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Custom Framing...

My two miniature paintings arrived from India, a few days ago.  I can't tell you how happy I am with them, they're just as I envisioned!  Something I thought was extra cool, is that they arrived in a linen wrapping.  It was like a linen pillow case that had been hand stitched, closed, at the opening and had a wax seal around the edges.  Once I broke the seals and cut the stitching, I found the paintings sandwiched between two pieces of Styrofoam and each were enclosed in its own matting.

{the linen packaging the paintings arrived in}

I had plans to find a frame shop on Saturday, but I hurt my foot pretty bad and haven't been able to walk on it since Friday (it's feeling much better today).  So, I decided to just look around online for some ideas and solidify my options before making a pretty important and pricey decision. 

I was thinking that I want both of them (and any future paintings) to have the same size frames (in both style and size) and to have custom matting.  I was thinking about square frames, perhaps 24"x24" and in a gold tone or dark wood.  They're not big paintings (in case you're wondering, they're paintings done on vintage/antique paper and not on canvas).

The final decision has been mat color.  At first I was thinking basic white, but the paper is so warm, so I'm going back and forth between white and a wheat color?  I think I'll have to see different colors in person.  I also would like to see a textured mat, in a linen or maybe woven fibers?  I don't want the frame and matting to become too expensive, since I plan to have a collection of Indian Miniatures and not just the two. 

Messing around online, here are some possible framing options....

I don't know, it's a big decision.  Should I take a more formal approach and do them all in matching frames and matting or take a more eclectic, bohemian approach and frame them in mismatched frames, in different sizes and matting to enhance the style of each individual piece?  I suppose it would be easier in the long run to have them all framed differently, who knows if I'll be able to find the same exact mat and frame over the years of collecting (it would be a different story, if I already had a complete collection to frame all at one time).  However, having them all match, in style and size, would be very impactful!...you can see my delema.  Any thoughts?

Paintings from India...

I've always loved miniature paintings from India and since I've been wanting to update our art collection, I've decided that it was time to start my collection!  Today, I ordered two paintings to kick things off...

Beautiful Hand Painted Miniature Painting on Stamp Paper of an Indian Rajasthani Elephant 

 (Rajasthan, India)

 

Beautiful Hand Painted Miniature Painting of Maharajah Prince with Lover on Old Paper (Ajmer , India)

I can't wait for them to arrive and to find the perfect frames!  After receiving all of my kilim pillows in the mail, from Istanbul, I felt that five was the perfect amount, for now.  So, I wanted to shift gears and focus on another area of our home that is begging for attention.  I do have some existing prints that still need framing and some pieces that I love that need to be reframed, so with the addition of these two new pieces (and I'm sure quite a few more in the near future...I want to see the quality and style, before I make a bigger commitment), our art overhaul is well on it's way.