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| My living room gallery wall |
I have had an obsession with filling my walls with art, floor to ceiling, door to window to door, since I was a little kid. My childhood bedroom was wallpapered with a rotating array of photoshoot cutouts, movie posters, and magazine covers, all featuring my favorite things. Mostly Angelina Jolie. And David Duchovny.
Now I'm 28, and nothing has changed. Maybe it was an aversion to bare white walls, which always made the room feels like a prison cell. Artwork was the #1 thing that mattered in my living space, and even before I move my bed into a new apartment, I start hammering in nails.
Over the years, I've managed to filter out all of the excess movie posters and cutouts and have, in turn, collected a lot of amazing pieces. Some pop art, some original works from close friends (like the construction paper rendering of me with my kitties from my friend Heather, an amazing illustrator); even calligraphy by my own hand. All things that mean the world to me.
This past move in June, however, my sister, Stacy, advised me to take it slow. Don't rush it. Don't put it all up at once. Give it time, and the right pieces would find their home on the walls.
So that's what I did. I took my time, and added one picture, at random, on the wall above my couch, every day. A spot check here and there, but I didn't plan it (a totally foreign concept for me!) At the end of two weeks, it was finished. And I think it worked out pretty well!
And of course, now I'm itching to add more (and wrap it around every room of my apartment!) What do you guys like having on your walls? Personal photos? Art and posters? Or do you like to keep them clean and bare? I'd love to know!
I am great about putting art up in smaller spaces, but I struggle with huge bare walls, because I don't like to have more than one gallery wall in my house. I'd prefer one enormous photograph, or painting. But those are expensive, and I have a hard time pulling the trigger, so usually the big walls in our house stay bare for a while.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of pop art, but I am starting to veer away from that style and get work that is a little more subtle and moody -- especially in my larger common spaces. We just bought three giant canvases to DIY some geometric art for the dining room... excited to finally get started with it!
I love it Kim! The best thing about having a slowly curated collection is that it reads "you" without looking matchy matchy. I lo-ove gallery walls, but struggle to get the size, shape and placement right without looking too predicable. Yours is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie! I'm also always really predictable with my art hanging. I wanted to try something different this time, and Stacy really helped me break out of my habits. =)
DeleteMy [newly acquired] advice? Decide which pieces you want to have in your gallery wall -- include a variety of sizes and frames/colors. Nail in and hang up your biggest piece first, anywhere in the space. And then place the rest, one-by-one, around it. Avoid lining up any of the edges exactly.
It's amazing how much that worked for me!
Miss you girl!