TV Gallery Walls - Part 2

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .


Style At Home

 

There was enough interest in the first TV Gallery Wall post that I did, that I decided to do a second one to answer some questions and provide you with more examples.  I've included some images that aren't actually TV gallery walls, but just add a TV and they could be!

Here's my two cents on the topic...



HGTV via ShellandSeaglass

 

1.  How do I choose art for my gallery wall?  This is completely personal preference.  There are those who like to have a theme to their art, or at least a few related pieces within the gallery, and then those that will tell you the more unrelated the better for a more eclectic feel. The trend right now seems to be moving to more collected and eclectic.



Angie Hranowsky via Design Sponge

 

But if you're more comfortable with something that has a theme (such as family photos) and matched frames that's a great look too!  (Notice though that varying the sizes of the frames, mixing horizontal with vertical, and not having a uniform outside edge to the gallery adds a lot of interest to this grouping).



Ladies Home Journal

2.  Mixing frames of different shapes and sizes makes the gallery more interesting and natural looking.  Repeating one of the points above. Pretty self-explanatory, but worth repeating. Also, if you have a small wall like this, why not completely fill it like they did?  Makes much more of a statement.



Sunset

  

3.  Hang your art (and TV) at the right height.   As I mentioned in this post, art that's hung too high drives me a little crazy, and it seems to be one of the things that many people struggle with.  The main thing to remember is that it needs to RELATE to/be part of what it's being hung above or to the space that it's in, NOT to the ceiling.  :-)   As your eye moves around the room, it shouldn't have to go completely out of it's way to take in the artwork.

Erinn Valencich via HGTV



• If you're hanging the TV on the wall (without furniture beneath), then a good rule of thumb is that the CENTER of the entire grouping, including the TV, should be somewhere around 60".  Because you're generally seated in a living/family/media room this number could be fudged down even more.  Remember it doesn't mean that the center of the TV has to be at 60" - the TV should be hung at the best height for viewing, so we're talking about the center of the entire gallery (remember art can be hung under the TV too as part of the gallery - no rule against that). 

• If your TV is sitting on, or hanging directly above, a console, hanging your art approximately 6" or so above the furniture is a good rule of thumb.

4.  Accessorizing the TV console is a great way to soften the transition between the wall and the furniture.

Genevieve Gorder via Press Herald

5.  You're not trying to hide the TV.  To me the purpose of creating a TV gallery wall is not to "hide" the TV, but rather to make the wall so interesting that the TV is not necessarily the focus.  I don't think you have to include artwork or frames that match the TV, but common sense tells you that the more the TV color is repeated the less obvious the TV itself will be.  Again, personal preference.

Rosemary on the TV

6.  Size matters.  How large your grouping is really depends on how large the wall is, the size of the TV, the size of the console if it's sitting on one, etc.  DO take scale into consideration.  If your TV is large, don't put a couple of puny frames around it and call it a gallery wall. :-)

K.I.D. Collective





7.  Keep spacing between the artwork/frames/items fairly standard. This will keep it looking like a gallery rather than just a hodge podge of randomness hung on the wall. No exact rule, but I think somewhere between 2 and 5 inches is a good rule of thumb. Again, whatever measurement you decide on, just keep it consistent.



Decor Pad

  

8.  Get creative.  Have fun with your gallery wall.  Use your creativity.  Think outside the box.  Frames and artwork are an obvious choice, but why not choose a different theme or mix other items in with your framed artwork or photos?

Pottery Barn

Round Barn Potting Company

Ballard Designs

Dave and Joi at Nuestra Vida Dolce used ceiling medallions to make a statement behind their TV.

____________________________________________

A couple more ideas of how to incorporate the TV into your design...

House and Home



HGTV.com



This really isn't a gallery wall either, but I just thought it was so cute. If you want to know how to build the trees, click on this: Plywood Tree How-To and Pattern

____________________________________________
If you're interested in setting your TV into the wall with a niche, check out HGTV's How To Build Wall Niches:

____________________________________________

If you've created a gallery wall, I would love to see pictures of your project!

Black and White on Your Walls

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .


HGTV

I've always thought of using black and white images framed in white mats/black frames as a great solution to the wall art dilemma. 

Why?

1. It can be an inexpensive option:  because you can take the photos yourself, whether they're family photos or any other subject matter that inspires you.


Designer Sherry Hart Southern Living

 You can also use artwork from old calendars and books or a variety of other sources, and black frames/white mats are typically available at reasonable prices.

House Beautiful  Photo Jose Picayo

2. You can use it with any color scheme. 
It's sort of a no-brainer that black and white art would work in a black and white room,

myhomeideas.com Photo Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

but it really works well with any color scheme. From neutral spaces...

myhomeideas.com

 to more colorful ones.

BHG.com

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton

It can be used with cool colors

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton

 or warm colors.

HGTV

3. It goes with any decorating style. Whether your style is modern, traditional, country/cottage, or anything in between - it will work in your space!

House Beautiful  Photo Jose Picayo

spaces design

--------------------------------------------------------------------



And for those of you who just can't deal with all black and white art, you could mix it up a bit by swapping out the white mats for colorful ones to match your color scheme like they did in this image from marthastewart...

Do you use black and white photography or artwork on your walls?

I also have another post on TV Gallery Walls since I know some of you were interested in more information/inspiration on that topic. I may wait to post it until after the holidays when everyone's more focused on "regular" decorating vs. Christmas. What do you think? Preference?

The $220 CSN Stores Shopping Spree Giveaway ends tonight!

TV Gallery Walls

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

A TV is just sort of one of those "things" that you have to work around when you're decorating most homes, but having a TV just sitting all by it's lonesome on a TV stand or console or hanging on the wall all by itself can get pretty boring. 

A really great way to keep the TV where it is, and make a design statement at the same time is to build a gallery wall around the TV. 

I originally posted about this in September 2009 using the above image from diyideas.com.  Since a lot of you weren't following me at that time, I thought I would revisit the idea again today and include a few more gallery walls to inspire you.

This pretty gallery wall is in the home of Emily A. Clark and she talks about the process of putting it together in her post Building a Gallery Wall Around Your TV...





Tammy at In Stitches was so inspired by Emily's wall that she decided to do her own. She decided that she would only use artwork that had to do with their interests and hobbies. I love that idea!

This one shows you a version that's filling the wall a little more vertically than horizontally, which fits this space better. Just another example of how the idea can be adapted to fit your space...

eclectic hall design by media and blogs Desire to Inspire

A little different concept here since the TV actually has a spot built into the wall. It's an excellent idea if your home would accomodate it!

Delson or Sherman Architects via Desire to Inspire via Driftwood

What do you think of TV gallery walls? Do you have one or would you/could you use the idea if you don't?

Decorating with Silver Trays and Two New Giveaway Winners

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .


Real Simple Photo Lucas Allen



If you're looking for something a little different to accessorize your walls, using silver/metal trays is a nice idea..  Gives you a little shine, but  not as reflective as a mirror. This could be a fairly inexpensive look to achieve, too. 

• Find them at inexpensive sources such as Goodwill, flea markets and garage sales, and check with friends and relatives to see if they have trays in their stash that they no longer use or want. 
• Use any trays that you already have, even if they're not silver/metal and spray them with one of those fabulous metallic spray paints that are out now.

Even though the trays below are clean and simple, I think they work well on their own in this room. If  you felt you needed a little something more hanging them from ribbon would give more dimension.

I like the idea of using trays as a backdrop. There are many ways you could do that, but a simple one would be to attach a picture frame to each one.



BHG.com

 

Here's another possibility: Picture the 3 trays above with the following changes:

• a square picture frame centered and attached to the top left tray. It could be empty or filled with a family photo or a graphic print paper, for example.
• a large painted letter attached to the large round tray on the right,
• a plain shelf (in scale with the tray) attached to the bottom left tray and  accessorized with a little something(s).



In this reader project showcasec on Ohdeedoh, the trays were painted with chalkboard paint to create a cute nursery wall display...

Have you accessorized your walls with trays?  If not, is it an idea you would use in the future?

________________________________________

NEW GIVEAWAY WINNERS

I didn't hear back from Sunya or Heather, so I chose two new winners for the BHG magazine subscription and iPad app. 

The new winners are:

New Every Morning : It's almost a tie between the decorating and the cooking {and eating}, but I think the decorating wins out.  Thanks for hosting such a fabulous giveaway!

Peggy: I love everything about the holidays except shopping. Thank goodness for the internet and small, independently owned shops!

Congratulations!  I have both of your e-mails so I'll contact you directly so that I can get your prizes to you.

___________________________________

Update:  I was determined to take a break from anything Christmas in this post today, but when I saw this cute and simple idea from Chris (which is really winter, not Christmas) I just had to post it on my facebook page.  Check it out HERE...

Unexpected Art and Art In Unexpected Places

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

So what did you think of the whole Wordless Wednesday thing? I'm not typically super chatty Kathy anyways (at least not on this blog :-) ), but I have to admit it was hard not to say ANYTHING at all!

Moving on.

Unexpected Art. This image below really appeals to me for some reason. I'm absolutely sure it's the gallery wall at the head of the bed that's doing it for me, even though I really like the pillow and the pops of pink too. I also really *like the way they balanced the right side of the grouping with the longer... okay here's the question, the longer what? Is it actually a piece of art or is it a white board with squiggles? I'm thinking it's a white board. Right? If you're not into white boards, I still think this whole gallery wall layout is one to copy. (*to clarify, I like the way they used a longer piece on the right to balance the left, but I'm thinking my personal preference would definitely be to use something besides a white board to get the same balance.)

Getty Images from ivillage

Art in unexpected places. I saw this image on Family Circle's website, with the suggestion to hang your photographs or artwork in unexpected places, like a door. I like it!

Photo David Prince

The Amanda Nisbet image at the beginning of this post is from my Art In Unexpected Places post that I did last October. Check it out if you're looking for more inspiration.

Hope you have an outstanding day! (trying to come up with different words besides good or awesome or fabulous. Open to suggestions :-) )

Unique Ways to Display Family Photos

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

I saw this idea in the September issue of Country Living and thought it was a great alternative to the countless picture frames that can accumulate on all of the surfaces in your home when you have lots of photos you want to enjoy. You may have all already seen it/done it, but I thought I would share it just in case.

You can upload your family photos to blurb.com and create a professionally bound coffee table book to enjoy! A great gift idea too. Please tell me I'm not the only one who hasn't done this yet.

Country Living also suggests enlarging and printing a favorite family photo on canvas using a company like Canvas Art. I like the way they've leaned this one against the wall versus hanging it.

Here are some other ideas that we've talked about in previous posts but they're from last fall, so some of you may not have seen them.

Clipping favorite photos to your fall branch display. They can be rotated depending on what's going on (family celebrations, holidays, special guests and occasions, or just the every day happenings of life)

BHG.com

Of course Pottery Barn always has creative ideas and this is still one of my favorites!

Remember this image from this post, where I talked about "wallpapering" your walls with photos? I think this would be a great way to enjoy a variety of family photos and make a design statement at the same time. Normally this idea would be a little busy for me, but they've used all white mats and the frame colors are consistent with the colors used in the furnishings and fabrics in the room which keeps it from getting crazy.

__________________________________________________________

PHOTOS IN A BOWL

If you're like me (not a scrapbooker) and have old photos stashed away in cabinets (or a bunch on your computer that you never see), why not purchase a large decorative bowl, basket or tray for the coffee table in your family room and put all of the loose photos in it? It's a good conversation starter, adds another level of texture and interest, and is a nice way to be able to enjoy your photos when you're just hanging out. (I already know that the mom's with little ones who constantly have sticky fingers are questioning this idea, but I had to bring it up. :-))

____________________________________________________________

I posted this one not long after I started blogging and I still love it (via Small Place Style)...

How do you display/enjoy your family photos?

Decorating With Letters, Words and Numbers - 2

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Happy Sunday!

I know there are a fair amount of you out there who like to decorate with letters, words and numbers, so here are some more images for your inspiration files. Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

Traditional Home

Traditional Home

Style At Home

homelife.com.au Photo Scott Hawkins

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton