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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
I need an intervention.
I am determined not to live 12 years in this house with blank walls like we did in our last house. For a long time, I've planned to use a chunk (but not a HUGE chunk) of this economic stimulus tax rebate thing that we've just received to buy prints for our walls. Some will be of my own photos (OK, most, because hello, cheaper). We have a Jack Vettriano print that we absolutely adore but I'm thinking it might reside long-term in our bedroom which is not the main focus of my effort right now.
Anyway. I NEED YOUR HELP. That's what I came here to say today. Hi, my name is Rachel and I am clueless about decorating. Mainly, I need your help with two specific problems.
First, remember this view?
It still looks like that. (Chain/cord ensemble and all, although I am begging on bended knee for my husband and his electrician friends to please please direct-wire things to light switches sometime this millennium. Or maybe for Mother's Day even. But I'm not holding my breath; they're all very busy. Moving on.) There's that big blank yellow wall that's just aching to have... something on it. It's the first wall you see when you walk in the front door, so a big nice statement might be appropriate, and yet we all sit there and stare at that spot while we eat, so we don't want something on too grand a scale. The thermostat interferes with the possibility of some kind of nice wide print of something, don't you think? Or maybe something panoramic could go above the thermostat and there could be a row of smaller somethings beneath? The other thing I've thought of for that space is a wall with a lot of different prints in various sizes (family pictures maybe?), but that seems to have the potential to look really badly cluttered. DO YOU SEE HOW CLUELESS I AM? PLEASE HELP.
You know what I think would be fun for that spot, would be a good-sized print of a work with overall eye appeal as well as a lot of interesting little details. Not quite a giant Where's Waldo, but maybe something like The Fall of Icarus, only less depressing. Any ideas?
OK, so that's the first problem. For most of the other areas of the house, I have some idea what I want to do -- what size prints I want, how many, etc. The thing is that I don't know which ones to use. Obviously there will be some family photos involved, from different eras. And I'm planning to use square prints of a few of my animal shots (maybe this one, definitely this one, but not this one, obviously) in the guest/children's bathroom. Mainly I'm wondering (finally she gets to the point) if you could maybe meander through my old photo blogs and my flickr photostream and point out any shots that you think might be good for just general-purpose art on walls, in varying sizes. This is not an ego-stroking exercise -- I'm certainly not expecting any screaming-fangirl THIS ONE THIS ONE OMG IT'S THE BEST PICTURE I EVER SAW kind of comments. But with my own stuff, it's hard for me to look through it and know what other people might find appealing, or even blandly inoffensive in an "oh, has that picture been there all along?" kind of way.
Also, if you know of any art prints that might be nice, send along ideas if you want. I'll be looking at places like Michaels and Target and Costco this weekend, and then there are online sources too.
Comments are (as always) open, and I think linking works, but maybe I'd better check. Thanks in advance for any help. :)
Comments
I would go to Target first. They have WONDERFUL prints of all kinds. I have been thinking about doing some decorating for my walls. I love to day dream at target
Posted by: debi at May 7, 2008 01:23 PM
Go to target.com and put this in "Vanishing-Point-Canvas-Print" DUDE! I MUST HAVE IT. Wish I had $300 hanging around. sigh
Posted by: debi at May 7, 2008 01:28 PM
Debi, I love those canvas panoramic prints. art.com has a ton of them and I'm trying not to drool. (That's just TOO big a chunk, though. :) )
Posted by: Rachel at May 7, 2008 01:32 PM
I will have to go to art.com then. have fun picking pictures out!
Posted by: debi at May 7, 2008 01:42 PM
I would go for a few different sized black and white photos framed in black. Put them together so they make one large rectangle. How you do this is by cutting out pieces of brown paper to the size of the frames, then sticking them to the wall to see how they look - you can work out all the proportions before drilling. :) I think people shots would be nice! :)
Posted by: Valerie at May 7, 2008 05:36 PM
Rachel, your own stuff is so good that if I were decorating your house I'd do it as a gallery of your pictures, and not get the same prints from Target that everyone else has. I don't have time to go through the photoblog now, but I like your suggestion of a panorama (you don't need a special camera, just take a landscape image you have and crop it appropriately) with smaller pictures underneath. That also gives the effect you wanted of overall appeal (in the big one). plus detail (in the smaller images). Just make sure that either the subject OR the general colors coordinate well.
Incidentally, of the four images showing now in the sidebar Flicker sidebar, two would work for walls, though in smaller sizes: the closeup of corn on the cob titled Day 35-corn! for the kitchen or dining room (and it's got pale yellow to go with that wall) and the abstract Spots of Light for a kids' bath or bedroom.
Posted by: dichroic at May 7, 2008 06:38 PM
I agree with dichroic - definitely use your own stuff :)
Here are some of your photos I think would do nicely:
"Golden poppies"
"Plum blossom 1"
"Scout"
"tree: summer"
"Claire-diffuse"
"day 47: imperial bbq" (for the den or the play area)
"day 35: corn" (agree with dichroic again :) )
"day 37: reading" (especially if you have a bookish area)
"day 10: look mom, no hands"
"day 3: Claire and shadows"
Unfortunately that's all the time I have, but this was FUN! And you DO take good photos. Wish I had you around to take some for me ;)
Posted by: Maria at May 7, 2008 11:59 PM
Yes, I meant your photos too! I think it would be much nicer to have your home decorated in your style. You are an awesome photographer.
Posted by: Valerie at May 8, 2008 12:09 AM
Not much to add that hasn't already been said. Only that I'd choose the photos that you and your family like best, and not worry about anyone else. After all, you're the ones who'll see and enjoy them every day. If *you* love them, they'll be great.
And come on, you *know* you want a poster-size print of the amorous tortoises hanging over your table! ;o)
Posted by: Michael at May 8, 2008 04:35 AM
Are you SURE you don't want those tortoises hanging up in all their glory?
Seriously, definitely use your own photos. Like Valerie said, you can hang all the pictures in an extremely orderly rectangle and it will look fabulous. I saw instructions on ParentHacks, I think. I'll try to find it for you because I think it would be perfect for that wall -- you could even work around the thermostat.
Posted by: mary at May 8, 2008 06:13 AM
FOUND IT. This would be AWESOME there.
http://fallshoppingguide.federatedmedia.net/archives/56
Posted by: mary at May 8, 2008 06:22 AM
You could have the kids, and maybe Scout draw some pictures, that would be very practical and economical. Or we could put an empty frame on the wall, and tell people "the picture so perfectly atched the yellow wall, we just HAD to have it!"
Just Kidding :)
Posted by: T at May 8, 2008 04:55 PM
You could have the kids, and maybe Scout draw some pictures, that would be very practical and economical. Or we could put an empty frame on the wall, and tell people "the picture so perfectly matched the yellow wall, we just HAD to have it!"
Just Kidding :)
Posted by: T at May 8, 2008 04:55 PM
I have nothing new to add. :( Everyone beat me. But a few points...
--Love love LOVE the possom! :)
--Holy cow you've already had The Talk with your kids? Whoops. The picture was hilarious though. You sure that isn't an "over our bed" sort of shot? ;-)
--You absolutely MUST use your own stuff throughout your house because it's amazing! SO not flattering you here...I'm serious!! And you have so many versatile subjects that you really could just avoid Target, etc. altogether. Really.
If you wanted to do something other than photos in that area, though, one way to work around the thermostat, cord, etc. would be to use barn stars, if you like them. You could put a big one on one side of the cord and grouping of smaller ones on the other. ? Dan got me some for Christmas and I love them. I'll love them even more once we get them out of the garage and on the wall! ;-)
Whatever you decide, I can't wait to see the finished product!!
Posted by: Susan at May 8, 2008 06:25 PM
I still like the idea of one big panorama, but I can't find the perfect picture in your Flickr stream. What I'd put there is a panorama of something like looking over the Central Valley in flower (Er, are there parts of it still left to flower?) with some of your poppy or sunflower photos cropped square in a row underneath. But I couldn't find a picture for the panorama.
Another option for that setup is to do blues instead of yellows: maybe your "Storm coming in" cropped to panorama, with photos of Morro Rock below.
A third idea is to mix a bunch of photos, like in the link from Mary, insterspersing blue ocean and yellow flower pictures. You have lots of good ones of each to choose.
Also, how about bird/animal photos for the kids rooms or along a hall? As I said early, it might be good to think not just in terms of "house decor" but also of "gallery".
Posted by: dichroic at May 8, 2008 07:54 PM
I am picturing a huge mirror with some old fashioned gold frame. Like it was painted 65 years ago and is all weathered and shabby. I love the idea of your own work on the walls also Rachel.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 9, 2008 08:23 PM
Hey how about something totally obvious - like the Last Supper on the wall by your table. Sorry if someone else already said that...I don't have long to read...I'll go through your photos later and give my opinion...That is if I'm not already too late. Sorry. Crazy weekend. Love you. Talk to you later.
Posted by: Jenn at May 12, 2008 12:42 PM
Haven't looked yet but I thought I'd come back anyways and read the comments cause I'm exciting like that and have nothing else better to do on my lunch break. Anyways, I caught a comment about thinking in terms of "gallery" as opposed to "decorating," and I totally agree. That's how I think when I "decorate." I have my own work on my walls...paintings, drawings, photography - as well as other people's stuff (like your Half Dome reflection and the stream). I have things clumped together like on a wall at a gallery...I have a poster of a painting of Kramer from Seinfeld over my fake, gas fireplace. Totally fitting and kitche. Anyhoo...this should have been an email. I promise to look tonight, but if you've already picked your pics email me so I can spend more time on my own photos ;-) I posted some on Myspace, by the way...Just a few for now. I'll put a lot on Flickr for sure.
Posted by: Jenn at May 13, 2008 01:27 PM
Oh, I almost forgot...In my "dining room" I have an Italian looking nook...Pine wood table with wooden bench chairs and red checkered-esce pads. I have family pictures up on the wall...Like in an Italian restaurant and candles and stuff. It's cute.
Posted by: Jenn at May 13, 2008 01:34 PM
