HOW TO DISPLAY ART - PICTURE GROUPING IDEAS

So many people seem to have an issue with hanging pictures. 
Mostly it's because they're not sure where to hang them, which height is best and how to group them together effectively. 
But it's not just that. Hanging pictures is often associated with much anxiety, especially the fear of "making a mistake" and, god forbid, poking unnecessary holes in the wall. Even though it's easy enough to fix a tiny hole, which you can otherwise simply "cover up" temporarily (or not) by the picture you're hanging, people get so worried about making extra holes in their walls that they put off hanging their beautiful art for too long.

My husband thinks I have the opposite problem. 
Whenever I decide to hang a picture, nothing will stop me. I know I might mess up the first time, which I usually do, but that's ok. I usually "cover up" the few extra holes with a picture until they get repaired. Seriously, it's not that big of a deal. 
We've been trained from early age to fear of making mistakes,  but the truth of the matter is that most of the good stuff we get in life comes with that risk.

Picture grouping ideas
If you have a large empty wall space to hang more then one picture on, grouping a few together can be a very effective way to fill up that space.
Here are some ideas. We'll start with the simple ones:
Grid - using the same frame and matting for your photos or pictures will make it easier to balance. If you hang them close to each other, use large matting to give each picture some "breathing room"

If you'd like to get more creative, you can use colored matting with black and white photos. Keep the frames identical or closely similar.

Single row - works well when you have a short but wide space for art display such as over your bed, a long dresser or a sideboard. To create the look below, keep the frames identical. However, an interesting display can be created with different frames and sizes as long as you keep it balanced:
1. Center the art on a horizontal line
2. Use symmetry (see picture below) to help keep it balanced

Symmetry helps balance art groupings

Black and white photos

It's easier to work with framed photos because they have similar "visual weight" which helps with achieving a balance display.

                                           

Group it inside a rectangle

Another way to group art is by filling up a space, such a as a rectangle. You can mark the space first with a masking tape and adjust it as you go. It help if you place the pictures on the floor first.

Using brown paper mock ups is another way to play around with your art before you hang it up on the wall.

Group it inside a rectangle

Here are a few ideas of rectangular groupings.

You can use different frames, but group similar ones together. A symmetrical display is easier to pull off then an asymmetrical one. 

Symmetrical display

All black and white framed photos (with similar frames) 

                               

Asymmetrical display

Asymmetrical display

                               

Asymmetrical display

don't be afraid to "go outside the box"

Over the staircase
A great way to display family photos or art is by grouping them over the staircase. It helps to mark where the bottom of the frames will go. This line will be parallel to the staircase. Make sure not to hang pictures too low so they won't get knocked off when going up and down the stairs.

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Display around a vertical (or horizontal line)

instead of "filling a space" you can hang pictures over or under a horizontal line (or center) when the space is wide and short. You can also use a vertical line when the wall space is narrow and tall.

Group it inside a circle

This kind of display is more casual then the rectangular one, and can work if you have different sized pictures, a combination of very small ones and medium sized ones. It can be a very pretty display on a small wall over a sideboard or any low and narrow furniture piece.

To pull it off, you can use brown paper folded four times and cut it to create a circle or oval mockup.

If you have any photos of art grouping display that you love, please share!
If you need some help with deciding how to group your art, you can contact me at

vered@veredrosendesign.com   617-584-9965
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A perfect spot for familly photos

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BEFORE AND AFTER DINING ROOM REPAINT - A HAPPY CLIENT IS A HAPPY DESIGNER

I recently had a color consultation with a client that got "stuck" in the process of trying to choose the "right" paint color for her dining room, as well as other small projects.
As I walked through her door, I noticed two things: She was a lovely lady who was clearly into color. REAL color. Her love for jewel tones was clear both in her decor choices and the way she likes to dress. and but with regard to her dining room, she was ready for something bold.

Jewel tones

                                   
The dining room was one of the rooms she had trouble finding the right color for. The current mustard yellow did not appeal to her. I could clearly see her favorite colors simply from looking at the paint swatches on the walls, as well as the carpet, artwork and chairs. Jewel tones were clearly her favorite.
I explained to her that it's impossible to get a true sense of how a particular paint color would look if you only painted a small area and it's over an existing color, since we always see color in comparison to other colors. That's why we used my large 11x14 color boards against a white background to start the process of finding the right color. 
Moving the large samples around in the room (close to the rug, the chairs) helped see which color would match best.
We ended up choosing a cranberry/wine hue that worked out really well. It complemented the red, purple and other jewel tones in the room and made the artwork stand out. My client says it feels warm but not suffocating, which is exactly waht she wanted.
Even though we started out with a Benjamine moore color, we realized the home depot sample did not match the original Ben Moore color. However, it turned out that the "mistake" looked better then the original true color, so we simply scaled it up to a gallon of paint.
It ended up being a "happy mistake"

before

after

after

 Here's what my client reaction was:
"The color is fabulous. I think it came out just GREAT. We just put the rug back down and some of the art. I'm leaving the blinds 1/2 open so there's much more light in the room and the rug stands out nicely. The Home Depot color ended up
to be a "happy accident"

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HOW TO DECORATE WITH BRIGHT COLORS - DO'S AND DON'TS

A healthy does of white  - bright colors look best when surrounded by lots of white (or certain grays). Call it ying-yang or energetic vs. static, but this rule is probably the most important to remember when working with bright color schemes. Take a look at professionally designed interiors in magazines, and notice how bright colors are usually surrounded by white, gray or some neutral element like wood or sisal.
Here are some examples;

source

Why are neutral sisal and jute rugs so popular today? yes, they fit in with the eco green trend, but they also serve as a perfect backdrop to color.

sisal rugs are natural and neutral (perfect backdrop to color pop)

Lots of natural light - yes, I know. EVERY interior looks best in ample lighting, preferably natural, but this is especially true for rooms painted in white or light gray, as a back drop for pops of color in furniture and accessories, especially ones with blue-green color palette.

Bright colors need a healthy dose of white around them and bright natural light

                                               
A little goes a long way - unlike earth tones or neutrals, bright colors are really intense and very dominant, so a little goes a long way: the impact of a few bright colored pillows, a colorful lamp base and a bright colored side chair can be just enough to jazz up a room. All the rest can be kept neutral. An accent wall is not for every room, but it allows you to bring in a brighter color without overpowering the whole space.

Stick to a color scheme that works - Play it safe with tried and true color schemes such as blues and greens. 

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pattern vs. solid- the above suggestion of " a little goes a long way" is even more important to remember if you are using pattern. 
The brightly patterned pillow on the right is bolder than the solid one the left.

   

  

   

Avoid mixing very bright colors with muted earth tone colors - I discussed this in another post, but in short, earth colors like browns, ambers and lots of beiges will look "dirty" next to bright "clean" colors. 

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WHY DO BRIGHT COLORS CLASH WITH MY EARTH TONED DECOR AND HOW CAN I FIX IT

Bright colors are everywhere now: home interiors and fashion are the most obvious. Now that spring is here (or ALMOST here if you live in Boston), you might have tried to incorporate some bright colors in your home home, and maybe noticed that it doesn't quite "fit" like it does in the store display. 
Why is that? if your home is decorated in browns, beiges and other muted earth tones, you'll find that these deeply muted earthy tones simply clash with bright colors. I'll explain this below.

Complex vs. pure - Earth tones contain a predominant bright color PLUS a little of the complementary color in them, which is what "mutes" or takes the edge off the brightness of the predominant hue.  For example, a muted red has some green in it, or a burnt orange has a bit of blue in it. This is why earth tones are considered "complex" colors. It simply means they contain more than one hue in them, and that is exactly why earth tones easily blend with each other like in this picture below. 

Earth tones also blend really well with each other in home interiors.

Bright colors, on the other hand are more "pure" which mean they contain mostly one hue (yellow, blue, red, orange, blue green etc.) plus some white and maybe a tiny bit of the complementary color just to take off that edge a little. 

That is why bright colors appear "cleaner" then earth tone colors, and that's exactly why if you try to bring in a bright colored pillow or rug into a room full of earth tone colors (like the one above) it will make everything else around it look "dirty".

bright colors are more pure and work best with white and grays
 (design - Lindsey Harper)

              

So what  if your current decor is predominantly earth toned but you'd love to bring in some more color? here's my advice:

1. Brighten up the room with spice or jewel tones - not all earth tones are born equal. Some are brighter than others. Nature, of course is a full of great examples. Look at the picture below: the yellow and purple leaves are much brighter then the other leaves, yet they still blend well with the more muted hues of the other leaves.
You can apply this to your decor.

bright and dull earth tones can live together happily

Spice colors (burnt range, reds, mustard yellows) are richer and brighter then the more muted earth tones (browns, amber, beiges), but still blend well with each other 

spice colors

earth tones jazzed up with orange spice tones

The color palette above is an excellent example of a combination of muted earth tones and brighter spicy orange. Nature, of course is full of examples, like in the foliage leaves photo I found

foliage color range brightness - from dull to bright

Jewel tones can also blend well with earth tones.

2. Going lighter and brighter on the walls  - for an updated sharper look, try repainting your beige walls with a warm off white or cream. This will brighten up the space and create a bolder,  more contemporary look. Yet, this "trick" will only work if you have lots of natural or warm artificial light in the room.White or off whites will look sad and dingy in a dark room. 

                            

rich and bright spice colors with a warm off white backdrop

                               

Bottom line - if you fell in love with the current trend of bright colors, but own a home full of earth tones, you can still brighten up the space by adding the brighter "cousins" of earth tones such as spice or jewel tones.

feel free to leave any comments below,

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Affordable teenage girl's bedroom - Get that look!

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Teenage girl's bedroom - Get that look!
Today I will share my sources for a girls bedroom I designed.
 All the items are from very affordable stores like Target, ikea, home depot, marshalls etc.

Here it is:
The wall lamp and wicker trash can are also from ikea and the shag rug is from home depot.

If you need help with your own project, and would like it to be beautiful and yet, affordable, you can contact me through email or phone 617-584-9965

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Easy DIY - Salvaging a mirror with a can of metalic gold spray

Salvaging a mirror with a can of spray 
Yes, this isn't a new idea, but it might come handy when your online purchase of a mirror that looked really different on the screen arrives, and you are cranky because you don't like the finish. "It looked so different on the screen!" you whine. Spray painting is easier then you might think. I even shared the nice, antiqued gold finish spray can I used for my mirror.
When the mirror I purchased online from home decorators (for only $53) arrived, I knew that I still liked the shape of it, but the actual finish was totally different then their online picture.So after a "lived" with it for a short while, and stil didn't like it, I just went out bought a can of American accent metalic gold spray paint , placed the mirror on a few sheets of newspaper  (outside on the walkway) and spray painted it about three times, until the whole mirror looked evenly colored. I chose that specific brand of spray because it wasn't a shiny gold and it was appropriate for metal surfaces. The whole process took less then half an hour!

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Can you share any of your own "spray can" easy projects that worked out well?

Vered

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