Wednesday May 2, 2012
We're still waiting to hear that we can start moving things into the new house. In the meantime, I am trying to stock up on the household items that I want to keep in both houses until we get fully moved (like cleaning supplies, toilet paper, snacks, etc), so that I can take a load of things over and get them unpacked without having to worry about rushing home. I'm also making furniture placement plans with my husband's awesome creation of a floor plan layout with fit to scale furniture cut outs. It makes things so much easier! And I am starting to shop for the things that we know we will need right away.
I decided to lay out some of the artwork that I have earmarked for the galley wall, just to see how much of it there is and how well it goes together. I am really pleased- there is more than I thought and it works well together. Several pieces still need to be framed, but considering that I have more pieces that are still packed away- I am feeling pretty good. I think that I will just continue concentrating on neutral or muted colors, and it should work out fine. The lace and purse need shadow boxes (which our brand new Hobby Lobby has half price this week), the spoons need a rack (which I saw at a second hand store and will go back to see if it's still there), and the book print (which was Rusty's grandmother's and is quite old) needs a frame. The piece at the top left next to the lace is a birth sampler for my son that my mom made- I have the matching one in pink for my daughter. I also have two black and white photos of the kids that I want to use, some vintage framed embroidered flowers, and I'm sure there's more. I like that there is a little bit of everything, and I want to incorporate letters as well- a large R for our last name, and then each of our first name letters in different formats. I want this galley wall to be huge enough to hide the giant TV in the middle of it.
Do you think it will work?
I decided to lay out some of the artwork that I have earmarked for the galley wall, just to see how much of it there is and how well it goes together. I am really pleased- there is more than I thought and it works well together. Several pieces still need to be framed, but considering that I have more pieces that are still packed away- I am feeling pretty good. I think that I will just continue concentrating on neutral or muted colors, and it should work out fine. The lace and purse need shadow boxes (which our brand new Hobby Lobby has half price this week), the spoons need a rack (which I saw at a second hand store and will go back to see if it's still there), and the book print (which was Rusty's grandmother's and is quite old) needs a frame. The piece at the top left next to the lace is a birth sampler for my son that my mom made- I have the matching one in pink for my daughter. I also have two black and white photos of the kids that I want to use, some vintage framed embroidered flowers, and I'm sure there's more. I like that there is a little bit of everything, and I want to incorporate letters as well- a large R for our last name, and then each of our first name letters in different formats. I want this galley wall to be huge enough to hide the giant TV in the middle of it.
Do you think it will work?
Tomorrow, we are supposed to go and put a deposit down for our new house, and I am so glad to be moving. Our neighbors are having a party with very LOUD Mexican music. We know from past experiences that these parties go pretty late. We actually turned on the swap cooler and closed down the windows a bit just to drown out the sound, but they just turned it up. Ugh!
Of course, I am thinking about all of the things that the new house will need- like lamps and wall clocks. The Rusty Knight wants to fumigate before we move anything in, but my first order of business is to take pictures, measure and SHOP!
Of course, I am thinking about all of the things that the new house will need- like lamps and wall clocks. The Rusty Knight wants to fumigate before we move anything in, but my first order of business is to take pictures, measure and SHOP!
I am very excited, because I think we found a house. It actually has everything on our wishlist (as long as they install the dishwasher like they said they would). It seems like a good layout and decent square footage, and I am ready to move on to moving in and getting settled. Of course, I am decorating in my head already. It will be a lot of weeding out what we won't have room for, and then refinishing existing pieces and replacing some old pieces with new things. I already have the living room planned out, but The Rusty Knight will be upset to hear that his beloved recliner is going. I am completely obsessed with Duncan Phyfe style sofa's, so that's what I want. I will acquiesce and get him a coffee table that he can put his feet up on, though. I actually saw one at an antique store yesterday that might work. I have a great idea to do a gallery wall as the focal point of the living room, but to frame the TV out and use that as part of the gallery wall. I just found this awesome vintage Lane surfboard style coffee table at a thrift store, and I think it would go perfectly underneath the gallery wall to anchor it. Of course, my coffee table is in rough shape and needs quite a bit of work.
So imagine this- the long surfboard coffee table with a huge gallery wall (including the flatscreen TV) above it. Directly across from this and in front of the windows will be the Duncan Phyfe style sofa with a large round coffee table (metal scroll frame and a marble top). Our bookcases (which I am going to re-stain gray) will flank the window and be behind the couch. If there's room, I will find a sofa table for the back side of the couch. The front entry way will be to one side of the couch- there is a short entry way wall which may be a spot for placing a little chair/table/lamp reading area. Directly across from the couch will be the two mid centruy modern wood chairs that I found at a thrift store last week- refurbished (including new castors) and newly upholstered. These chairs will be placed with their backs to the TV, but are low enough not to block the view. The Rusty Knight insists on keeping his gigantic vintage speakers, so I will enclose them with a metal screen and wooden box, maybe add a large plant to the side and place them in the corners of the room on the same wall as the TV. To the side of the couch opposite the entry way, I will place my little shelving unit with the open back (probably will paint that gray as well) and in front of it (next to the couch) my lounge chair. If you watch Mad Men- Roger Sterling has the same one in white in his office, but mine is black. White sheers flanked by curtains, accessories and book on the shelves, and voila!
Can you see it?
So imagine this- the long surfboard coffee table with a huge gallery wall (including the flatscreen TV) above it. Directly across from this and in front of the windows will be the Duncan Phyfe style sofa with a large round coffee table (metal scroll frame and a marble top). Our bookcases (which I am going to re-stain gray) will flank the window and be behind the couch. If there's room, I will find a sofa table for the back side of the couch. The front entry way will be to one side of the couch- there is a short entry way wall which may be a spot for placing a little chair/table/lamp reading area. Directly across from the couch will be the two mid centruy modern wood chairs that I found at a thrift store last week- refurbished (including new castors) and newly upholstered. These chairs will be placed with their backs to the TV, but are low enough not to block the view. The Rusty Knight insists on keeping his gigantic vintage speakers, so I will enclose them with a metal screen and wooden box, maybe add a large plant to the side and place them in the corners of the room on the same wall as the TV. To the side of the couch opposite the entry way, I will place my little shelving unit with the open back (probably will paint that gray as well) and in front of it (next to the couch) my lounge chair. If you watch Mad Men- Roger Sterling has the same one in white in his office, but mine is black. White sheers flanked by curtains, accessories and book on the shelves, and voila!
Can you see it?
Blogger has changed their format again, and by the time I figure it out they will have changed to a different format again. I am one of those slow as molasses, has difficulty with changes kind of people and it disturbs me when my pages/formats/tools are different- even if it's just in the way they look.
Oh well, I am going to try and get used to it.
I was just thinking about collections, and about how they supposedly reveal something about you. I wrote before about Milk Glass, and my associations with it. I have a collection of African tribal and Asian art pieces that was passed on from my father. I love it, and I love the history that it represents. He actually traveled to all of those places and chose those things as mementos, so that is special to me. Lately, I am finding myself drawn to taxidermy objects. Not sure what that means! I have always loved them, and they are very Victorian (although that may not be most people's association with them). It's not like I want my house covered in dead animals, but I think that some small taxidermy mounts would be an awesome addition to my gallery wall. I keep reading about how you can make a collection more cohesive by tying it in some way- same color frames, a display 'theme', or a color scheme. That's just not what I want to do, though. I want a Victorian 'more is more' hodge podge of old and new completely unrelated items that just tickle my fancy. The antique framed butterfly specimen next to the string art picture of California, next to the contemporary art print, etc. I think this gallery wall will be my way of introducing a little of the clutter and chaos that I like, while allowing me to keep the furniture and surfaces pretty clean. Is it funny that I think of clutter as comforting and welcoming, so I want to keep that element in my house? (While still allowing my surfaces to be clean enough to allow for frequent dusting because of allergies) I guess I must have lived in a stuffy old Victorian Mansion in some other life.
Oh well, I am going to try and get used to it.
I was just thinking about collections, and about how they supposedly reveal something about you. I wrote before about Milk Glass, and my associations with it. I have a collection of African tribal and Asian art pieces that was passed on from my father. I love it, and I love the history that it represents. He actually traveled to all of those places and chose those things as mementos, so that is special to me. Lately, I am finding myself drawn to taxidermy objects. Not sure what that means! I have always loved them, and they are very Victorian (although that may not be most people's association with them). It's not like I want my house covered in dead animals, but I think that some small taxidermy mounts would be an awesome addition to my gallery wall. I keep reading about how you can make a collection more cohesive by tying it in some way- same color frames, a display 'theme', or a color scheme. That's just not what I want to do, though. I want a Victorian 'more is more' hodge podge of old and new completely unrelated items that just tickle my fancy. The antique framed butterfly specimen next to the string art picture of California, next to the contemporary art print, etc. I think this gallery wall will be my way of introducing a little of the clutter and chaos that I like, while allowing me to keep the furniture and surfaces pretty clean. Is it funny that I think of clutter as comforting and welcoming, so I want to keep that element in my house? (While still allowing my surfaces to be clean enough to allow for frequent dusting because of allergies) I guess I must have lived in a stuffy old Victorian Mansion in some other life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)