How to Choose Art for Over Your Sofa
Art is truly one of the most important elements in a space. It conveys the mood and overall feel of your home and lifestyle. Selecting art is an organic experience as pieces can and should be collected over time. And searching for that special piece can be tricky and overwhelming so a little planning should go in to the process to avoid purchasing ready made collections which can look too “matchy-matchy” and generic. Although art does not need to necessarily “coordinate” with your space in terms of colors and so forth, you should think about the feel and mood you are trying to achieve. Do you want a more formal look or something more energetic or laid back? You should have an emotional response to the piece or pieces you are acquiring for your home. Art is personal and an expression of your taste and style so purchase only the pieces that make you happy or elicit a reaction. When selecting art for a particular spot such as over a sofa, there are a couple of additional factors to consider.
First, you have so many options in terms of what to do with artwork for over your sofa. It’s all about being creative and using what you love. The art above your sofa will be the highlight in your living room so think about what you want the piece or arrangement to illustrate and go for it.
A Large Canvas Over Sofa Adds Drama
One option is to use an over-scaled canvas painting for drama. One large piece of artwork can really serve as a dramatic focal point for your living room. Allow for lots of space on either side, approx. 36” or more if possible, to intensify the drama and luxury by the abundant use of negative space. A large piece as a stretched canvas looks current and modern, while a framed piece with a crisp white mat looks tailored and timeless. Kit featured some great stretch canvas options a couple of weeks ago here on Alluminare. Or you can hang a large sculptural piece that provides both texture and color.
A Photo Series Above the Sofa Creates Rhythm
Multiple Rows of Coordinating Images and Matching Frames Create Symmetry & Order for A Formal Look
Another creative option is using a series of smaller framed photographs or illustrations to create a gallery overhead. Placing the artwork horizontally in a row helps create the illusion of more width on a wall over a sofa. This is a more traditional look but can still have a powerful affect by using a series of the same image or by using images that relate to one another. Use the same frame to create rhythm for a very high-end look. Stack multiple rows to create even more drama.
A Collage of Images in Varying Sizes and Shapes Create an Organic Vignette
Create interest by using a collage of frames in an asymmetrical pattern for an unexpected layout. Placing the various pieces of art in a cluster over the sofa is a more casual, organic approach. Place the larger pieces in the center and work outwards placing the smaller pieces on the outside of the arrangement to create focus to the layout. The combination of different images and frames make for a very exciting vignette above your sofa.
An Art Ledge Above Sofa Creates a Casual Display
Another casual approach is to hang a long shelf above the sofa to lean artwork against a wall. This is another laid back alternative to typical hanging arrangements. Include your favorite objects alongside the artwork to showcase your accessories and art together for a stunning display.
No matter which layout or pieces you choose, an important thing to remember is correct proportion. Aim for the width of the art piece or collection to be about 75% of the overall width of the sofa so that the art above is not dwarfed by the sofa below. Also, when hanging your large piece or collection, hang the art a minimum of 8 – 9 inches above the sofa to clear your heads while seating, or at about eye level.
Finally, another crucial component is to ensure that the art is well lit. Use an overhanging floor lamp or spotlight to add focus to the piece. Even an inexpensive poster or print can look expensive and high-end with the proper lighting.
With unlimited options, there are so many ways to add excitement to your sofa and living room. Go shopping at local art fairs, online art communities, auctions, thrift stores, or even create your own for the most custom look available. Use family photos and handmade drawings from the little ones to create a truly individual look for over your sofa. You just need to pick the style you like best and do it! If you have creative, unique ideas for selecting and hanging art for over your sofa, we would love to hear them!
[Image Credits: Living Etc., DecorPad, Gaita Interiors, Belle Maison]
Design Inspiration: More Sex and the Single Girl (This Time She Cooks)
Are we obsessed?
We’re still having so much fun thinking about Sex and the Single Girl – especially since we got our hands on a copy of Helen Gurley Brown’s follow up cookbook, Single Girl’s Cookbook. It includes some real gems, like Rhett Butler’s Casserole You Can Feed Any Man, which involves pork chops, canned sweet potatoes, and thinly sliced oranges (and yes, given that recipe, it does seem like Ms. Brown, like Rhett, just doesn’t give a damn, doesn’t it?). We love the prose, of course, but we’re really more taken with some of the great illustrations, like these:
Love that jumpsuit. Not to wear, maybe, but perfect for pillows. And check out the busy working woman, moving seamlessly from boardroom to kitchen:
Pretty fab, isn’t she? The cookbook was published in 1969, five years after the movie came out, which explains some of the aesthetic differences. It’s not hard, though, to imagine those women working in this office (we can’t resist posting this picture again):
The cooking girls, though, might be just a little more modern. Chances are they’d be stuck with a tiny apartment kitchen (and chances are it would not be as amazing as Mario Batali’s tiny apartment kitchen). But when a single girl is hosting guests, a big kitchen isn’t necessary – it’s really all about the dining space.
We think Brown’s movie character would simply die for this Miami Beach dining room:
We love the black and white and dark would palette and the sharp lines of the furniture. Plus, who can resist an enormous mirror? The room is sophisticated and sexy and modern, all at once.
Or maybe she’d serve fondue neuchateloise (page 90) around a coffee table in the living room (very late ’60s of her, right?):
We love how this space combines the clean lines and angles of the movie’s furniture with the brighter colors of the cookbook’s cover (without getting too bright). We’d add a big, low coffee table in a dark stain (you need someplace for the fondue!) and some additional pattern – a little of that jumpsuit flair – in the form of throw pillows that could go on the sofa or the floor:
We think the Alluminare pillow in Moroccan Medallion in Rust, Chocolate Milk, and Chocolate would do just the trick – adding some excitment and exotic mystery for our Single Girl without overpowering the rest of the room.
We’re still not sold on Brown’s recipes, but we certainly do like her look!
[Photo credits: Office from Sweet Sunday Mornings. Dining room and family room from Houzz.com. Pillow from Alluminare.]
Cheap and Chic: 5 Things We Love about Stretched Canvas Wall Art
Last week, Friday regaled us with her tale of creating wall art for her living room. Her pieces, made with Linoak on Second fabric stretched over wooden frames, ended up looking fabulous and were a) easy to make and b) seriously inexpensive. What more could you ask for?
Reading her story inspired us to look for some other uses – and sources – for stretched canvas wall art and we realized that there’s much to love about it. It was tough, but we narrowed it down to the top five reasons we love stretched canvases – and we included a few great sources in our list, too:
1. It’s versatile.
Stretched wall art is at home all over the house – we especially like it in open kitchens that flow into living areas. Wouldn’t this Eames rocking chair print from Inhabit be perfect in a casual modern house?
2. It’s easy to hang.
We admit it – we sometimes find it a little annoying to hang framed art, especially when the frames are ornate. It’s much easier to hang something that’s a basic shape, defined by clean, straight lines.
3. It’s modern and can be quite sophisticated.
Wall art comes in all sizes and colors and patterns, but we found that bright, childlike prints get the most press. They’re great – but it’s sort of a shame that some of the more grown-up designs don’t get more publicity. We love the idea of a modern, formal dining room outfitted in cream and deep brown, with walls adorned with this mossy print from Design Public:
4. Kids love them.
OK, now we’re backtracking. Yes, they can be sophisticated and perfectly at home in a fancy dining room. But then again…maybe it’s the simplicity of an unframed canvas, or maybe it’s that the visibility of the shapes makes it easy to imagine a little one saying, “Look, Mommy, it’s a square!” but we think stretched canvas art makes for absolutely fantastic nursery and playroom decor.
DwellStudio has a variety of prints available at Design Public, including these adorable cars and shapes:
We also love the idea of monogramming a child’s wall, or even spelling out a whole word, with these simple letter prints from Avalisa:
5. You don’t have to feel guilty not using them forever.
Don’t want to spend a million dollars on paintings that will hang in your child’s nursery for four or five years, max? Or in your kitchen, where it might get hit by an errand splat of ketchup? That’s completely understandable and that’s our last reason for loving stretched canvas art – most of it rings in under $100. Way under, sometimes: this adorable little squirrel print, by Amenity, is only $25 at Design Public!
Where else around the house would you use stretched canvases? In the bath? The garage? Maybe on a screened in porch? Please share your ideas – and your sources, if you’re willing to give them up – in the comments.
[Photo credits: Eames rocker from Inhabit. Green and white Amenity print and Amenity nursery print (on shelf) from Design Public. Dwell nursery from Houzz.com. Letter print from Avalisa.]
Coordinating Patterns: Wall Art + Pillows
For the Love of Coordinating Prints
I love prints in home decor, but making multiple prints work together well in a small space can be a daunting task. The way to make it all work well is to coordinate prints in the same colors, instead of making everything match. That way, everything coordinates, but no one pattern overwhelms the space.
The Living Room Issue
We recently moved in to our tiny vintage home. The main entrance puts you right into my little living room. The walls are completely wooden and light green. Wallpapering them was not an option. Everything was very plain and a bit austere, so it was time to seek a way to transform this small and austere space into a warm and welcoming one.
I also wanted something non-permanent because I like to change out the look twice a year. It is something I have always done. I have a Spring/Summer set of coordinates and a Fall/Winter set. One day, I may have a set of coordinates for each season, but twice a year seems to work for me.
Tips from the Blogosphere
I went out searching for ways to add some life to the walls in a non-permanent way, and ran across ‘How to make fabric panel wall art’ from Jessica Jones at How About Orange. I am not crafty, but decided to give it a try.
What I Ordered
On the walls, I chose ‘Linoak on Second’ from Libby Unwin: it has a modern sophistication and is very cool at a large scale. For the throw pillows, I chose ‘Maven’ from Khristian A. Howell—wonderfully exuberant and makes me smile every time I see it. I kept the colorways the same for both to unite the patterns.
How Did it Go?
My project took about an hour and blew my friends’ minds. Maybe I have shut-ins for friends, but they were impressed by my design skills and handiwork none-the-less.
When you have a front entry that leads directly into your living room, that main wall is so important. It is the way you welcome yourself and your guests into your home every time you enter. I am happy with the results: personalized in my colors + professionally made = home bliss.
Living Room at Night
Daytime: Living room with coordinating pillows & wall art
How to Make the Wall Art
Now, on to the how-to.
First, lay out the materials you will need. I used 20″ canvas stretchers (from my local art supply store), a hammer (to pound the stretchers together), heavy-duty staple gun, a measuring tape, and a level.
Next, assemble the stretchers. When pounding the canvas stretchers together, make sure they are square: measure the corner-to-corner distance to ensure squareness. Because the squares are relatively small, we did not need braces.
The materials for the wall-art project
The Fabric - 3 Pieces, all the same, with my name on it!
After the stretchers are assembled and square, you are ready to stretch the fabric. If you are using Alluminare custom fabric, the squares are all laid out for you in advance. If you are using other fabric, you’ll have to cut it to size (24″ for 20″ stretchers) and center it. It was so easy to do with the pre-positioned and pre-cut fabric from Alluminare. (Notice, scissors were not on my list of supplies!).
Place the fabric under the stretchers and center it. If you have 24″ of fabric, you’ll end up with about 2″ on all sides.
Fabric under the stretchers
Then, staple the fabric all around. I alternated sides as I stapled, for an even pull on the fabric. Do all of your panels like this first, then attack the corners. If you have misaligned anything, it will be easier to disassemble and fix it before moving on to the corners.
Staple the fabric to the stretchers
Fabric stapled all the way around the frame
You’ll notice a little slack on the fabric in this picture. After I took this photo, I pulled the fabric a tad tighter.
Next, the corners. There are a lot of good videos out there on how to do gallery wrapped corners. I watched them, but have to say, it still was a challenge, so I did the best I could after watching this video:
Stretching canvas- the tricky corners
Finally, hang them. Here’s Eric doing the hanging for me:
Eric Hangs the Wall Art
How Much it Cost in Cash
1. Wall Art: each one was 2′ x 2′ of fabric. The price per square foot is $7, so each panel was $28 of fabric. The stretcher bars (the frame) cost $12 for each panel. So each panel was $40. Total for all 3: $120.
2. Pillows: I bought them during one of our sales for $67 each. Total for both: $134.
3. Shipping: $28 for everything.
How Much it Cost in Time
The fact that I didn’t have to cut and center fabric was HUGE. It would have been a nightmare if I had to find a large print fabric, cut out the right amount in the right places, and then try to get it centered. With my fabric already cut and perfect, I didn’t even have to pick up a pair of scissors and it all lined up right.
It took about 30 minutes to decide on fabrics/colors and 1 hour to make it all happen. 90 minutes total.
Am I Happy with the Result?
Of course! I love that the fabric was personalized just for me, but I got to colorize professionally made patterns by artists such as Khristian and Libby. I know that the patterns will look great no matter what. And everything coordinates perfectly. I plan on adding another pattern into the mix soon.
If I had used some other fabric for this project it may have cost less—depending on the fabric. But because I am uncrafty, it was tremendously important that the fabric was pre-cut and perfect. It would have cost a lot more in shame as the project sat in a corner of my office mocking me for months to come because I couldn’t carve out the time and nerve to make it happen
If I can ever be of any help to anyone taking on this project for themselves, feel free to comment. I promise to respond with any help I can offer.
10 Throw Pillows that Make Us Smile
We confess: we love, love, love a nice throw pillow. The best throw pillows can change the look of a whole room – and they’re inexpensive to boot. Decorating with an ever-evolving collection of throw pillows is one of our favorite ways to keep our home looking fresh and ready for each approaching season.
We’re in a springtime mood these days (obviously! It’s April!), so we went in search of some great pillows that will add some fresh air to our stale, just-out-of-winter interiors. We found more lovely pillows than we could count, but here are our 10 favorites:
Anthropologie is absolutely brilliant at creating unique, fun home accessories, like this pillow, which asks the age old question, “which came first”"
We love the cheeky subject, not to mention the edgy lime-and-tomato color combo.
Etsy is one amazing place to find truly one-of-a-kind home finds – especially pillows. It can be overwhelming, actually! We love all the pillows by Etsy seller VeeDubz, but this “tree of life” graphic is our favorite:
Great color and neat, simple design. We think this pillow would work perfectly in a kid’s room, a family room, or even the kitchen.
Pigtown Design is another Etsy favorite of ours (and favorite blogger). She’s recently started frequenting a warehouse that sells leftover stock of very fancy fabrics, and she’s begun making fantastic pillows with her finds. For spring, we’re all about toile and we love this Charlestown town toile fabric she found:
We love Wendy and her “shabby nest” (that’s shabby in the chic way, of course). We also can’t get enough of her pillows, which she makes herself. They’re sweet and very, very pretty:
Nina van der Goor’s blog is one of our favorite places to get design information – her combination of bright color and Scandinavian minimalism is right up our alley. So are these fun pillows in her living room:
They’d be a cinch to make yourself, too – just find the right fabric and make a simple pattern and you’re in business!
6. The Carioca
Summer begs for bright colors and big patterns, doesn’t it? That’s why we love our very own Carioca pillow in cantaloupe, aurora red, orange and pale buttercup:
It doesn’t get much more energetic than red and orange…though we also love that the pattern itself has some traditional elements, so it can help brighten up even conservative spaces.
7. The Lilly Pulitzer Treasure Chest
This spring, Lilly Pulitzer and Garnet Hill announced they were partnering on a new line of bed linens and preppy girls all over the world went wild. The resulting patterns are – no surprise – a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that we think they could move from bed to sofa. We especially love the island bright patterns of the Treasure Chest collection:
A little bit India Hicks, right?
8. The Brunschwig & Fils Fabriano
Some of our favorite Very Fancy Fabrics come from the textile designers at Brunschwig & Fils (even the name sounds fancy). For spring, we love the idea of lightening up a traditional living room with pillows made of a delicate, but fun, pattern, like the B&F Fabriano in butter:
9. The Alvine Floral from IKEA
Ah, IKEA. Our home for all things Swedish and really, really cheap. It’s the perfect place to lay your hands on some super fun accessories that don’t need to last more than one season. This year, we love the Alvine Floral, which has fun flowers on one side and great stripes on the other. A perfect combination!
10. The Knitted Pouf
Who says pillow have to be, well, pillow-shaped? CB2, the more modern, less expensive spinoff of Crate & Barrel, is full of fun home accessories, including this adorable pouf:
Its color is great for spring – we love lime! – but it’s knitted texture makes it a fantastic year-round addition to the home.
What are your favorite places to find great pillows? Any secrets to share?
Take It Outside: Gorgeous Outdoor Entertaining Spaces
Spring is finally here (for real!) which means it’s time to hide the snow shovel in the back of the shed and pull out all the gardening tools, the outdoor furniture, and the tiki torches. While yo’ure doing that, you can also uncover the grill, string up some lights, and call some friends. It’s time for an outdoor party.
A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned that we just can’t wait to eat outside, and we weren’t kidding. Dining al fresco, whether it’s at a fancy, formally-set table or on an old blanket in the grass, is one of our favorite pastimes.
We find outdoor party inspiration everywhere we look, from the CB2 catalog to cool Anthropologie store windows. Right now, we can’t stop thinking about fantastic settings for an al fresco dinner party. We love the tropical room at the left – especially those billowy white curtains. They lend an air of colonial-style drama to the simple table and chairs.
This kitchen has us itching to convert our garage into entertaining space:
How great would it be to instantly open your kitchen to your patio? And you’d never have to worry about rain – everyone could always crowd in the dining room!
We love this space for so many reasons, including the tall, stately hedges, that riot of a centerpiece, and the retro simplicity of the Danish modern chairs:
We’d love to have a casual, early evening weeknight supper right there.
Every time we see a vine-colored pergola, our hearts just melt. This space below is the perfect setting for an intimate dinner party with close friends:
The bright yellow linens set the stage for a fun evening, while the tiny hanging candles add a little elegance and, possibly, romance.
We think designer Jonathan Adler is positively brilliant, especially when it comes to entertaining spaces:
We can’t decide which part of the above space we like best – the purple flowers or the arresting pattern on the table. Or maybe the iron gate that forms the garden wall. It’s all fabulous.
Speaking of flowers, we’re definitely copying Martha Stewart’s paper flower decor, which would be just perfect for an afternoon wedding shower:
The hanging flowers really make the scene, adding tons of life and fun to simple white chairs and pastel centerpieces.
Simple picnic tables look elegant and modern when adorned with just a few accessories:
Sometimes keeping it simple and minimal is best.
Speaking of simple, Rebecca Thruss designs table settings that tend to be fairly minimal, but they’re still interesting and elegant:
We love how the linen runner adds a little texture, and the way the deep coral napkins work with the icy blue accents. It’s a great color combination for late afternoon (and would work in both spring and fall).
In this space, a collection of various vintage French chairs are painted glossy white, adding feminine detail to a rough and rustic table:
We absolutely love the striped awning, too – it reminds us of stripey French shirts and sailboats. Plus, it’s practical!
Finally, this long, skinny table is draped with several antique saris, then accessorized with a simple bowl of lemons:
We love the exotic look, as well as the simplicity of the lemon centerpiece.
And in case you need some kitchen inspiration to go along with these fabulous tables, this shrimp and avocado salad has our mouths watering, as does this roasted asparagus salad. Both perfect for a springtime afternoon. Bon Appetit!
[Photo credits: Room with curtains and kitchen with garage door from Coastal Living; Danish modern chair, Jonathan Adler garden, simple picnic table, vintage French chairs, and antique saris all from PointClickHome; Hanging lights and paper flowers from Martha Stewart; Coral and blue table from Rebecca Thruss.]
Design Inspiration: Kate & Andy Spade’s New York Apartment
Last week, New York magazine profiled Kate and Andy Spade, the understated powerhouse couple behind the Kate Spade brand of handbags, accessories, and other cool lifestyle stuff (including some of the cutest invitations and notecards around). The Spades sold their stake in Kate Spade to Neiman Marcus in 2006, but they’ve kept busy since – Kate as a full-time mom to their daughter Bea and Andy with a variety of projects from filmmaking to curating a downtown Manhattan shop that falls under the J.Crew brand.
Our fascination with the Spades runs deep – we love their spunky American style. So we were especially excited to get a quick glimpse inside their apartment (at left). We instantly fell in love with the eclectic, preppy look of the place, so we set out to create our own four-step guide for injecting Kate and Andy’s style into interiors of our own.
The Spade’s apartment barely has a spare inch of wall space and while it doesn’t look as though there’s any particular rhyme or reason to the placement of the pictures, the overall affect isn’t messy. It’s more like a really great, nicely curated collection. With some planning (and lots of measuring) it’s not too hard to recreate the same look at home.
Start with a color that’s interesting, but not overpowering, like the Spade’s cornflower blue, or like the pink in the room at the left. Add art that covers a variety of genres – we love seeing traditional oil landscapes saddled up next to abstract expressionism – and mix up the frame width and style. Start your arrangement on the floor, where it’s easy to move around to play with the right organization. When you’re organizing, variety is the key. Keep the distances between paintings fairly uniform, but mix them up by size, shape, frame style, and content.
2. Embrace Vintage
Treasure-hunting is one of Andy Spade’s personal passions. He outfitted the J.Crew store with stuff he found here and there and at his home, little knicknacks add personality to the overall decor. Whether you find your treasures on exotic jaunts or while digging through downtown flea markets, incorporating vintage finds into your decor is a quick way to add tons of personality into a space. In the room below, we love the cluster of goodies that sit on top of the dresser:
3. Showcase Your Library
There’s a lot going on in Kate and Andy’s apartment, but our eyes immediately go to that great bookcase in the back. We love books, which means we love how they look as a design element (it’s practical, too – when you love books, you have to store them someplace!). A great bookshelf is a must-have, in our opinion. What you fill it with says as much about your personality as those vintage knicknacks you pick up on your travels. In fact, books and interesting pieces pieces of art make for a fantastic combination (like in the room at the right).
4. Stripes
Finally, what’s a preppy interior without a few stripes? In the Spade’s apartment, they’re wide and clear, on side chairs, offering some clean balance that keeps the rest of the space from feeling overly cluttered. We like strips on chairs – you can move them around to change the overall feel of the room (and chairs are easy enough to recover if you want a change). We also like the way the Spades’ stripes fit neatly into the color scheme of the room. We love this dining room version of the look:
Subtle and sophisticated and a great expression of clean design.
Of course, the Spades apartment is just one example of preppy style. How do you preppify your home?
[Photo credits: Spade apartment from New York magazine. All other interiors from Houzz.com.]
