We moved in a year ago, and i still have no pictures or decorations on the wall.
It sounds dumb but i can't even figure out what the focus walls should be, Dining room for example has a long blank wall on one side and short wall on the other, depending on where you sit, you would see one or the other.
I don't want to have too much, I would also love to blow up and hang candid black and white type shots of my kids, but i don't want all the pictures on the walls to be my kids. One or two in a living room would be ok, but probably not in the dining room???
I've tried looking at home and garden mags etc but they don't seem to show "Real" people.
Where do you buy art???? How do i know what will look good, how much is too much??? Any good decorators out there??
try Marshall's or Home Goods. They have a good selection of large and small art pieces and knicknacks as well. www.art.com is a great website where you can custom mat and frame prints of all styles. Enjoy!
I'm a big fan of "one big statement piece" rather than many small pictures. I've gotten some nice stuff at Z Gallerie (modern/contemporary abstracts are my taste, rather than landscapes or still life). I've also gone to fabric stores and found three or four printed fabrics I love, gotten a bit of each and framed them in the long panorama frames, then hang them one on top of each other for a triptych (sp?) or side by side. It's cheap and people are always amazed that the cool art on my walls are just scraps of fabric in a frame. Make sure the fabrics complement each other, same color or style, etc. When you hang them close to each other, they look like one big piece of art. In our old dining room, we had a wall of huge windows (no art there, but lovely curtains), a wall with a fireplace (one very large abstract piece above the mantle), a long wall broken up by a doorway to the kitchen (standing floor mirror on one side of the doorway to reflect the windows for people facing it and the fabric triptych on the other) and the black metal railing for the staircase on the last short wall. Although that sounds really busy, it wasn't because the walls were all large and the pieces were also large, allowing the eye to rest on one thing at a time without being distracted by other peripheral visions. I loved that dining room...Anyway, have fun decorating your walls - just pick pieces that you love and enjoy looking at!
I am a semi-decorator, I do have a decorating blog! One of my favorite things to do in a large space, is a gallery.
Here is one I did in my home. I basically got a lot of vintage prints, old picture frames and the like and grouped them together. You can do the same with your family pictures, incorporate them into something like this.
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-very-own-fr...
more frame wall ideas:
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2009/09/inspiration-no...
here is something similar I did with plates:
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2010/05/homefront-addi...
more plate wall ideas:
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2010/05/inspired-room-...
Another neat thing to do, to take up an awkward wall or a lot of space, is empty picture frames. Go to goodwill and buy up a whole bunch. Then, just clean them off, take them outside and spray paint them a matching color. White usually looks really nice, or an accent color in your home. I usually do accent colors in my home as a light, robin's egg blue.
Then, arrange your empty picture frames, it has a less cluttered look:
http://www.inthefunlane.com/2009/12/ye-olde-country-dress...
A large mirror would be pretty, or large painting, with maybe 2 nice wall scones on either side.
http://www.inthefunlane.com/2010/08/meet-odalie.html
I usually find art at antique malls or goodwill, then add a fresh coat of white paint to give it a nice, fresh, shabby chic look.
Or, 4 floating shelves together look great, then decorate the shelves with vases, flowers, photos, memorabilia, seashells...
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries/home_office/Dining...=
floating shelves with a collection, like ironstone or all white dishes look pretty too:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/inspiration/inspiratio...
get a vintage book with lots of study pictures, like a botany or birdwatching book, rip out the pages (bookplates) and frame them for a look like this:
http://www.inthefunlane.com/2010/01/mish-mash.html
these blogs have tons of great advice. I love her simple driftwood wall:
http://www.inthefunlane.com/2009/08/driftwood-art.html
the nester always has amazing decorating tips. I love her door she uses:
http://thenester.com/
http://www.thenester.com/2009/09/hanging-a-door-on-the-wa...
I usually just start by looking at framed art on line or at the store and when I come across something I like I go off it. Then I pick things that go with the picture. I don't prefer things to be overly matchy. Texture is another way to make a room interest. If you have a lot of wood material objects, throw in a metal sculpture. Things that are similar to the color tones of the pictures, doesn't have to be the exact color but having the same tone will blend. Area rugs are another good way to pull a room together.
I have a theme for every room in my house. My son's room is "CARS" and was able to find plenty of decor for his room pretty much anywhere, my bathroom is a corral seashell theme and was able to find stuff at ROSS and Walmart , the other bathroom is palm trees, My living room is neutral tones beige, burgundy and olive color, now my dining area I have not done much too because i cant find anything that i like. Pier 1 has really nice things, also Lamps Plus for lighting, Home Goods I really love! Bed bath and Beyond. Pick a theme that you like for each room in your house that best fits you. It could be safari, tropical, country retro.....
Telling someone how to decorate is very difficult. Some suggestions would be to go to pottery barn or crate & barrel or even a furniture store. I was really surprised at how much stuff a furniture store sells as far as art, plants, vases, mirrors etc. The sales people usually are very helpful in helping you achieve your desired look. My husband & I bought a bedroom set at one furniture store & we went to a ddifferent furniture store looking for something else & we saw the exact same bedroom set all decked out with beautiful candlesticks, art, vases & flower planter so we bought all of it & placed it exactly how it was on the showroom floor & people think we had a designer come in. So take pics of your space & go to these places so they can give you ideas.
A great website is art.com, they have awesome prices & you can see multiple frames on the picture. Also go to HGTV website there is so much to view on there. There is a place on HGTV that you can upload your photos & ask people what they think you should do to "improve" your space.
As far as large canvas black & white pics of your kids, that type of art looks great in a large hallway or wall going up stairs or a family room. Mirrors are a great way to fill wall space too.
That's a lot of decorating questions.
You really need to educate your self by looking at decorating mags. Avoid Architectural Digest, that is definitely not "real people" decorating. That magazine is a chronicle of excess. Try Elle Decor for hip, real world decorating. Browse through other mags at a bookstore.
You can't just tell someone where to buy art. It really depends on your style, and it sounds like you don't know what that is. That is why you really need to start looking at magazines. You can buy some pretty cheap, large pieces of art at places like Cost Plus, but I don't know if you have that in PA.
Regarding Focus Walls: I don't think you should do them as a rule. If you have one long wall you probably should not break up your room with a focus wall. You should try painting all the walls in one room the same color, for a start. You can use different colors in different rooms. If you are going to hang up black and white photos, blow them up large, get a cheap black frame from somewhere and paint your walls a rich color so they pop.
But really, you are starting from scratch. The main thing is you need to develop your style.
Oh yes, and Z Gallerie is great for art, as suggested below.
It's hard to know without seeing your home. Wish you could post pictures, but I don't think that works on this site! I think pictures of your children would be great! Why don't you check if your library has some large art prints you might borrow and put up to see if you like them? (If you do, then you can head to Michael's or Hobby Lobby, or order prints online.) While you're at the library, look through the books in the decorating section and see if there's one that really grabs your attention. Think about colors - what you don't like, what you like without even thinking about it. When you have a chance, go to a paint store, just look at the color chips, and see what you respond to emotionally. Think about how much light comes into the rooms of your house. If I were you, I'd see what I'd like to put up on my walls first, before selecting any paint color. These are just random thoughts - but maybe they can help you get your mind going.
I like to look at blogs for inspiration. A great one is thenester.com. She has some other blogs that she links to on her site, so be sure to check them out as well. You will see lots of neat ideas. Also, I like wall lettering. Have you seen or tried that before? My company is fruitfulvinecreations.com. I mostly do custom work, so you can have anything you want. Makes it really personal. Enjoy the process.
