Home & Garden Blog » Artwork

Paint vs. Wallpaper

brendan — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:20:55 +0000

Here’s a scenario: You want to redo a room, but you don’t want to buy new furniture or deal with throwing out old stuff, or bother with all that expense. What can you do? Here’s a thought: think about the walls. Much of how a room appears to us is about the context. A yellow lamp produces on effect in a room that is all yellow (giving the room consistency), and an entirely different effect if the room is otherwise all white (making the lamp “pop”–adding contrast).

For all the thought that we give to our couches, tables, etc, it’s kind of surprising that we don’t give more attention to the things that produce the largest effects in our living spaces. In the same way that the surroundings can make a yellow lamp blend in or pop, you can selectively choose to draw attention to specific areas of the room or furniture pieces that you enjoy.

Paint can draw attention to a particular piece of furniture, or make the room feel very different, and can enhance the overall cohesion or drama–depending on the desired effect–of the room. A good color can also have different effects at different times of the day. A good off-white hue catches the sunlight quite well, and can give a room a very different appearance at sunrise and sunset.

While paint is good for setting a general mood for a room, wallpaper has a lot more versatility. Paint is especially good for clean looks. Wallpaper is good for looks that are more constructed. Wallpaper also has texture to it, and can have a lot of texture to it, in a way that paint just can’t match.

So what should you go for? Depends on what your room looks like, and what you want it to look like. If you are someone who redecorates a lot, consider changing between the two. I think that spring and summer call for clean, bright or neutral colors, so I would go for a pale white, a brilliant blue, or an electric yellow. Wallpapers can also fit the bill–you could go for a nautical themed one, or anything with bright colors–blue and white stripes is a perennial favorite. I think that fall and winter call for deeper, richer colors–maybe a mocha brown, a pumpkin orange, or a deep green. In fall and winter, there are many more wallpapers that I would consider appropriate. Wallpapers can do so much with texture, contrast, and patterns. No matter what you choose, painting or putting up wallpaper, they are pretty economical options to give a room an entirely new feel.

Check out Smarter’s selection of wallpaper.

What do you think?

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/jagwired/2862007410

Quirky World: Biggest Chandeliers

colleen — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:21:54 +0000

ArchitecturalClassics.com compiled a list of the seven largest chandeliers in the world, ranging from places like Illinois to Turkey, Oman to France. The seven golden-lighted beauties crown some of the grandest opera houses, mosques, and palaces in the world. While the photos are stunning, and the inspirations ephemeral and whimsical, the photos are nothing compared to looking up from the seat of the Palais Garnier Opera in Paris or the Kocatepe Mosque Ankara, Turkey and admiring the grandeur in person. Create your own breathtaking view at home with some wonderful, modestly-sized chandeliers that are sure to brighten up any dining room or entrance hall.

There is so much to discuss about chandeliers with the most important being proportion: you want to make sure the light and the glitter effect of the chandelier doesn’t overpower or overwhelm the room in which it’s placed. Sometimes a thin, pendant hanging light is better for smaller hallways and kitchens than the grand, many-armed chandelier, that works well in the open entrance way or high-ceiling dining room. Keep in mind the hanging length of a chandelier before purchasing: while most chains can be shortened, you want to make sure that the proportions are correct.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/kimba

Recommendations from That 70′s Show Interior Designer

colleen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:52:21 +0000

Jason Miller, the interior designer featured on the NYTimes.com this week, talks about the beauty and simplicity of throwback 70′s style. He recommends three things: Polyester, Pop Art, and Plastic. Think Andy Warhol’s factory meets Hippie global world views. What do you do with all this throwback? A classic part of the 70′s that Miller doesn’t want to recreate is the colors–according to him, the cheap fabrics, carpets and furniture of the 1970′s made for flimsy fabric and flukey, dry colors. He recommends springing a few extra bucks and getting some dark chocolate browns and nicely hued colors instead. I like where he’s taking the modern twist.

So what do you do to recreate the 70′s charm? Take a look at these options I found on Smarter.com. Hope it helps! With Halloween coming up this weekend, why not put your whole house in costume?

Retro Modern Chair: $290.99

Momeni Shag Comfort Rug from Walmart.com: $59.00-819.00

Shop for more vintage style furniture and vintage style rugs.

Eco-Friendly Choices: Ten Thousand Villages

colleen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:40:23 +0000

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit fair-trade organization that sells hand-crafted works of art from over 38 countries in stores across the globe, and of course on their website. Fair Trade is a market-based approach that intends to help producers, artisans and the economy in developing countries and promote sustainability. Ten Thousand Villages represents artists from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Buying furniture or gifts from fair trade organizations is a great way to support artisans and eco-friendly building processes as well as vitalizing economies and infrastructures in developing countries. Next time you’re thinking of buying an accent piece, or giving a gift for a niece or nephew’s wedding, think about a personalized, environmentally-friendly piece from Ten Thousand Villages.

Some of my favorite accent pieces:

Batik Decorative Fan: $34.00

Made in Indonesia out of cotton and bamboo, the fan includes a bamboo piece to help hanging it on the wall. It comes in a beautiful painted box with the same cotton design as the fan.

Black Cut Metal Tree of Life: $54.00

Made of recycled 55 gallon metal drums, the Haitian artisans who created this beautiful wall hanging preserve their own heritage through the tradition of cut metal work and share it with a universal symbol of peace and prosperity.

Handmade Bamboo CD Holder: $94.00

Made in the Phillipines, this CD holder can hold up to 48 CDs or DVDs.

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for more cd holders and decorative fans.

Super Fly Movie Posters – Vintage Theatre Posters Make Great Decor

evette — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:00:11 +0000

I think the right choice of vintage movie posters, if tastefully framed, makes an awesome addition to your home decor. Vintage movie posters say a lot about you and your tastes, they can make a witty and kitschy addition to your game room or hallway or living room.

Take this “Super Fly” poster that pays homage to the pimpin’ 70′s! If I saw this in someone’s home it would either exude cool or based on the occupant say “I’m trying to hard too be hip”. Ha! It’s really quite a crap shoot.

Try your hand at vintage cool by checking out the following low priced movie posters.

To shop or purchase the Super Fly movie poster, click here.

Original Artwork on Etsy for 20 Dollars or Less

homegarden — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:22:23 +0000

Original artwork for $20 or less? I found it on Etsy! Finding prints online is a piece of cake but how about one-of-a-kind original art?

When I saw this painting, “Glorious Blue,” on Etsy by Karen Faulkner, I couldn’t believe she was selling the original for only $20.

Karen sells her original, one-of-a-kind watercolors at www.karenfaulknerart.etsy.com. They range in size from 8x10s to ACEOs. After her paintings dry she scans the image and uploads them to Etsy. In the process some of the color depth and detail is lost so expect to be even happier with your purchase when it arrives. I ordered the purple flower below and wanted to jump up and down when I pulled it out of the mailer: gorgeous on Etsy, blow-you-away-amazing in person.

Karen’s work ranges from the poignant “Feeling Blue” to the exuberant “Sunshine,” both shown below.

Want to learn more about Karen? She frequently updates her blog, www.karenfaulknerart.blogspot.com, with sneak peaks at new paintings and compelling musings on life.

Friends of Karen: Leave a comment so we know you were here! Just write your name if you aren’t sure what to write. We’re glad you came!

If you would like to shop for more discount Art Prints, Art Posters & Framed Art, click here.

Discount Posters – New York Beat Movie

evette — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:39:25 +0000

In all honesty when I visit someone’s home for the first time and see a wall chalk full of unframed movie posters, I usually cringe internally. These home designers tend to be male, and this home decor usually indicates a “slacker/college” forever persona.

That is my stereotypical reaction to the withering Scarface poster and yellowed Pulp Fiction postcard thumb tacked to the wall. However I will say that sometimes it could be nice, artsy even. But that only applies to framed vintage movie posters in my opinion. Also the rest of the decor of the house or apartment must exude taste and class for this home decor to work.

When done right a unique movie poster can be charming and express the home owner’s eclectic tastes. Which is never a bad thing.

I like the following poster from an Unknown New York Beat Movie. I think the feigned plagiarism is cool and arty. Plus since it’s an indie flick it doesn’t scream “trying to be cool” it just is.

Cost $15.96 (you save $3.99)

If you are interested in purchasing the poster, click the image or the link above)

Yes, Deer. – Buy and Sell All Things Handmade at Etsy.com!

homegarden — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:57:35 +0000

Hello everyone,

It’s your favorite guest blogger back with another fabulous decorating idea. At the end of last year I was an intern for a wonderful band called The Dresden Dolls. They were in the process of looking for some unique artists to make some rockin’ band merchandise for them. That is when I discovered the website www.etsy.com. Have any of you seen this site? If you are crafty and love all things handmade, this is the site for you.

That is exactly where I found this week’s Home and Garden find. I am a vegetarian and am against animal cruelty of any kind. Hunting for sport is something else I am not a big fan of.

That’s why I was so happy to find this artist who makes these incredibly beautiful and unique mounted deer heads out of wallpaper and resin (which is just a fancy word for plastic).

For those of you not familiar with Etsy, each artist on the site has their own profile and their own store where they can sell their creations. This artist’s store name is Ruby’s Lounge.

Take a look at these:

Black & White Deer Head

Colorful Deer Head

Look at this! The Big, Bad Wolf!

Ruby proudly advertises that “No deer were harmed in the making of this craft!”.

Each deer is made to order, so allow 2-3 weeks for production. Each one is around $345. To purchase or browse Ruby’s Lounge for a custom made Deer Head, click here.

These are the only deer heads I definitely wouldn’t mind displaying in my home.

Andy Warhol Poster

evette — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:20:13 +0000

Everyone knows that Andy Warhol is famous for his Pop Art! From the infamous Marilyn Monroe prints to immortalizing a Campbell’s tomato soup can, Andy Warhol was the Prince of Pop in the 1950′s!

Most people are familiar with his famous works but I came across this poster from Andy Warhol called “Four Pandas” and I think it is absolutely adorable! I imagine it gracing the wall of a cultured child’s bedroom or in the living space of a fresh twenty something, heck it would even look nice in the hallway of an open minded older gent!

The beauty of art is, it’s open to interpretation. You see what you want to see or in this case you decorate how you want to decorate. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure as the old saying goes.

Price of poster – $44.99

To shop or browse the Andy Warhol Poster “Four Pandas”, click here.