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I've come to the boards several times in the past and always get such good advice. It's been a long time, but here I am again asking for suggestions. The framed art I had on this wall wasn't doing it for me anymore but I'm struggling to find just the right thing--framed art, canvas, metal wall sculpture, etc. I've tried to show the adjacent wall to show what's hanging there. I've searched artdotcom until all the art started looking alike. Can I use a framed photography print? Or maybe a smaller grouping of 2 or 4 pieces? Any suggestions are welcome.

Welcome back. W/o seeing more of your room, it's difficult to suggest. Do keep the scale of the wall decor in mind. It should be large enough to be in balance w/ the console below it, but not so large as to appear top heavy. It should also be hung in close enough distance so it's not disjointed, but not interfere w/ the table top accessories (if they remain). Here are some options...some you may have thought of, some that you may not have thought of, but do keep the feel of your space in mind too.

TAPESTRY
FRAMED MIRROR
A PLATE ARRANGEMENT (THEY'RE NOT JUST FOR DINING SPACES)
A PIECE OF IRONWORK OR GRILLWORK
FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH ENLARGED
A GROUPING OF CEILING MEDALLIONS ALL PAINTED THE SAME
WALL CANDEL SCONCE
A WOODEN CARVING
WALL CUBES ACCESSORIZED
A WINDOW FRAME (BACKED BY MIRROR IS OPTIONAL) OR OTHER ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE
METAL ART OR MEDALLION
A FRAMED POSTER OR SIGN
FRAMED BOTANICALS (RELATE TO YOUR TREE PRINT)
FRAMED MAP
FRAMED PAPERS OR FABRICS
LARGE CLOCK (ROUND PERHAPS)

Toodle I am in the midst of cleaning out and I am amazed at how many pieces of framed (and unframed) art I have picked up over time (to say nothing of frames themselves)

If you go to yard sales and such you can find a nice selection of art, also at junk shops, antique malls etc.

In this photograph the picture hanging at the bottom was one bought by my DH before we were married. He paid $1 for it framed in a junk shop in Brooklyn. We got all excited thinking it was a Charles Dana Gibson original. Well it is a real pen and ink but it is a copy.

Think of art as something just nice for itself, not as something specific for a specific space in your home. The more you acquire the simpler decisions about what to hang where will become.

Probably the last place I would buy art is from a place like artdotcom. What you want is something you will not see everyplace else.

Good luck and yes you can definitely hang a photograph in your home, or plates or any number of things.

I agree with Froo, some additional pictures would be helpful.

OK, I'll probably get roasted for this but IMO no one can really advise another about art. For art, or even just wall decor, to do it's job it should not only decorate your walls and your home but should be something that gives you emotional satisfaction. Otherwise your house is no different, nor personal, than a model home. Perhaps one of your *very* good friends who knows you well could suggest something that personal but really no one on a forum can because we don't know you.

I suggest you look at a lot of wall decor which, of course, encompasses much more than art and learn what really interests you. There are so many things that can be hung on walls or placed on wall shelves that there are no end of choices. Do you have hobbies that could be represented in some way? Or does your job, or that of anyone in the home suggest a subject that might be represented on your walls? Are there animals or places that really interest you? Could you take pics of local scenes, people, or architecture and frame them?

Froo has, as always, suggested many things but try to choose something that has meaning to you from that list. When one's home shows one's personality or passion the decor is so much more interesting. There are many places to shop for wall decor and very unique things and some of the best bargains can be found in second hand venues such as antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales.

Please show us what you choose, we always like to see pics of personal and unique decor.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lady of shallot:
Think of art as something just nice for itself, not as something specific for a specific space in your home./QUOTE]

Totally agree. Absolutely totally.

Art is everywhere, even in thrift shops. It should be personal, unique and make your heart sing - and it doesn't have to match the room.

Indeed art or even accessories should have a personal meaning vs. something purely to fill a void. I've frequently advised posters to keep an eye out for just the right touch that speaks to them acquired over time and travels w/ placement in mind. There are so many options and thinking outside the box will keep things interesting and far from expected or predicatable so keep an open mind and allow your creative or playful side to reveal itself.

check out Art.com or allposters.com and do a search for photographs and sepia prints, or one specific color.

This will give you a visual for a direction you might want to go in.

I have done a one color seach
two color search
three color search...

I had a collection of sepia prints in my house in Virginia and had never even considered that type of print before doing that search. I am not saying to purchase now, but to visually start looking for a direction.

Example of my sepia prints: About Sepia prints, mine were approx $7 each and were printed on actual photo paper. I had them tripple matted and framed at a local frame shop.

My story how I chose these was that I loved the 40's and picked Duncan Phyfe for the furniture in the dining room. I had previously lived in Fort Lauderdale and loved the area. These photos were from Miami beach in the 40's! So, I felt the connection with the mood I wanted in the house. And I love the beach, so it was a fit. And Sepia because my color scheme was white with browns, naturals and Black. I chose not to do my accent colors in this collection. When I adding a pop of color, I did so with accessories.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mary Ruth,

forgot to mention the non-glare or knocked down glass I used on the framed photos.

You can also enlarge a favorite photo you already have of a place or vacation spot you took. Photos can be enlarged and cropped too to enhance their appeal.

I went with shells as my one picture I hung in the living room. This was also a $7 photo print from Allposters.com. I was able to purchase around 7 of these under $40 with a sale they had. I wanted a gallery on the wall going up the stairs that I never got to do.

This is an old frame I took apart, refinished, DH glued it all together to be solid, then I measured and got the matting and knocked down glass for DH to put together for me.

Found a few inspirational photos I saved for wall display
This one is of a collection of all old frames, they are the focus of the display, not so much the contents but the shapes and textures each provide.

here is another saved inspirational photo showing a collection of vases, and the interesting round shape and depth of the mirror also showing how it is hung.

Toodle, I've posted some of the wall decor pics I've saved to a Photobucket album. Perhaps there will be something there that inspires you. These are pics I've saved from various internet sites.

There also are more pics on the Shutterfly album which I collected from pics posted on this forum by members years ago.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: joyluck,

Here's some good basic advice on choosing art for your home.