Oversized Artwork - Are You A Fan?

Are you a fan of oversized artwork? Sometimes these could be larger than the furniture in a space or in some cases take up almost an entire wall.

The following are great examples of how such pieces can work whether on an entire wall, above a mantle, to the side of a mantle, centered on a wall or not, or anywhere one might choose to place one.

And these could work in any style of decor, too.

 

via House & Home photo Francois Halard

 

via House to Home

 

 I am definitely a fan. The artwork can be the main focus in a space, can add much-needed color, be thought-provoking, set a mood or can enhance the furniture already in place.

If you have been following my blog for a while you will already know that I do not abide by any rules when it comes to decorating. Any space should reflect one's lifestyle and one's personality and, at the end of the day, make one happy. Therefore, there should be no rules in terms of size of artwork if it is what one wants.

What do you think? Is this something you would consider in your own home if you have not already?

On a side note: It has been four days since my last post as I have been busy - my kids have been on Spring break all this time and for the rest of the week but I will be back on Thursday with the next update on the Spring Into Action project party.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

'Spring Into Action 2012' Project Party - My Desk

I have teamed up with eleven other blogs for a 'Spring Into Action - The Undaunted Dozen' project party. We will each be sharing a DIY project of some sort. This party will provide support and motivation to those who might feel overwhelmed or daunted by a DIY project or just require a little nudge to get things started and of course, to see the project to completion.

I have decided to share my desk revamp. This is a project that is more important than any other current project in my house.  The home office is where I spend a lot of time. The desk is where I tend to daily paperwork -  pay the bills, manage piles of school notices - work from, study, blog and so on, therefore the need and certainly the urgency to give it a little face-lift.

I started to evaluate the scope of this mini-project during the months of November and December last year. Life was getting busier and I needed a better organized system and a prettier space would be nice, too.

I had begun the cleaning up at that point but do not have many good 'before pictures'. Here are glimpses of when I started to tidy up.

A collection of random items - pens, pencils and scissors all in in one holder, a decorative plate made for me by my youngest daughter for Mother's Day a couple of years ago, an emptied letter holder.

I had a bunch of notices, post-its, list of recalled children's medication, something from my youngest, again - her little pencil-drawn hand with my lipstick - a little of everything, pinned to that panel. I even had neighborhood recycling information handy!

I brought in cleaning supplies.

I cleared the back panel. These pictures were taken over several days so some things were moved around during the course of the day. I had just the desk light on so this picture is dark. You can see more items used daily like my hand cream, La Source from Crabtree & Evelyn and a blue-&-white coaster for my cup of tea.

This is the color of the walls in the room, Benjamin Moore's, Mountain Lane. I had liked the effect of dark wood furniture against this olive-like green.

My desk chair is very similar to this one from Staples. It is in a smoky grey faux suede fabric.

 

I started to look at other colors I could incorporate in this space. I had purchased a few of these very pretty paisley clipboards to give as hostess gifts about a year ago.

I decided I could keep one for myself. I thought this would be a great jumping off point to introduce a fun color palette and to breathe life into this space.

So there you have it. My desk revamping 'Spring Into Action' project - Part I of III. Stay tuned for the next update on this which will be in a week on Thursday, April 12th.

Now please do visit the other ladies who are a part of this project party. I am sure they would love a visit from the ever-supportive blogging community.

 

 1. Suzy – Saved by Suzy

 2. Tiffany – Living Savvy

 3. Kerry – Design du Monde

 4. Laurie – Traditional & Modern Design

 5. Cathy – Room Rx

 6. Carrie – Hazardous Design

 7. Sam – The Junk House

 8. Becca – From Gardners Two Bergers

 9. Jean – Flower Hill Design

10. Nancy – powell brower home

11. Linda - My Crafty Home Life

Do let me know if you are also in the process of completing a DIY project. I would love to pay you a visit.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Inspiration For The Dining Room

Do you recall this image? This is Fleming Villa in the Goldeneye Hotel & Resort, Jamaica. I had published a post about it here.

There is something about the colors of this picture that made me think about my dining room which has been undergoing a transformation. This is the direction I was planning to go in  - I was considering either pops of teal/aqua or deep orange.

The colors in the picture above are cool and warm and work harmoniously with each other to give one a sense of tranquility to create an atmosphere for relaxation as well as a sense of fun and an energy which would be perfect for a space in which one can entertain.

The dark walls are in this rich color.

I had it matched in Behr's Premium Ultra Plus.

The furniture in my dining room is dark therefore I went dark with the walls so that the furniture would blend in more.

I love the pops of aqua and deep orange hues in Fleming Villa. Last week, while looking for fabric for other projects, I came across this stunning deep orange fabric on www.fabric.com. It is a microsuede called Vintage Suede Pumpkin.

These are my dining room chairs which require reupholstery and I am leaning toward the orange fabric. The chairs were purchased from Ethan Allen about 10 years ago and the fabric was from Calico Corners.

 

I do have a growing collection of blue-and-white pieces which ties in to the shades of cobalt in they sky as the sun sets in the picture.

 

I have to work in the aqua and some of the gold tones.

This color palette has worked its way into my dining room with perfect timing and I am so excited about it so far.

Once again, the hotel room..

Dining room so far...

I know I could make it work.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Organizing Tip On Living Savvy

Today, you will find me on Living Savvy contributing an organizing tip to an amazing  month-long series hosted by Tiffany.



Please do stop by and leave a comment.

It's raining in NY, hope it is sunny where you are!

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

I Filled In The Stencil Pattern & A Quick Spackling DIY

After the last post about whether or not to fill in the stencil pattern above the window and doorways in the dining room I decided I would complete it. The responses I got were overwhelmingly in favor of that. Here is how it looks now, above the window.

Here is the 'before' above the door into the family room.

I did not cut the stencil as I had thought I might in order to stencil the top. I apologize for the lighting in this picture below - taken at night.

And again, here is the 'after' above the window. I took an 'after' pic in a hurry so I could share it with you today.

It makes a difference. The entire room will be revealed in time.

There was a large crack in the wall above one of the doorways towards the ceiling.

Before painting the dining room I fixed it.

Fixing a minor crack such as this is quite straightforward. There are many tutorials available online and I cannot recall which one I read to get some idea of the work involved but here is what I did.

I had this spackling paste left over from last year when I repainted the living room.

The instructions had indicated to cover it with plastic wrap after use which I had done, but there was some coloration at the top of the container when I reopened it.

I removed the plastic and removed some of the discolored substance and the spackle underneath was in fine condition to use.

 Using a spackle knife or putty knife, as it is sometimes called, I proceeded to apply a little amount along the crack, smoothed it over and removed any excess. Then I wiped it with a damp cloth.

I let it dry overnight.

The next day I sanded over the spackle to create a surface flush with the wall. All fixed and ready for paint.

Tomorrow, Saturday, I will be sharing an organizing tip on Tiffany's blog, Living Savvy, as part of her 'Organizing Month' series.



I hope you will visit.

Enjoy your weekend!

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa