You can fill your room with beautiful furniture and accents, but it won’t look finished until the walls come alive with artwork. If you have blank walls or beautiful pieces of art stored away that you’ve never hung, make that your new year’s resolution. You will be blown away by how putting a few pieces up will give your spaces personality and style, and make your home a warm reflection of you. To help you get started, here are a few ideas for interesting art arrangements created by Dillon, the artwork coordinator at Nell Hill’s.
A WALL OF TRAYS
Artwork encompasses much more than framed paintings. Trays, platters and dishes are among my favorite things to hang on the wall. To hang trays, thread a bit of wire through the handles or cut outs on the sides of the tray. Or, use plate grippers.
Tip from Dillon: The secret to decorating with trays, plates and platters is to group together a variety of sizes and shapes. Start by placing the larger pieces in the middle, then fan out from there.
A CELEBRATION OF MEMORIES
One of the chief aims of artwork is to reflect the unique personality of those who live there. One of my favorite things to do when I visit people is to see their artwork and accents, to get a glimpse of the things they care about most. For many of us, our families are paramount in our lives. So consider making a gallery that features photos and other memorabilia that tell the story of your family, past and present.
Tip from Dillon: To hang a gallery, Dillon suggests you start at the middle then work your way out. Lay the pieces on the floor and move them about until you have an arrangement you like. Take a photo with your phone so you can replicate the layout on the wall. Dillon rarely lines up the frames when he arranges collections. Instead, he likes the groupings to feel a little more random.
A FLASH OF MIRRORS
I love using mirrors as art. They add brilliant beauty to a room, bouncing light and opening up the space. Add a mirror to a collection of art. Hang one over your mantel or above a buffet. Or, cluster a group of smaller mirrors together to make one head-turning display, like Dillon did.
Tip from Dillon: To create this 3-D effect, Dillon layered one mirror on top of another, using longer nails for the mirrors on the top layer so they could easily rest over those below.
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This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity's blog at www.nellhills.com
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