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We have a long, skinny living room and the wall opposite the front door/entry has always stumped me. We tried the TV there, tried a wall of bookcases (looked so cluttered)... no good solution. Until recently, when I got some new toy storage cabinets. They were really low and needed a big statement something above them, but I'm a little tired of really big art pieces and wanted something cozier.
So I gathered a few pieces of art I already had and started buying coordinating frames at Goodwills. I started with the largest piece and just built outward from there.
I "framed" out the gallery wall even before I had all the art pieces, and had empty frames hanging for a couple months! Even that felt better than the heavy wall of bookcases (we put them in the basement media room now that the basement is almost done).
Then, I had four empty frames I needed to fill and I shopped around some of my favorite sources for original art downloads (I highly recommend the Public Domain Print Shop from A Home Is Announced). I picked out some landscapes and some sketches that worked well with each other and the other art pieces. I printed them at Office Depot on 110 lb paper for about $1 each. Frames at the Goodwills in my area are usually $2-5 each. I would guess the total cost of this wall was about $40!
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I am a big fan of museum art downloads for unique art in my home, but it can be tricky to navigate getting them from the screen to the frame. I’ve tried several different methods and while my favorite is definitely custom framing (I use Art to Frames), if you’re trying to fill a cool vintage or thrifted frame or want to do it really low-budget, you can definitely print yourself, too. I recently made over several thrifted frames for some very pretty vintage art from open sources, and really updated some spaces in my home!
I'd love to share how I do this to make it easy for you! First you'll need the art--I have a couple of round-ups and I always link to the pieces I've used; check out my art downloads posts. But I also highly recommend the free print shop by fellow blogger A Home Is Announced. She's put together a bunch of collections (portraits, botanicals, etc.) of art and linked them all back to the original museum sources.
Once you've picked out a few pieces you like, some things to consider:
Everything is coming together! I’m so close to done with the office renovation and this week I’m highlighting the art I chose, and how I got it printed.
Thanks to Mpix for partnering with me on this One Room Challenge!
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I often leave art for the last minute with these room updates and I tried really hard not to do that this time. I knew I wanted an eclectic mix of vintage-ey pieces and gold and black frames, but how to put it all together??
I started thrift shopping for gold frames and got a good variety. Then it was just a matter of choosing the right public domain museum downloads for each frame and size! I’ve shared about art downloads before and I love getting them from the original source. A fellow home decor blogger, Katie from A Home is Announced, has put together an incredible resource on her site: the FREE print shop of public domain art! She has several collections with different themes and I had fun scrolling and finding the perfect pieces.
I mixed in a couple actual antique or vintage pieces (on the shelf--haven't hung them yet).
I recently helped a friend with a DIY bathroom reno. I'd love to share more about that one sometime soon since they did an awesome job!!! but once all the big stuff was done she said she felt good about it, but still needed art. I totally know what it's like to save art for last! (In fact, I mentioned it in this recent post with 3 things not to forget for your bathroom reno.)
She said when she searched for ideas for "bathroom art" she got a lot of awkward potty-themed quote art. Nothing classy and beautiful like she wanted for her newly renovated space! While you can put absolutely any art you like in a bathroom, I understand the appeal of nude sketches and seascapes and good news--I'm here to redefine "bathroom art" and am sharing 14 beautiful FREE downloads you can print and frame for a bathroom!
I didn't get too creative here--there are a few categories of art that just feel perfect for a bathroom. Sketches, particularly figures or nudes (not too realistic), are lovely and intimate and casual, like you want in a personal space. And then of course, water! Ocean oil paintings are great and there are so many out there, you can choose one that has colors that work in your space.
Here are 14 bathroom-ey free downloads, no potty humor involved!
As for printing, I haven’t experimented too much, but I’ve had success with custom framing from Art to Frames as well as ordering prints of paintings on mat board from Mpix (but they have to be standard sizes), and taking the glass out of a standard frame for a vintage painting look.
Art adds so much to a functional, fixture-heavy space like a bathroom! Don’t forget it!
There are so many great options out there these days for art!! Lots of print shops, DIY art ideas, and museums providing free downloads. It's overwhelming. I actually got a request from an Instagram follower for a collection of my favorite pieces of tree art, and I thought... yes! I do have a list!
Her request came after I shared this fabulous large art I just got for our bedroom. It's a print of an etching done by Bertha Jaques in 1937, and it's available for download (Cabin in Wilderness | Smithsonian American Art Museum). See below...
The One Room Challenge bathroom reno is almost done! When I do these all-at-once room renos it's easy to leave art and styling until the last minute. Well, this time I planned ahead and ordered a beautiful print in a new way that makes for a vintage oil painting look in any size and print you want!
Thanks to Museum Quality Art and Mpix for providing one of the prints for this project!
