Tag: minted

Choosing Art + Accessories to Compliment the Home

Written by Jenna on October 8, 2015. Posted in Decorating.

It’s pretty incredible + awesome what a fresh coat of paint can do. Whether on the wall or on a piece of furniture, a new hue can instantly change the look & style.

I love bright & bold colors, but I don’t enjoy color overload. In small doses it works. A vomit of too much color – not so much.

Where a vibrant hue is introduced it should equally be balanced with quieter, softer, more neutral colors. There needs to be the quiet with the crazy. Let the bold ‘speak’ and the quiet ‘enhance’, to create an interesting + engaging composition.

When I chose to revamp my latest furniture makeover, I chose a dynamic hue of ‘kelly green’ but knew that it would be surrounded & layered with neutrals. The cabinet is the statement piece and the layers are what makes it breathe.

Each element that surrounds the cabinet needed to be methodically chosen to magnify the cabinets beauty but allow the eye to rest. It’s the balance of fun & calm…

When it came time to choosing ART + ACCESSORIES, I felt it had to be subtle. Not understated, but quieter. Whatever was chosen had to compliment, not compete. As much as the cabinet is a statement, the artwork + layers of accessories needed to be strong but in a different way than the strong of the bright color green.

What to put on the walls with a bold color, like this green beauty, was tricky. A quiet wall color for the backdrop was a must and artwork that enhanced the intense green would pull the entire composition together.

It’s truly all about balancing the bold and the quiet.

Finally these beauties came into my life…

Thanks to the many creative talented artists at Minted, there is no shortage of options.

Bold & Bright.

Quiet & Neutral.

Everything at your finger tips. The only difficult part is making a decision.

With custom art being unattainable for many due to budget & resources, Minted makes it easy by connecting artists with those looking to fill their walls with beautiful, meaningful custom creations. A nice bonus is that many of the prints are limited edition art and only a certain number of prints are produced. To me that makes each piece of art more special and unique. You and 5000 don’t have the same artwork on the walls of your home…

And let’s not forget how wonderful it is to support these artists to build their business and gain exposure. I just love it!

The two prints above the cabinet are Tradewinds and Weathered. They have a cohesive thread, but were created by differing artists.

This new vignette is in my master bedroom, which has a serene, soft aesthetic. Another reason why the bold green works so well. The other colors in the space are shades of white and hints of plum, so the selection of this artwork was perfect.

The artist who created Tradewinds shared this thought,

“I find sometimes the simplest stroke, laden with just the right value of pigments can invoke a feeling, or memory, or inspiration. This color study invokes the imagination. The colors are inspired by the ripples of the ocean as the trade winds play, the reflective sparkle of the sun on the waters surface, and soft hints of pink coral and colorful fish swimming beneath!”

I couldn’t have put it any better.

About Weathered,

“This mixed media piece explores varying degrees of opaque and translucent color, amidst layers of overlapping brushstrokes that create a warm yet weathered texture. I was inspired by the the various and ever-changing textures and palettes around our small hobby farm, including a chicken coop made from aging weathered barnwood, rusted vintage metal license plates, and acres of trees and foliage.”

Such beautiful words.

All my artwork from Minted are such treasures because you can truly feel the artists love + devotion for their work shine through in each of their creations.

I’m thrilled with how this cabinet has evolved as my style has changed over the years. And I am equally happy with the elements that surround it to enhance it’s beauty!

DISCLOSURE: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST WITH MINTED. ALL WORDS + OPINIONS ARE 100% MY OWN.

Planning + Creating an Art Wall

Written by Jenna on March 25, 2015. Posted in Decorating. 2 Comments on Planning + Creating an Art Wall

It’s been over a month and there’s been nothing but crickets on the progression of the living room makeover (2 months to be exact).

I guess you could say that I lost my momentum with many other things going on… By this time last year, I had tackled a slew of diy projects + 2 room makeovers. All while pregnant. This year, I shared details on the proposed living room space and then nothing – FOR 2 MONTHS. Whether it was nesting or not, this year my game is totally off. It may be non-motivation with this wicked weather, but honestly I think it’s more distraction and lack of time.

February was an overly busy 28 days. Not only was I in full-swing with 2 client projects, but I was also working on styling + producing my first 2 stories for Do It Yourself magazine. The experience was awesome and I hope to do it again, but it wasn’t just physically exhausting, but emotionally challenging too. I felt so much pressure, self-induced like always. And I won’t even go into my lack of time with 3 kids, one of which is now a full-on crawler… Hello time sucker. Her pure cuteness is just utterly distracting.

Anyway, as we say by-bye to month 3 and head into April, I am getting my butt back on track and finally getting this living room back-in-business and finished.

So the new charcoal sofa I ordered was delivered last week {squeal} and against the lighter gray/blue toned wall, it’s a striking contrast. With the slanted ceiling which is 8′ at one side, and rises to 12′ on the other side, the wall behind the sofa is vast. And vast begs for drama! A few pretty pictures won’t do…

I was truly challenged with this blank wall! There were so many ideas racing through my head – go symmetrical? how about a family photo collage (but we have SO MANY photos already around the house)? one large print? multiple random prints? DIY something – a map. maybe?

So many ideas, but what would look best + be meaningful + give the drama this space needed?

After much thought & planning, this is my plan of action…

For my new art wall, I chose to turn to Minted, an online art shop filled with creations by independent artists. To put it best… “Minted uses technology to allow consumers to discover great creative talent, making Minted a place where artists can learn, gain exposure, and build their businesses.”

Custom art is unattainable for many because of budget + resources, so Minted connects artists with those looking to fill their walls with beautiful, meaningful custom creations. A nice bonus is that many of the prints are limited edition art so they only run a certain amount of prints – so you & your neighbor won’t have the same decor on the walls.

This is what the sea of wall currently looks like…

After going through the Minted site over and over and over (no joke, it took me days) finding what prints I loved most (goodness it was difficult), I then figured out what sizes would work best & in what configuration. After some time, I created this mockup…

I also used my AutoCAD program to get the sizing + proportions just right. This is the drawing I created…

It was time to make these ideas a reality…

Using brown kraft paper, which I had left over from Christmas wrapping, I cut out the sizes of the proposed prints. Wrapping paper or newspaper could also work – no need to buy anything, use what you have on hand.

Then I arranged the kraft paper on the wall (yes, a few looked a bit wonky) as I worked it out on the mock up…

Once I put the standing floor lamp in place, I realized the shade would really block the large print, so I decided to reverse the design…

Yes, better!

I didn’t actually remove the paper from the wall, but when the prints arrive and I am ready to hang them, I know I will make some tweaks including reversing the design, adding a bit more breathing room between the prints, and hanging them slightly higher on the wall above the sofa.

To be honest, I have never did a mockup like this before, but if I hadn’t gone through the exercise of doing it, I don’t think I would have nailed it (hehe, no pun intended) the first time. Mistakes would have been made, which results in more time spent! By creating the mock-up placement of the prints, I can see how the art collage will layout best & hopefully save on time and wall repair.

Once the artwork arrives and I hang it, here is how I envision the wall to look… we shall see.

Interested in these prints? Here’s the info…
Down Under the Brooklyn Bridge
Snow Dancer
Blaze
Calculation
Gesture
Let’s Get Lost
NYC Map (gold foil)
Bits

My tips for creating an art wall you will love.

> Start with one large piece to be the ‘anchor’ for the art gallery wall

> Bring in other art in varying sizes & orientation – not all one size, not all horizontal or vertical!

> Keep at least 3″ between art for breathing room

> Create a continuity/common thread with the art, but mix it up by using 2 or 3 different frames

> Balance the art on the wall – don’t visually hang all ‘heavy’ art on one side & smaller on the other.

> Have fun. Display the unexpected. Showcase what is most meaningful to you. Let your art tell a story!

Other posts on creating a gallery wall that may be helpful:

> Gallery Wall Ideas to Transform Any Room
> Useful Ideas and Layouts to Create a Photo Gallery Wall
> Creating a Photo Wall Display

Recap…

more on the living room makeover coming soon… I promise!

Disclosure: Upon reaching out to Minted, I am thankful that they chose to work with me since I love their limited edition print selection so much. I have been provided with product, but as always I was not told what to write and I only feature companies on my blog that I truly love and believe in 100%.