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A Salon Wall

March 25, 2010 By Rhoda 70 Comments

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Those salon walls have been grabbing my attention lately and since I have decided to do some tweaking in my living room, this seemed like the best place to put one of these gallery style art walls.  I loved reading all your comments from my post on Tuesday. It seems that most of us are on the same page about the art topic and hanging things on the wall that are meaningful and unique.
celerie kemble

(Celerie Kemble)

Like the above pic, I just love the casualness of the art on the walls.  Tossed up there without a whole lot of thought (but probably more than you think) to get this artful arrangement just right.

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One  of the things I really like about these salon walls is using all different types of art, varying frames and not all matchy-matchy.  I know matchy is great in some instances, like doing a whole wall of botanicals for example. I love the look when everything is the same frame and tone, but I’m also really, really loving this casual look.

via House of Turquoise

(via House of Turquoise)

How about a gallery wall against a vivid turquoise blue like this?  Pretty amazing!

unknown source

Not sure where this photo came from, but I love the calming and soothing tones of this salon wall.  This room looks so cozy and inviting and again, the art is all mismatched.  dominodrew

(Domino)

Mismatched, I can definitely do!  I have plenty of collected pieces around that I just love.

DominoMag-AmandaPeetStaircase

(Domino)

House Beautiful Mar10

(House Beautiful, March 2010)

So, after seeing some pics like this, it got my creative juices flowing and I went around the house and pulled down all my favorite flea market/yardsale/thriftstore art from other rooms to see what I could do with it.

Picture 013

I moved the pretty oil painting I had over this little table to a new home over the fireplace mantel.  This little table will get a new coat of paint too.  Picture 009

Spread out all my priceless treasures on the floor and went to work on a pleasing layout for my wall.  I did measure the wall first to see how much room I had to play with.  I’m likin’ this arrangement.  Also added in a few extras, like trays and sconces, just to kick it up a notch.  Everything here was scored at a yardsale/thriftstore or flea market with the exception of one piece that came from Grandma Eleanor.  It’s all about getting a balance going.  I started with a main middle focal point and built my pieces out from there.  It was fun being creative!

Are you ready to see MY salon wall????Picture 006

I adore this!  I will work on the little table too (that was also scored at a yardsale) with a new coat of paint and probably a piece of pottery on top.

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I decided that I like everything just as it is, so no trying to match up frame colors or anything, since the UN-matching and randomness appeals to me.

Picture 009

Here’s the Salvation Army oil painting I just scored.  All these other pieces were found all over the place, one piece at a time and many of them I’ve had for years. Picture 010

This one really old frame in the center is very vintage and beat up, but I love that it’s half falling apart.  I used it as the centerpiece to my wall arrangement and  it was perfect for framing some other treasures.

Picture 011

Again, it has been so much fun to collect these pieces and I was happily surprised at just how great they all look together.  It took me about 1/2 an hour to come up with this arrangement.  I then took pics with my camera, so I could remember how I had them and then started from the middle and worked my way out.  I didn’t use the cut-out paper method of getting them all in the right spot first (probably should have!), but it wasn’t bad. I did move some nails around here and there to get them spaced just like I wanted them.

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And I totally am in love with this wall.  Picture 013

Here’s the one painting that didn’t come from thrifting.  This is one of Grandma Eleanor’s originals, so I was happy it went so well with my grouping.

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I’m in love! 🙂

Picture 008

Another shot from the foyer

Picture 008

I took all those pics earlier and then found a few more things to add in, like the painting I found last weekend at the sale (it’s on the far left).

Picture 009

And this heavy iron piece with the round wood medallion above, I picked up years ago at a yardsale and I’ve always loved it.  It’s perfect to add to this wall.

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And the bunny heads came from House Parts in Atlanta.  I had them outside  and brought them in for some fun.

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So, that’s the wall for now.  I don’t have a lot more room to add things, but I’m sure I can squeeze a few more in there and now I’ve got some empty spaces around the house, so that means I can shop for extras, always a fun thing.

Picture 013

What got the creativity flowing in the living room is this.  I’ve decided to de-formalize this space and make it a little less dressy.  I did have a pretty needlepoint rug in here that I’ve had about 8 years now, but I’m going to put it up for sale.  And my tapestry is coming down. As much as I have loved it, I’m ready to move on from this more formal look, so it’s going up for sale too, as well as the faux piece above it.  I’ve had these over 10 years now.   So you can see, I did the Italian thing myself along the way. 🙂

Picture 035

I’m going with a jute rug (online it says sisal, but when I got it, the tag said jute)  that I got from Overstock.  Just changing out rugs already lightens the space a lot.   That chair there in the above  pic is one that I’ve shown you before.  I love this chair with it’s many fabrics and have no intention of getting rid of any of my furniture in here.  But, this rug will serve it’s purpose and de-formalize my space. Can you guess which color I’ll be bringing in here as an accent?  Yep, that beautiful blue/green.  Can you say yummy? Just by changing the rug, pillows and taking down the tapestry, the mood in here will be altered a lot. Picture 032

Anyone want to buy a beautiful tapestry or needlepoint rug??  You can go here to see them both.

It’s going to be fun to tweak this space to make it even more comfortable for our family and I think taking it down a notch will be just the ticket.  Of course, I’ll share all the process with you.

So, what do you think about a gallery salon wall?  Would you try this at home? It might be something that you either love or hate and for now I’m lovin’ it.

I had so much fun doing this one and can’t wait to add a few more things to it. In fact, I can cover the whole wall.

The winner of the Olive Rue giveaway is Melinda from Tales from My Empty Nest.  Congrats, Melinda!  I’ll have Crystal contact you for your prize info.


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Filed Under: Decorating Ideas, Projects and How-To 70 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CherShots says

    March 25, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    What a coinsidence ~ in one of my recent postings I showed smaller pictures “framed” with a larger frame. Feel free to stop over and check it out.

    Reply
  2. Johna says

    March 25, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Looks great! I would love to do that but wouldn’t know where to begin!

    Reply
  3. Denise says

    March 25, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    I love what you did with your wall, so many unique paintings. Just beautiful!

    Reply
  4. kathysue says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    Rhoda, I am loving how you are shaking things up a bit. It is so fun to give a room new life isn’t it. I really like the addition of the old open frame with the pict and mirror inside it. Grandma Elenors original art is so wonderful and the bunny heads are to die for. Fun looking at your collection. Happy Thursday my dear friend,Kathysue

    Reply
  5. Jen@balancing Beauty and Bedlam says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    LOVE LOVE LOVE it, Rhoda….I have been wanting to do one for months and have slowly been grabbing up frames/pics. :)Thanks for giving more inspiration.

    Reply
  6. Rosie says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    I love how your salon wall came out. It really warms up the room. Maybe put a long, dark sofa table there to balance the art?

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:42 pm

    I love your wall! It looks so interesting – good job. I am thinking about something like this on one of our office walls. My mother-in-law started painting in her 70’s and we have a lot of her masterpieces. Since she is now in her 90’s and her health is failing; I feel I should honor our memories and display her art. All of our living areas have more windows than walls, so those spaces are limited. Blessings!

    Reply
  8. Leanne says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:57 pm

    Love the wall. I am always afraid to cluster art together, but yours looks great. It may inspire me to try it out. Do you have any suggestions on how to tastefully cluster photographs? I always get so many ideas from you. If your ever in north AL, drop by. 🙂

    Reply
  9. ursula says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Must. have. bunny heads. Where in the world do I begin looking???? The whole wall looks fabulous! You have such talent, Rhoda!

    Reply
  10. Tardevil says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Funny you should post on this b/c I’m in the process of doing a picture wall above my steps. I’ve purchased everything & I’m trying to find the perfect SW taupe to have it painted. I’m having trouble deciding where to start. That faux topper might look good metamorphosed (word?)into black or oil rubbed bronze. I just bought some of those old busts (that use to come in trailers) that Gloria likes that someone had painted o.r.b. w/ a shot of black over it & they look great.

    Reply
  11. Tardevil says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    p.s. Thanks to you, I’m going to buy a old brass plate I’ve been waffling on. Your wood plate looks good up there.

    Reply
  12. Teresa @ Too Many Heartbeats says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:48 pm

    I {heart} your new ‘salon wall’. It is absolutely beautiful! I will definitely have to think about what I could use to try and do one myself. Is this wall color still the SW Whole Wheat? It looks amazing!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Teresa <

    Reply
  13. Rhoda says

    March 25, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    Ursala (and others), glad y’all like my bunny heads! I’m partial to them too. I got them at House Parts in ATL, one of my very fave places to shop. It’s not vintage stuff, but they have the coolest things EVER: http://houseparts.com/
    I used to go there on Sat. & shop the deeply discounted sale items & I’m sure that’s where I found those bunny heads. I think they are really finials, but I couldn’t resist them. You could call & see if they still make them.

    Teresa, yes, I’ve still got SW Whole Wheat on the walls. Don’t think I’ll be changing them anytime soon.

    Reply
  14. Cheri says

    March 25, 2010 at 4:44 pm

    Hi Rhoda,
    I really liked your idea for your wall but I think for myself I would like to have seen just a bit more room between the frames. It almost seems a bit bunched up. You have a wonderful space for it and I know you’ll enjoy it. It sounds like many others have done or are planning on doing the same thing! Congrats for continually coming up with good ideas to share with everyone!

    Reply
  15. Susan says

    March 25, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    Love the look of your salon wall, Rhoda! Great mix of diverse elements…beautiful!

    Reply
  16. Cindy S says

    March 25, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Rhoda, Your salon wall arrangement is PERFECTION!! I love it, as a matter of fact I have recently done something sort of like that. I stopped short of adding too many different styles and such because my hubby didn’t like it. So I took a few pieces down, I want him to be happy with it. I love the look. I first noticed it when looking through Nell Hill’s photos on FaceBook. She does it really well, too. It is a nice casual interesting look. You did a great job with it too. Love it! Hugs, Cindy S.

    Reply
  17. Janet says

    March 25, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    Rhoda, what are you asking for the architectural topper above the tapestry. I have always coveted it. I believe you said you bought it at House Parts?

    Love the salon wall! Great job!!

    Reply
  18. Kate at Centsational Girl says

    March 25, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    Oh, how I love an assymetrical wall gallery like this ! I like your term better – ‘salon’ wall. Fabulous !

    Reply
  19. grannyann says

    March 25, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    I have a hallway with a grouping I love it.

    Reply
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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