Thursday, August 20, 2009

Art Hunt

We've lived in our condo officially as a couple for over one year now.

When we moved in we had NOTHING in terms of furniture. I think I had a mattress and the Mr. had a desk chair. We've spent the last year buying furniture, art, frames, and other decor items.

I'm happy to report that in terms of major furniture/decor items we're only missing a few things. The most glaring missing item is a great piece of art over the couch.

Exhibit A:


This area is just SCREAMING for some art. So a few months ago the Mr. and I officially started our "Art Hunt."

(BTW, as soon we get the art, I'm changing out our couch pillows which I hate!)

Our wall is too big, and our ceilings are too high for a cluster of art like this:

(from The Nest)

I've thought about doing 3 panels of art like this:


(from The Nest)

But I really think our space needs one big bold piece.

I've thought about a print of old Long Beach.


But ideally I want something a bit more artistic, more modern and abstract, yet relates to the beach/water. (Note: I may want something that does not exist, ha!)

I've looked online and in some local galleries and nothing really fit. I feel kind of stuck.

Where have you bought art for your home? Have you ever commissioned a piece?

Since we're talking about home decor... a couple of months ago I "met" Mrs. Limestone when our custom blog URLs went down. But since then I have fallen in love with her blog. Her Brooklyn Limestone home is SO amazing. I just look at it and drool. It makes me want to run out tomorrow and buy an old home to fix up and modernize . She has such a great sense of style, is an amazing photographer, and definitely seems to know her way around tools. Basically, I want to be her.

And for fun... a new blogger, Brittany is doing a fun giveaway over on her blog. Go over there to check out!

20 comments:

Heather (Live.Love.Laugh.) said...

LOVE the long beach print.

That's where I was born and raised :-)

Anonymous said...

Z gallery has lots of great abstract art options. I especially love this piece- I think its a great combo of water & beach through art. You have to see it in person though, it has amazing texture...

http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-3258-41-jade-luster-1.aspx

Heather said...

Have you checked out My White Walls? http://www.mywhitewalls.com

They have really bold panel wall art.

Ellen Mint said...

I must admit I did love the fact that I got into painting a few months before moving into our house so I could create paintings to go over our fireplace and on the walls.

I don't want to seem spammy but if there's anything you'd be interested in I could create something watery and abstract for you (I love abstract with trees a lot).

the BLAH BLAH BLAHger said...

I have vaulted ceilings, too, and did a cluster of photographers, mirrors, and art. Because the wall is so large, I was able to incorporate large pieces in the cluster. I found large art pieces at INSANE prices at the OC Marketplace (i.e. the Swap Meet). You've GOT to check it out!!!

PS - love me some Mrs. Limestone, too.

Mrs. Limestone said...

Thanks so much - you are being too nice!

I don't think high ceilings should stop you from hanging art. The scale of the art should refer to the furniture and the viewer, not the ceiling.

If you wanted to accentuate the ceiling height - you could do a cluster that is organically shaped and moves up high. It would be harder to arrange but might be worth it if you have a lot of photos you want to display.

Rachel said...

I really like the long beach print! We have a big mirror over our sofa. I'd like to buy more art, but I've found that I'm very picky. I want the art to be meaningful to us, but I also don't want to spend a fortune! It's been tough finding something that's just right.

LWLH said...

We have large vaulted ceilings at our house and we ended up putting a large canvas painting of the beach. I love it, but know have to figure out what to put on the other walls.

Meant to be a mom said...

All of those pictures were so pretty. Any of those groupings would like nice I think. Otherwise what I always do is go to Michaels or hobby lobby and buy a huge canvas and paint and paintbrushes and go to town. Abstract homemade art seems to catch the eye. Everyone would love it and you don't necessarily have to be artistic. Its fun too.

Good luck finding something :)

mk said...

In my apartment I have a print of Diego Rivera (love him) and an aerial photo of NYC (where I am living.) I also have a larger print of Rivera's Flower Seller at my parents' house that I will some day move when I settle down further. Since I'm from San Diego I also would like to find some great beach shots but am picky and want them really to be SD not LA or another area.

I also love the idea of vintage posters and such and hope to incorporate those into a future home. Try allposters.com or art.com for prints if you want to go that route.

Pollyanna said...

Think outside the box.

Turn an interesting/intricate door on it's side and hang it up. I did it with an antique door in my dining room - I added sconces next to it. It's definitely different and fills a 14' wall quite nicely (I've got 9' ceilings).

If that doesn't work for you, I think something along the lines of option 2 with the multiple pieces of large art to fill the wall.

You can try your hand with two or three large pieces of stretched canvas (any craft store has them), some acrylic paint, and a few 2" paint brushes. Just keep swishing long strokes of coordinating colors back & forth across the canvas so they start to blend and graduate dark to light up the canvas. You will have completely original pieces.

A decorator once told me that unless you have a lot of money to burn, it probably isn't in your best interest to commission a piece of art. They are generally very expensive and when you redecorate, they are harder coordinate with the new room. Also because of their size, they're difficult to relocate.

Clusters of small stuff on a large wall looks cluttered and don't make a bold statement. You seem like the type of person who needs to make a statement.

Good luck! Post pictures of whatever you decide on!

~Mrs. Guru~ said...

we still have several walls that are empty!

Brittany said...

Hello darling! Thanks for the mention :)

I was going to let you know I found some great art at a local "starving artists" sale where local artists sell their one of a kind work for cheap! You may see if there's something like that in your area :)

Shoshanah said...

Pretty much all the furniture in our apartment were things in my that bf's parents had in storage. And we have no art or really anything on our walls. Although I do love the old picture of Long Beach, and would totally hang that if I had a copy

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

I love art.com because they have canvas pieces as well.

Erika said...

We are HUGE fans of Michael Goddard. He has great, beautiful, bold & colorful pieces of art. Good luck with your search!

Carey Bear said...

let's talk. i think we can MAKE an art piece for that wall that's perfect! i'm serious! :)

Meagan said...

You should do a big canvas wedding portrait!!!! I like winkflash!

Kassie said...

I love the beach print, but something personal like the print would be fantastic too!!

Julia said...

3x4 would be a perfect size for over that sofa. Look for a starving artist sale!

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