I was contemplating the art in our dining room and living room the other day when I had an epiphany (dramatic, I know). You probably remember this wall of our dining room looking like it does below, but in reality that artwork didn’t last on those walls for long.
A few years ago, I ordered these four book-page prints from the Etsy seller carambatack to flank our china cabinet in the dining room. After much deliberation we settled on a dark green mat for all 4 prints and selected modern silver frames (40% off at Hobby Lobby).
The framing turned out beautifully and I LOVE the art itself, but the prints never looked quite right in this dark and moody space. You can catch a glimpse of them in these shots from our bar cart update a few months ago.
The color combination of green, silver, and brown walls never jived, but it really started to bug us once we brought in the brassy bar cart.
Piddling around the other day, I had my big epiphany: The color scheme of those 4 prints was much more in line with the colors in our living room than the ones in our dining room.
(Duh!)
So one afternoon, I cleared off the top of our much neglected filing cabinet and gave this corner of our living room a makeover.
(Viola!)
I replaced the too-tall teal lamp with a small white one (thrifted) and a shade I recovered with fabric from the drapes in our guest room. It was a happy coincidence that the frames and top of our printer match. Now the printer seems to be intentional and not out of place.
The colors and scale of the accessories in this corner weren’t great before, but now the art and this piece of wall both get the attention they deserve. Much better, no?
To put this corner in perspective, here you can see the view across the front of the house. The living room is about 4-5 feet deeper than the entryway of the house, so as you look down the hall you’re seeing the garage door, front door, and 2 front windows in the left side of this photo.
And here’s another look straight down the entry “hallway” where you can see the doorway to our kitchen and our refinished entryway credenza with DIY sunburst mirror above.
I’d love to find a subtle way to update this filing cabinet down the line (with paint or trim perhaps?) to make it look less clunky and more funky. Now that the arrangement above it is complete, it might be time to improve the cabinet and create something unique!
The best part about this art switch-eroo is that it’s created a snowball effect throughout the house. Finally realizing the color scheme that works in the living room (and what doesn’t work in the dining room) has led to lots of art moving over the past few days. When we finally get the rest of our walls organized I’ll be sure to share the transformations, so stick around! 🙂
Have you ever bought art specifically for one room and realized later that it was meant for another? Or do you prefer to buy pieces you love and then figure out where to put them?
