Express Yourself! - Wall Decor - Lesson #2

No, I am not referring to the popular hit by Madonna! I'm talking about expressing yourself through your wall decor. It is said that your walls make up 60% of your room. That's a pretty hefty percentage. So what do your walls say about you? Your home is an expression of who you are, and your walls are your own personal art gallery. The walls in your home should reflect your interests, personality, and your memories. In other words your life! Fill a wall with faces you love, places you've traveled, or scenes that make you dream. Group framed artwork for a wall filled with color, or go black and white for a dramatic gallery effect! Remember, the choice is yours. My SIL, Linda, is a professional photographer. She also is a missionary. On her latest trip to Cambodia, she was able to capture some breathtaking pictures. I am always amazed by what Linda sees in her lens. So during the holiday, we decided to give her Florida condo a mini-makeover. We used her own photography as our inspiration for color and theme and enlarged prints to frame in 24"x36" black frames. The result was stunning. I will share pictures with you in an upcoming post. So whether you are going for a modern feel, traditional style or casual comfort, what you frame, and how you hang it, is completely up to you.

A few weeks ago I offered a FREE training class on how to hang wall decor. Below, I will share with you a handout on Asymmetrical Wall Design.

Asymmetrical balance is more challenging than symmetrical groupings. However, they are usually more interesting to experience and typically less formal in appearance. I use alot of asymmetrical groupings in my home. I like to call my style "Today's Living", traditional lines and colors with a casual, up to date approach. The examples above show that balance is achieved in an asymmetrical grouping but not by identical items. Wall groupings include framed art, mirrors, ledges, shelves and sconces.

The examples below are of Symmetrical Wall Designs.

Symmetry is the placement of even patterns. Usually the focal point is the center and other wall art such as mirrors, shelves, sconces, plates or smaller prints are placed evenly on both sides. While some smaller accessories that you use on your shelves or ledges may vary, all the major elements of the wall grouping should balance evenly. If you were to draw an imaginary line down the middle of your grouping, one side would be a mirror image of the other. In the examples I've shown above, you see perfect balance on either side.

Alot of ladies tell me they have a blank wall, they purchased some wall art, but ask, Now what?

Well contrary to popular belief, your task is more involved than pounding a whole in the wall and hanging your picture level. Pleasing wall arrangements follow the same interior design rules used for placing furniture in a room - Rhythm, Balance and Weight.

• Let's talk about RHYTHM. Do you want a serene room or a stimulating one? Well, rhythm, the movement from one object to the next, contributes to a room's tone. Creating a certain rhythm depends on the size, shape, and spacing of objects.
• BALANCE is next. This refers to the even distribution of visual weight within your display. Maintaining balance is important because an unbalanced arrangement may look top-heavy, bottom heavy, or as if a side is falling off. Symmetrical wall design is the most straightforward illustration of balance. But you can achieve balance with asymmetrical groupings as well using techniques that pay attention to rhythm, weight and scale.
• Lastly is WEIGHT. Sometimes an object's "visual weight" demands it be displayed alone. Anything that is large, dark, bright, boldly patterned, or oddly shaped will look heavier and bigger than an item small, pale, solid, and predictably shaped.

The absolute, fool-proof method used for years is to trace framed art and wall accessories on plain brown craft paper. Cut out the shapes and tape them to your wall. Once you have achieved a grouping that is pleasing to your eye, simply measure where the hangers are positioned, mark it on your craft paper, then hammer away - right through your paper! Remove the craft paper and hang your art.

We'll take about other aspects of arranging wall art in later posts. There are so many fun and creative things we can do to make our wall express ourselves!

Tomorrow is TABLESCAPE TUESDAY and I will be sharing a table I've called "SPICE TRADE". I hope you will come back and visit with me tomorrow. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa