Not so long ago, I spoke with you about “art walls.” We started with WHAT to Hang, then moved on to how to FRAME it, and then how to HANG it.
Seems I got one of my clients all riled up.
There’s a gigantic blank wall in her cheerful gray dining room…
…(remember this room? It’s painted Benjamin Moore’s AC-28 Smoke Embers, with a Thomas Paul Roman Shade)…
…well, that big blank wall was starting to get on her nerves.
So she went on kind of an art bender. She gathered up every framed picture in her entire house AS WELL AS stacks of pretty cards a dear friend sent her over the years.
And then she called me to come make sense of it.
It was a little overwhelming at first. But pretty quickly we decided to group the larger, already framed pictures in other parts of the house, and feature these postcards – which were not only pretty, but meaningful to my client – in the dining room.
The postcards weren’t all the same shape or exactly the same size, but we determined that most of them would fit into an 8 x 8″ frame.
So we chose 16 cards with the idea that we would hang them in a grid: 4 up, 4 across.
Choosing was no small task. But we based the decisions on how well the cards worked together as well as how much we liked each one individually.
Then we ordered 16 square frames from a random online source. (Worked out fine.)
THEN – and this was the most expensive part of the project – we had an off-white mat cut for each postcard. I think it cost about $11 per mat. It was CRITICAL, though: the mats and the frames are the unifying element. Et voila:
There’s 1-1/4″ between each frame, in case you’re wondering.
We hung these while the client was at work, and later that evening I got a voicemail that said, “ANNIE! I just got home and I LOVE LOVE LOOOVVVEE lovelovelovelovelovelove the art wall!”
So I think she likes it 
Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s also the creator of the “bossy basic,” a one-time service that jump-starts the interior design process in your home.
Charming, charming and charming.
Another way to do the hanging of a collage like that is to lay it on the ground on kraft paper- level and measuring tape still needed – marking where the pictures corners are and the mounting brackets and then tacking the paper onto the wall and nailing right through the paper where the hangers are. You then pull off the paper and your nails are (theoretically) in the right place.
Great blog. I’ll be back!
I LOVE how this looks and am totally inspired for my own home. Have a gigantic wall in our bedroom, tons of little prints and cards and such that we love but have never framed. This is a great cohesive look that could work for us. Thanks!
I’m so glad, Allie!
Love the idea of the cards being meaningful to your client. I love to hang dining room art that inspires conversation and lingering after a meal…
I also like how the new art does the “heavy lifting”…combing the wall color with the rug color with the window treatment. The room needed it.
One critique, if I may be so bold (because I DO really like the new art wall)…maybe there are too many small frames? I might like to see a grid of 4 or 6 identically framed pieces, adding some seriousness to her space. I know the cards are small in scale…maybe put 3 cards into each frame, and get custom matts to accommodate them. I guess I worry about Fussy…and bigger art looks more expensive?? Sorry to quibble…I think the new addition of colors does look good!
I do hear you, fc, and framing fewer bigger absolutely was an option. But this works for us here b/c she had a lot she wanted to display, and it actually looks great opposite a multi-paned window. I do hear you, though, and I love the input! Always!
Thanks so much for the kind words, all! So happy you like it!
Annie, that dining room looks fabulous! LOVE the art grouping and how that by using things that were already important to your client, you made that room sing!
Looks great! Reminds me that if I actually get my act together, I can make really good use of all those odd bits and pieces of pretty things that I have stored away.
That looks beautiful! Really beautiful. I’m jealous!
Wondering if you used any special tool or tricks to get your grid so perfect.
Right now I like using the Hang & Level tool.
Yep. My special tool is called Gilbert & Steve
In all honesty, for clients I hire a fantastic service called Hang 4 U (they just use levels and math). It seems like a luxury until you do the calculations: it simply takes them much less time than it takes me, and I get to stand back & direct. Plus they have all the hooks and stuff. PLUS they put double hooks on the back of every picture, so once they’re up, those suckers do NOT MOVE.
For myself, of course, I just do it myself or boss my brother around if he’s here. I use a level and med. weight hammer. I’m going to check out the Hang & Level thing, though.
Thanks so much for leavign a comment, Mary!
I am just about to embark on having custom mats cut for 20 pictures. Good to know around how expensive it will be even if it is depressing.
and I forgot – I love how her wall turned out!
Thanks so much for the comment, Nichole! Tragically, mats are not inexpensive. But on the flip side, they will make anything look like a million bucks. It’s worth the investment if you can swing it. Pictures, please!