The dining room is slowly coming together. Remember when I mentioned I was going to give it a facelift way back here...that was November. I have really been needing to attack the decor, and am just now getting to it (this is what inviting 35 people to your house does - you suddenly finish those projects that have been on your "to do" list forever).
When it comes to the main wall in my dining room (the first wall staring you in the face when you walk through the door), I was being very indecisive on how to decorate it. First, I hung an old window and shutter, then patched all the nail holes and leaned an old door with a wreath and a shutter against the wall (see below), and now I'm finally getting to what I've been wanting to do.
Below is what the room looked like with the mantle in place:
I liked the set-up of the door and shutter, but honestly, it was too much work to move the (insanely heavy) oak door and shutter to vacuum behind it several times a week since the dog hair and dust seemed to love it behind there. Also, I really wanted something to draw the eye upwards in the room rather than stopping 3 feet short of the ceiling.
My idea is to have a gallery wall with prints I could swap out throughout the year. You know, maybe some ferns for the winter, vintage egg prints for the spring and flowers for the summer (I haven't figured out fall yet). It sounds really costly to me! Six prints x 4 seasons = a whole lotta dough for one little wall. Unless I can find a creative way to make it...free.
I love this room below (from Pinterest). I really like the white frames against the white wall, it really makes the colorful prints take center stage here.
And I really wouldn't mind living in this dining room. While I like the colorful prints above, I really really really like the muted green tones in the black frames below.
See how the frames grab your attention? This is what I needed.
So, I know what I want. It's finding it that's the hard part. In my quest to find botanical prints I came across these from Ballard Designs. And found that, like many other sources, they charge more than $200 each. Okay finding it in my price range is the hard part!
So, I know what I want. It's finding it that's the hard part. In my quest to find botanical prints I came across these from Ballard Designs. And found that, like many other sources, they charge more than $200 each. Okay finding it in my price range is the hard part!
While on a search for FREE prints, I came across the mecca of free vintage printables. You can find a ton here, www.vintageprintable.com. Warning: it's easy to get lost in that website for hours. I wouldn't click that link if you're at work (unless, of course, you're looking to be unproductive). I might also suggest a google search for "free _______ printable" you'll find a whole slew of options to choose from. Not into spending the time trying to find prints that match? Etsy is a great source for printables, but you'll pay a price for the convenience (they range from $5-$20 per print and vary in quality).
Using the sources I listed above, I came across these 6 prints. For free.
Well, the prints were free. The entire project cost $72 total. Here's the breakdown:
- 6 frames from Michael's (with an 8 x 10 matted opening) - $67 (they would've normally been $149 - but were 40% and I had a 25% off wall frame purchase, bringing all six frames to a total of $67)
- Command Strips from Michael's (for hanging the pictures) - $5 (after using a 40% off coupon)
- Prints $0 (I printed them on my home printer, but if you took them to a Kinko's it should only cost about $1 or so per print)
I went with black frames, but they could end up white one day (if I'm bored and I have a can of white spray paint laying around, who knows what I will do).
What do you think? Do you like the accent wall? It does bring some color (albeit subtle) into the dining area that I really wanted for summer and it definitely draws attention upwards.
Don't want to put 6 new holes if your walls? Me neither. I used 2 Medium Command Strips for each frame to hang on the wall. There are two command strips that "snap" and lock together. One goes on the wall, and the other on the back of the frame. The strips unlock just by pulling so you can take the frames off the wall and then reattach by snapping them back into place. Then when you want to change up the decor or remove the frames the Command Strips pull off clean, not harming the frame or the wall. Genius!
The print quality turned out great. You really can't tell I just printed them on an inkjet printer. But, if I could only change one thing, I would make them larger. Oh yeah, I said it. The size was restricted because I can only print 8 1/2" x 11 on my inkjet.
Let's see, I've updated you on the mason jar chandelier, mantle, tortoise shell art, the reupholstered chair, gel-stained mirror, and the gallery wall. I still have to shorten those white drapes, maybe swap out those blinds for bamboo ones and finally build that farmhouse table (a little intimidating). Then MAYBE we can call this room done. For now.
Here's what the room looked like last year...
And here it is today (I purged a bunch of things in this room. The dog was not one of them):
The wall color is the same....look how much brighter the room is!
Are you wondering about the boxwood topiaries on the mantle? I found them at HomeGoods! Now, let's hope I don't kill them.
If you're visiting from the link up party - WELCOME! If you didn't come over from the link party then you should really check it out. I'm linking this post up with the Pinterest Challenge hosted by:
What Pinterest projects are on your "to do" list?
Mary
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