I've been gathering up design inspiration for my house non-stop lately, and I've been focusing a lot on the possibilities of painting and wall art to transform a room. I'm working on the perfect way to to re-vamp my living and dining room without spending a ton of money, and these ideas have stayed with me since I first saw them…
Bloesem Living via Apartment Therapy
A large, painted cross stitch feature is the perfect craft inspired focal point
Apartment Therapy Photographed by Christina Bernails
A reclaimed wood wall can bring your neighborhood indoors
Style Files via Apartment Therapy
A teal wall in Morocco (already won over!) with vintage typography details
Better Homes & Gardens via Apartment Therapy
Painted ceiling medallions are inexpensive & intricate…
…or for a more DIY Victorian look you can use plates
Detailed frames make small spaces seem larger (perfect for my under 800 sq. ft. home!)
My favourites are the cross stitched look (wow!) and the teal wall with carefully chosen typography. I think the typography option has given me a new thrifting mission… or at least one for Etsy! I've never seen great signs or 3D letters out in the wild while thrifting, have you?
Maybe they can be the white whale of my thrifting life… but that makes me Ahab & seems entirely too foreboding, especially for a vegetarian! Not to mention that I'm just not one for that kind of angst. Maybe I'll just be a lady with a keen eye on a mission for type, after all :)
LAST UPDATED ON: March 28th, 2012
CATEGORY: All Business & Blogging Posts
i love the cross stitch flower! so clever! i have decorated one of our walls with toilet paper rolls. see it over here http://bisozozo.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-first-artwork.html.
Yep, I just found your blog and I can already tell that I love your style. And NO, I never find awesome letters while out thrifting! They’re definitely on my shortlist, though.
Oh, I LOVE that cross stitch paint job. That has me very inspired!
Wow, what beautiful ideas! :)
I love the painted ceiling medallions. And the cross stitched painting. You’ll be taking pictures when you do these transformations, right?
Oh my goodness, yes!
I spend most of my time at a computer designing blogs, so when I do anything cool that involves my hands I am sure to document it. Hence the simple + cute nail art posts of late- they’re just so computer work friendly ;)
I haven’t found any letters or signs while out thrifting. You are not alone!
Also, OMG TEAL WALL!!! I have wanted a teal wall since I was 10 years old. I love how they’ve decorate the whole room. Thank you for sharing this!
Oooh, check out architectural salvage yards if you have one nearby. They often have old store signage or big letters. My mom found me a big metal “C” covered chipped white paint at a salvage yard, and I love it to pieces.
Caiti, that sounds amazing! Do you have any photos of it on your blog? I would love to see it.
I also really appreciate the tip on location- I’m going to hit the good old fashioned yellow pages. :)
The yellow pages, how vintage! :)
I don’t have any photos of it, for shame! It’s in my office/studio, which is the most unfinished room in my condo, so I avoid taking photos in there. When I get back home (I’m temporarily living in Ireland), I have plans to redecorate, and photos will definitely happen once it’s not a disaster zone :)
YOU’RE IN IRELAND?! I’m so sorry- where have I been?? I just dove into your most recent posts and your photos from Dublin are amazing- have so much fun, and if you remember to please sent me a note when you’ve photographed that gorgeous “C” :)
My husband and I found some really cool old train signs from the Deutsches Bahn museum in Nuremburg…. they have become a really cool addition to our wall. :)
Oh, I love that first pic! What a great idea! You could do anything like that, really… I’m bookmarking this idea for when we get our first house… that would be a great design idea for an art/sewing room! Painted cross stitch wall art – I like it mucho. :-)
I love all this stuff! I’ve always wanted a ton of framed mirrors somewhere like that.
The wooden one and the blue moroccan one are so unique!
I literally can’t even handle how much I love the plates. I think the mirrors look great, but I have no desire to see that many reflections of myself while I’m grabbing something out of my dresser first thing in the morning.
I have never seen any letters or anything like that while out thrifting! I’m sure they can be found somewhere, though! I am totally inspired by the cross stitch inspired wall.
These are all so fantastic! I now need to add more photos to my wall!
http://madnessanmusings.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-has-sprung.html
I get all my vintage sign letters from one guy that is always at the Nashville Flea market. He always has really cool stuff.
I do not live near any good thrifting, therefore I find nothing. Very sad. I like the wood wall.
Go to the salvage yards – salvage supermarket is where I used to find them here.
Definitely just got lost in their website & I can’t wait to visit! Thank you so much, Jill :)
I just discovered an awesome vintage store near me in Georgia! I picked up a couple of the 3D metal letters they had (an X and an O!) as well as a few other fun pieces. If you can’t find them at thrift stores, try Etsy – I’ve found plenty on there!