• About
    • About Blue i Style
    • Tour Our Home
    • Free Organizing eBook
    • Blogging Resources
  • Work With Me
    • Interior Decor & Organizing Services
    • Partnerships & Collaborations
    • Blogging Resources
  • Features & Press
  • Policies & Disclosures
  • Contact

Blue i Style

Creating an Organized & Pretty, Happy Home

  • Decor
    • Tour Our Home
    • Room Makeovers & Design Plans
    • Decorating Tips & Tutorials
    • Outdoor Decor
    • One Room Challenge
  • Organizing and Cleaning
    • Organizing Tips & Tutorials
    • Organizing By Room
    • Organizing on the Go
    • Cleaning
  • DIY
    • DIY Tips & Tutorials
    • Smart Home & Safety
    • Paint Tips & Projects
    • Crafts
    • Cricut Projects
  • Kids
    • Decor & DIY for Kids
    • Organizing Kids
    • Life With Kids
  • Five Minute Projects
  • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Seasonal & Holiday Decor
    • Entertaining
    • DIY Gifts & Gift Guides
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Uncategorized

{decorating with style} Painting Frames and Framing Paper

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you how we created extra bathroom storage by adding a decorative cabinet in the hallway just outside the bathroom by Beckett’s nursery.  Today I wanted to talk about the artwork above that hallway cabinet.

When we first bought that cute black and white striped cabinet, I struggled to decide what to hang above it.  With nothing but the beige hallway walls, the cabinet looked totally lost and out of place in the hall. 
I originally thought about hanging one large piece of art, but I decided that a collage of frames might have more impact and add more interest.  I hadn’t yet decided what I was going to frame, but while shopping at Michael’s one afternoon I came across some black frames with black mats that I really liked, and best of all they came in multiple sizes.
I really love the color black and tend to include it in just about every room I decorate, but even I knew that black mats and black frames above a black cabinet in a hall with a black rug might be just a bit much. 
While in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago, I fell in love with the lobby of the W Hotel – which featured a striking combination of traditional and sophisticated black and white patterns mixed with unexpected pops of bold color.  When I bought the black and white striped cabinet, it felt to me reminiscent of the furniture at the DC W Hotel, so I decided to continue down that road by painting the frames in bright colors.
I debated for a long time about what colors to paint the frames.  Since the second floor hall is visible from the entryway below, I wanted the colors to tie in with those on the main floor – so my initial inclination was to paint them all in various shades of bright blues and greens.  It was actually my husband who suggested I go more bold by painting one of the frames in a contrasting color, like red or orange.  I had been wanting to add a bright pop of color in the main floor living room, so this seemed like a great opportunity to pick a color and tie it in to both spaces.  I had hot pink in mind – but having always proclaimed that I didn’t like pink, I was feeling very indecisive.
I finally decided that I needed to visualize what the pop of pink would look like.  So I used Photoshop to create two simple mock-ups of the cabinet with different frame color combinations – one with shades of blue and green, and one with a pink frame.
As soon as I saw the mock-ups, I was sold on the pink!  I even picked up some pink pillows for the living room couch just a few days later. 
I realized, however, that it was only the top two frames that would be clearly visible from the entryway below, so in order to have the pink frame tie in with the pink living room pillows, the pink frame would have to be hung on the top row.  So one more mock-up and I settled on this arrangement:
Scott, always the good sport, even helped me paint the frames.  We just used basic acrylic paint from Michael’s and large, soft bristled art brushes to get a nice a smooth finish.
So now I had my pretty painted frames, but after so much debate about the colors,  I still hadn’t decided what to put in the frames.  Not wanting anything that would compete with the colors of the frames, and in keeping with the W Hotel inspiration, I decided to go with some simple graphic black and white patterns.  I initially looked for scrapbook paper to frame, but after not finding exactly what I had in mind, it was back to Photoshop. 

Since the pink color now tied in between the living room and the second floor hall, it occurred to me that I could make another connection by mimicking the graphic black and white pattern of the living room pillows. 

Because the paper would be behind a black mat, I decided that my a paper should be the reverse of the pillow with a white background rather than black.
I also used Photoshop to create a simple Nixon pattern for another frame.
Finally, I selected two clip art images of hounds tooth and a floral for the remaining two frames. 
I simply printed each pattern onto white card stock and put them in the frames.  Once the frames were hung, I was thrilled with how the vibrancy of the frame colors contrasted against the simple sophistication of the black and white patterned papers. 
I added two simple white vases on top of the cabinet with some bright pink gerber daisies.
Just like that the hallway went from dull and incomplete to bright and pulled together.  Still on the list of projects to make this hall have more of a W Hotel feel is changing out that light fixture… I have my eye on a fixture with a black drum shade with some small crystals in the center.
Has anyone else had fun painting picture frames in bright colors?  Anyone else love to use Photoshop to create simple art?
Linked up to the Be Bold Challenge at Designer Trapped In a Lawyer’s Body 
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

04.19.13

« {decorating with style} For the Love of Art
How to Organize a Nursery Closet »

Meet Angela

Angela, the founder of Blue i Style, strongly believes that decor should be functional, organizing can be beautiful, smart DIYs help stretch your budget, and an organized and stylish home can still be practical for life with kids.

Her work has been featured in print in Better Homes & Gardens and 5280 Home magazine, and online by HGTV, the Today Show, Good Housekeeping, and more. She was also named a 2018 Stylemaker by Better Homes & Gardens.

You can reach Angela at angela@blueistyle.com

COPYRIGHT & PHOTO SHARING POLICY

All text, images, and other content that are part of this blog are the property of Blue i Style, unless otherwise noted. All material is copyright protected.

If you wish to feature one of my projects, feel free to share a single photo (no collaged images, or images with text overlays) as long as the no pin code is used to prevent my image from being pinned from your site.

All features must include credit to Blue i Style with a link back to the original content (not just to the homepage). The project steps, supply list, and/or sources may not be disclosed.

Please read my full content and photo sharing policy to ensure you comply with all guidelines. Failure to do so constitutes copyright violation.

Create At Your Own Risk

Any and all content on this website is for personal use only and created exclusively for inspiration purposes.

Creating with my suggested methods, products used, and tools is at your own risk.

Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and you receive professional guidance when necessary.

Read my complete disclosure at: Policies & Disclosures.

Sponsorships & Affiliations

To help fund this blog, I accept some forms of advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate links.

If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. As always, all opinions are my own.

Blue i Style is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

I use an affiliate marketing service which may automatically put links into some posts, so please assume any/all links may be affiliate links.

Read my full Disclosure Statement.

Copyright © 2023 · Dazzling Theme theme by Restored 316

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest