How To: Gallery Wall

Since moving into our house less than a year and a half ago there have been many projects on my to do list that have yet to get done. One of those items was to hang a gallery wall of photographs in our master bedroom, and this past weekend I finally spent the time doing so. I didn't want this to be an expensive project, so I headed to Marshall's HomeGoods, and was able to find a lot of really great frames on the cheap. 

STEP 1: Buy frames in a variety of sizes, materials, and colors but make sure that they all blend together well. It's good to have two or three big frames to be able to build around. Also, don't buy too many small frames. As a point of reference, my smallest frame below (bottom left) fits a 5x7 photo, and I only used one of those. Buy more than you think you will need and take back what you don't end up using. I ended up taking back five frames.

STEP 2: Lay out the frames on the floor exactly how you want them to hang on the wall. Play around with it. I had many trial and errors before finally landing on the one below. 

*Disclaimer - please excuse the poor iPhone 4 photo quality. I desperately need a new phone! 

STEP 3: Use construction paper, or in my case the paper the frames were wrapped in at the store, and trace the size of each frame on the paper. Be as exact as possible. Then cut. Measure the center of the wall in which you are hanging the gallery wall as a point of reference. Start with your biggest frames first and start taping the paper to the wall. 

STEP 4: Once you are satisfied and have measured where the brackets are on the back of each frame, hammer nails directly into the paper. Hang the picture to make sure its covering the paper entirely. Remover paper.

And voila! You have a fabulous photo gallery. I chose to use mainly artistic photos that were taken either on our wedding day or at our engagement session to make it more visually appealing. I also chose to print them all in black and white (with an exception of my bridal portrait) to make it more uniform.  Project total cost? Less than $200. Not bad if you compare it to a 3x7 piece of art! 

A note about HomeGoods: I seriously love that place! There are some awesome finds in there. A lot of junk, yes, but you can really find some good frames, lamps, decorative accessories, pillows, rugs etc. Below are a couple close up shots of some of the frames. 

Give Your Bookshelves a Facelift

I recently took a designer bookshelf styling class and learned so much. I have always wanted to have beautiful bookshelves, but for some reason always felt really blah about my shelves. We have built in bookshelves in our living room, so after taking this class I was inspired to give my shelves a little facelift if you will. 

I often times ooh and ahh over bookshelves like below on pinterest. 

And this. It seems so simple, but it way harder than it looks.

Let me share a few key tips I learned from taking the styling class. 

1.  Use small prints and art pieces on your shelves. It helps in achieving the layered look that make shelves look so "designed". Use an easel to display them.
2.  Look for a variety of different objects to purchase.
3. Double the quantity of items you think you need because bookshelves take way more items than previously thought.
4. Use books!! Add a variety of book heights and sizes, but be sure not to use more than three book styles (antique books, coffee table books etc.)
5. Look for consistency in the color of your objects. It's best to stay in the three to four color range. 

Our teacher, Amitha, demonstrating a bookshelf design. So beautiful. 

Now, here is my blank slate. Right after we first moved in I painted the back of the shelves in Restoration Hardware's "slate" paint. It's a really beautiful gray. 

Here is my final product. It is a mix of accessories I already had and new ones I bought after the class. I love to use antique items whenever I can. 

 Some items to think about placing in your bookshelves are below.

• Books
• Baskets
• Coral and Shells
• Boxes
• Small Prints and Artwork
• Vases
• Crosses
• Picture Frames
• Jugs
• Crowns
• Statues
• Pedestals
• Urns
• Small Topiaries
• Flowers
• Trophies
• Platters
• Plates
• Pitchers
• Candles
• Bowls
• Architectural Accents
• Globes
• Clocks
• Small Mirrors

Happy Bookshelf Styling! 

Fantastic Builder Home Tour

About a month ago I toured one the most amazing homes I have ever seen.  This builder model home in  Piney Point is over 10,000 square feet and gorgeous. The finishes were mostly antique, and the number of antique doors that were repurposed made me drool. It was furnished by all my favorite stores around Houston, MAI, Village Antiques, Back Row Antiques, Three Doors, Boxwoods etc. This house can be yours for the price of 5.5 million dollars. 

I love the boxwood topiaries in those giant planters. So gorgeous!

A new trend I have been seeing around town are these gravel driveways and walkways. I wasn't sure how I felt about them at first, but they have been growing on me, and in fact, I am even learning to like them. 

The entry was was breath taking. I love a well done entry. It is the first thing people see when they come over, so I think it's well worth the money when decorating a house. 

Other side of the entry.

Off the entry to the left was an awesome study/office. Love these built ins. 

The builder used stone throughout the house. It's a little touch of Austin in a rather European house.

I just loved this room. This was also off the entry way and the room's sole purpose is for entertainment. 

The foyer off of the entry way. Whoops, finger over the lens. 

Right off of the pool room was this built in bar. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole house. I love the antique doors they used here and the reclaimed wood they used as shelves on the stone. The sink is also to die for. Love love love! 

One of the back patios. 

Side courtyard.

The dining room was so dramatic. You can only see part of the ceiling is this picture, but it was awesome. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of the kitchen. In the below photo I was standing in the kitchen and got one of the second island and cafe table. 

Kitchen table and sitting area off of the kitchen. 

Half bath off of the kitchen. I love the stone sink. 

Laundry room downstairs with a third oven.

These built ins lined the hallway to the laundry room. 

The main stairway. I love the old wine cellar feel. It's so romantic. 

Upstairs main hallway. Another favorite feature of mine was the beams they used throughout. I just love beams.

Show stopper view at the top of the stairs. 

 The master bedroom had two parts to it. The first was a sitting area on one side of the fireplace. 

The other the sleeping area on the other side of the fire place. How I would love to have a fireplace in my bedroom!  

Master bath. Yes, there was another sink. 

Her closet. 

His closet.

Guest Bedroom.

Nursery.

Guest bedroom. 

Upstairs living room with wet bar. 

And, another guest room. 

There were a couple other rooms I didn't get a picture of, but for the most part I've shown you the highlights. You can make such a difference in a home just by adding a little character. Character doesn't have to be found in every nook and cranny as in this house. But adding old doors here, and/or wood beams there makes a house go from good to great in my opinion.