A hallmark of the English country house style are personal collections. They add a special charm to a home that tells the story of the people who live there, and they are also very interesting!
You’ve seen the blue and white crockery that adorns our kitchen. This collection was carefully planned and intentional. But today I’m sharing with you a collection that was created completely by chance…
As many of you may know, I have a weakness for lamps and art. Not bags or shoes, but lamps and art. Today I would like to share with you an occasional art collection. I have, uh… a decent art collection that is just waiting to find a home. Most of my art has been purchased at antique stores, with a few pieces purchased at antique shops, or online. Many of my artwork has changed over time as I have reframed, re-covered, and replaced the glass myself. Sometimes, I will take a special piece of art to an art store and have a piece cut out in a specific color.
Here is an English horse art piece purchased at a thrift store for about $5. The red was a bit strong, so I chose a frame from my stock that had green detailing and re-wrapped the artwork in a warm gray.
Over the years, I have refined my style of art and re-donated many pieces that I bought on a whim, were a great deal, or something I thought would fit well in our home. This process of filtering through what one loves, uses, and enjoys is natural and results in a collection that is very reflective of one’s personality. These are the most amazing collections!
One day, while sorting through the artwork (to narrow it down), a recurring theme emerged… There were a huge number of lithographs and prints of buildings. There were thatched cottages, abandoned castles, stately farmhouses, a charming Georgian country house, a barn, and Buckingham Palace! I began to sort all the building artwork into a collection.
After that, I went around the house looking for any artwork hanging on our walls and collected all the pieces that contained the structures. There were quite a few pieces and I was starting to get excited.
There were enough pieces to make a gallery wall! The next step was to choose a wall large enough for the collection, and then start arranging the pieces. I picked a blank wall (yes, we still have blank walls in our house) in the hallway and measured the width. I decided to go all out and hang the pieces from chair rail level to a few inches below the crown molding.
Matt took these wall measurements and taped a square to the rug so I could start playing with the layout. After a few tries, I settled on putting the larger piece in the middle and working it out symmetrically.
I enjoy this stage of the process and can spend some time creating different arrangements…
As we got closer together… I’m still amazed at how much this collection has grown before my eyes! One lesson learned from this project is that when you have a variety of rug colors and frame styles, you can minimize that disparity with symmetrical arrangement.
The wall is no longer blank! Here is the final arrangement and how it looks hanging on the wall. It is now full of interest and character and is one of the first things you see when you walk in the door. I am so happy with how this set turned out! Please excuse the weird angle. This is the best I could get using the wide angle feature on my phone and cramming myself into the coat closet!
I hope this post inspires you to look around your home and see if you have an “accidental” collection that you can put to good use! See you next time,
takes care,
Rachel
