Welcome to an untamed and rebellious year ahead - where there is no beginning or end, no theme that must be matched, no rules we must adhere to, sometimes it goes well and other times not so. But it's fun all the same. As our Rebel hero Matthew McConaughey quotes in his reflective, Greenlights "“I believe everything we do in life is part of a plan. Sometimes the plan goes as intended, and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s part of the plan.”
Genius tips and tricks for displaying treasures.
With that in mind, here are some genius tips and tricks we have learnt along the way. We're not suggesting what colour you should match with what, what the latest trends are for 2023. Just helpful tricks when the mood takes you to freshen up your homes, reflect your confidence, grow with your family, adapt to your state of mind. Tips to encourage and embolden.
The simplest way to update any space, is a revamp of what's on the walls. Artwork, mirrors, photos, wall hangings and objects d'art, our walls are where we showcase our taste, our style, our loved ones and our memories.
No 1: The Picture Rail
Sometimes you just want to execute a rebellious action there and then, but more often than not we do not have the fundamental tools in place to enable rebel behaviour instantly.
So, this very simple trick is worth the effort to install and will empower you to mix and match, update, refresh, add kids artworks, new school photos, remove new school photos, certificates and just generally have a moving wall of your creativity.... install a picture rail.
It's not only for the decorative feature, a picture rail gives a wall a defining point and enables the relocation of art and wall hangings in both height and position. It could be argued as the most useful Victorian concept ever. Coloured panelling can create a powerful backdrop. For us rebels, the freedom to move things around is essential; the dream of a picture rail is that it removes all the dread of permanency drilling a hole in the wall entails.
Brass Rails
If a picture rail isn't an option then you may find beautiful brass rails with hooks just what you're looking for. Here we've used the rail to showcase our awesome collection of Suzani's in a uniform manner but this rail can quite easily hang artwork, mirrors and plants to create and interesting, complex and layered look against a painted wall, an exposed wall outside or involve even more feast for the eyes against powerful patterned wallpaper designs,
Ledge Shelves
Ledge shelfing is another very useful tool in the display box. Create for artwork, mirrors, treasures new and old, books, more plants. A no brainer for the kids bedrooms but let's not let them have all the fun displaying their collections. We have collections too and shouldn't shy away from putting them out on display to give you a wink and stir a memory from time to time, celebrating the layers of our lives, communicating our experiences and where we come from.
In Build Shelving Units
Inbuilt Shelving Units, don't they sound dire, IBSU..... but actually they are a gift from heaven - straight, functional, useful, problem solving, un-offensive, fall into the background and even keep your secrets hidden away and reveal to no-one.
We all need these stabilising qualities in our lives and there is no need for the IBSU to be nothing less than the star of the show, the head turner, does everything it says it should whislt looking superbly sexy.
Rather than decorating a whole room, once you start you have to finish, the IBSU is actually very manageable, and satisfying.
Not expensive, high on impact.
We have changed this room three times by simply playing around with the cupboard doors, firstly, so easy - just remove them! If you have a built in cupboard this works really well, remove the hinges and hey presto you have a set of shelves to create vignettes and shelfies to your hearts content.
Even better, use one of those many sample paint pots you already have (we know you do!) and paint the shelves a contrasting colour.
If you are feeling even braver than that/or don't want to reveal the mess stacked in the cupboards (we hear you) then you can completely revamp the cupboard and doors but cutting out the middle panel and using a staple gun to attach a vibrant patterned material. The fabric can be changed multiple times to suit new room schemes and creative bursts!!
The point being the size and shape of the art or object displayed can be changed as the mood takes you. Put the time in to get set up to reap the rewards. As our hero Matthew McConaughy says - Earn Your Saturday!
Enjoy a weekend reviewing, editing, bit of dusting and curate a display that reveals the essence of you, and your family of the love that deserves.
Next time: Adding pops of colour
