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Young House Love » Our First House » DIYing Some Neutral Botanical Art

| By Sherry Petersik | February 24, 2009 | 35 Comments

DIYing Some Neutral Botanical Art

Thanks to the fact that our master bedroom has a huge floor length mirror (a surprise wedding gift from John so I could see myself before walking out the back door to get hitched)…

master-bedroom-linen-ottoman-discount-sale

… the second mirror to the right of the bedroom door seemed a bit superfluous.

bedroom-mirror-art-botanical

So we seized the opportunity to replace it with one of our homemade botanical prints in an inexpensive Ikea frame. I like it so much that I want another frame to hang right under it with a different botanical on display. But I’ll have to wait for our next Ikea trip…

chic-linen-tan-bedroom-botanical

We intentionally sized our homemade botanicals to fit into these great square Ikea frames for a luxe look on the cheap. A bit of nature does a bedroom good, and it’s especially convenient when you don’t even have to water it.

leaf-print-botanical-art-bedroom-romantic-tan-and-white-cutout

Maybe it’s the bulbs poking through our flowerbeds or the forsythia starting their annual show, but I also decided to swap out the art over my desk for something a little less glacial. We took the existing photo on our Alaskan honeymoon (snapped from the window of a tiny sea plane as we flew over a glacier covered in volcanic ash). Needless to say it’s one of our favorite images from the trip, but spring fever has me chasing something a bit more tropical…

desk west elm office young house love

So I pulled a two minute art swap using another botanical we made. And I’m loving the lighter leafy vibe…

palm-leaf-botanical-print-neutral-affordable-desk

botanical young house love print shop tropical chic

What about you guys? Does spring fever have you switching out accessories or art in your home? What sort of seasonal things do you do to usher in the warmer weather? Dish the spring-is-on-the-way dirt.

We added our den’s corner office area to the room-by-room source guide (found in a link on the top of our House Tour page) so you can now see where we snagged everything from those boxes and tins to our desk and our lamp.

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Comments

  1. heather s. says

    February 24, 2009 at 9:51 am

    I keep forgetting to say that my office chair looks a lot like your ottoman and I got it from TJMaxx as well for a steal. :) I was also happy to see a hamper in someone’s home other than my own. You rarely see those and I always wonder what people do with their laundry (though my house appears to have had a laundry chute before someone dry-walled over it.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 24, 2009 at 10:00 am

      Niiice. I saw the chair version of my ottoman at TJ Maxx and also adored it! So glad you took one home and worked it into your office!

      As for your possible laundry chute discovery, when I was a kid ALL I wanted in a house was a laundry chute. I thought they were so cool. Sadly mom’s new house ended up having a central vacuuming system instead (which my mom thought was amazing but I thought paled in comparison to my laundry chute aspirations).

      xo,
      Sherry

  2. Jennifer says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:03 am

    They look great. I think it would look better if you put 2 botanical prints where the little mirror used to be on the wall in your bedroom. Just move the one you already put there a bit higher and add another underneath!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 24, 2009 at 10:21 am

      Hey Jennifer,

      You’re a mind reader! That’s actually the long term plan, but I can’t stare at a blank wall in my office all day, so until our next trip to Ikea I’ll just have to live with one! So funny that we’re on the same page though. I promise to post updated pics when we get the other frame.

      xo,
      Sherry

  3. darlene says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:12 am

    I am adding pussy willow & forsynthia branches in vases to bring the look of spring indoors.

    Reply
  4. Lynn says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:23 am

    Okay, seriously your room-by-room source list is like decor heaven. I want to blog kiss you guys!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 24, 2009 at 10:31 am

      Hahah. Virtual smooches right back atcha Lynn.

      xo,
      s

  5. Aimee says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Glad to see I’m not the only one that the spring redecorating bug has bit! :) I’ve been spending the week rearranging accessories into more spring-like groupings, changing out pillows (I admit, I have a pillow problem), and buying some fresh spring flowers for the house (when they were 50% off after valentine’s day!). And now I’m making a trip over to your source page to see where those awesome tins are from…

    Reply
  6. Texas Daylily says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:53 am

    I love the botanical theme! My wife and I have something similar, we were inspired by a bedroom layout that we saw at a local Anthropologie store and we now have a wall full of various floral paintings, it’s pretty cool… We look forward to seeing more.

    Reply
  7. Kristina says

    February 24, 2009 at 10:57 am

    Love looove the huge mirror propped up against the wall. Is that from Ikea?

    I just got the green light to decorate our bedroom (it’s our first house, yucky builder white walls) and I am going to use your bedroom as inspiration. Wish a sister luck!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 24, 2009 at 11:09 am

      Hey Kristina,

      Our floor length mirror is actually the pricier version of the Ikea one from West Elm (what can I say, the future hubs went all out!) but we’ve seen the Ikea one and it’s extremely similar! Wishing you lots of luck on your bedroom makeover. Be sure to take lots of before and after pics for us and send ’em our way when you’re done!

      xo,
      Sherry

  8. Blayne says

    February 24, 2009 at 11:02 am

    I have been adding flowers and plants in my house. I put a silk orchid in the guest bathroom (it doesn’t have any windows!) a burro tail and (I think) a bamboo palm in the kitchen, and a vase full of dried grasses in the master bathroom. The problem is that the cats usually like to eat any plants or flowers that I bring into the house so its hard to keep them looking nice. I don’t think the poor bamboo palm has had a chance to grow at all.

    Reply
  9. elizabeth says

    February 24, 2009 at 11:02 am

    Your blog “lights me up”. Love your fresh ideas and cheerful posts.

    Reply
  10. Barbara says

    February 24, 2009 at 11:45 am

    What spring? Where? While the snow is gone in Connecticut, it is still quite cold and we’re still being grateful for not having to mow the lawn. Love your updates though and all the ideas that I can actually afford.

    Reply
  11. heather s. says

    February 24, 2009 at 11:49 am

    I forgot to answer — my house is predominately beige and red in the living room, dining room and kitchen and blues in the bedrooms, office and bathroom. I really want to paint the office a neutral color and decorate with green. Green is everywhere and I just saw some beautiful green vases and boxes at Target. Nothing says spring more to me than green and flowers. :)

    Reply
  12. Carmil says

    February 24, 2009 at 11:52 am

    Well– for 6 weeks I had the joy of narcissus bulbs growing and blooming, but sadly– they are finished now. (These were a January steal at Smith and Hawkins for $3/bag versus the original price of 23 or 28 bucks) Those pretty green stems carried me through most of Jan and Feb. Now I’m looking to this page for more inspiration! I have an allergy to plastic or silk floral anything, so I need new alternatives. A few pots of shamrocks may be in my future……

    Reply
  13. newlyb says

    February 24, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    Hey there, I was just wondering, what colour the walls are in your bedroom? It’s hard to tell as the lighting varies the colour in each photo. I’ve recently started blogging and one of the diy tasks at hand is re-painting our bedroom. Our duvet cover is a muted shade of blue with ivory stripes, so I’m currently at a loss. I like the overall colour scheme that you guys have in your master suite. Thanks!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 24, 2009 at 12:05 pm

      Hey Newlyb,

      Our bedroom is a soft blue-gray hue with sea-green undertones that literally changes with the light. It’s called Gentle Tide by Glidden and we loved it so much that it’s the only room we haven’t repainted after three years in our home (it’s so hard to get things right the first time!). We even used it in our kitchen renovation because we knew it was foolproof. Hope it helps! Happy painting…

      xo,
      Sherry

  14. Candied Fabrics says

    February 24, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    We have seasons even here in S. CA! The birds are chirping a lot more right now then they did a month ago, so I’ve got birds on the brain!

    I built some art houses in the last month: http://candiedfabrics.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/its-a-series/
    and now I’ve GOT to build some little birdhouses! Spring fever for sure!

    Reply
  15. jbhat says

    February 24, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    Tulips everywhere in the house. Love them.

    Reply
  16. Natalie says

    February 24, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    Goodness, your home is so lovely!

    This is our first spring as a married couple and I can’t wait to decorate our newlywed apartment for spring! :)

    Reply
  17. Jennifer says

    February 24, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    That is funny that we’re on the same page! I should have known you guys would have already thought of that. Love your house, blog and ideas! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  18. Gillian says

    February 25, 2009 at 1:31 am

    I am swapping out my entirely black dining room for something more light and airy. I’ll be sending photos soon :) Plus I set up the map you have in your office and I will send a photo soon.

    Thanks for the ideas!

    Reply
  19. Ali says

    February 25, 2009 at 10:47 am

    What kind of cute little plant is sitting on your desk? :)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 25, 2009 at 11:16 am

      Hey Ali,

      It’s a little english ivy plant (picked up at Home Depot- they’re supposed to be great indoor air purifiers) in a West Elm planter picked up a few months ago. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      Sherry

  20. Karla says

    August 2, 2009 at 3:46 pm

    I was wondering, the panelling/beadboard in your office area..did you repaint that yourself or was it that color existing when you moved in? I have a Den that still has the hideous 1970’s faux wood panelling and I’ve been desperately searching online to find a way to paint over it without the paper peeling off in the process. We cannot afford to take it down and drywall or install actually beadboard. If you have any advice whatsoever, I’d love to hear it! I would be looking to prime and then paint it a light cream color.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      August 2, 2009 at 4:18 pm

      Hey Karla,

      If you check out the House Tour tab under the header you’ll see that our den came with dark wood paneling that we painted to brighten up the entire space on a budget in an afternoon. It was as simple as one coat of oil-based primer followed by two coats of latex paint, but stay tuned for an in-depth tutorial that just happens to be on the agenda for the coming week. You’re a mind reader!

      xo,
      s

  21. Marianne Six says

    August 23, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    Hi guys !
    I did some seasonal change in my house as well. I just replaced some pictures of my parents’ seaside that I had in my entrance with a bird and a flower that I cut out of a shiny paper, to get a more “light and fresh” look whan I enter my home : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/tag/entr%C3%A9e. What do you think ?
    Marianne from France

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      August 23, 2009 at 1:13 pm

      Love it! Switching things up is always fun!

      xo,
      s

  22. Christy says

    January 3, 2010 at 10:59 am

    Curious where your cute little desk came from or if you made that? Love it! I’m new to your site, but I have already fallen in love. Assuming you attempt to decorate for as little as possible and do you create/build as much as you can in order to keep costs down and yet get a custom feel? Were you handy prior to moving into your home or have you learned thru your reno projects? Love your site!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      January 3, 2010 at 11:45 am

      Hey Christy,

      It’s a parson’s desk from West Elm (it was a wedding present) and we adore it. We actually made a room by room source list so you can find out where almost everything in our house is from by clicking the House Tour tab under the header and then clicking the link on the top of that page for the source list. Here’s the shortcut link for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/room-by-room-source-list/

      Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  23. Stephanie says

    February 8, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    I was just wondering how you made the botanical prints?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 8, 2011 at 2:06 pm

      I used photos of leaves and a photo of grasscloth (for the woven background) and just traced the outline of each leaf in photoshop and filled it with white paint. Then I placed it on the grasscloth background. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  24. Kelly says

    March 29, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Do you still sell your prints? I remember in the past you used to sell a set of four egg shell prints. =)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      March 29, 2011 at 5:30 pm

      Nope, sadly we retired our print shop a while back since we couldn’t keep up with it anymore. Maybe you can find something cool on etsy though?

      xo,
      s

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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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