From the moment we painted that brick wall in our sunroom, we were itching to get some art hung. And we finally found time to get ‘er done after returning from a six-flights-in-four-days blitz on Friday. It’s weird how much more “lived in” a room feels when you slam some art on the walls. Seriously, I know the feeling of dragging your feet on the hanging of the art, but after nearly seven years of house-fixing-up, it never ceases to amaze us how that little step makes such a difference.
In continuing with the general theme of this sunroom design, we’re trying to spend as little money as possible and just use things we’ve already have around – at least for the meantime while we save our pennies towards things we might want to invest in down the line. We’re currently saving towards tackling Clara’s furniture-less big girl room and a guest bathroom that we haven’t touched as well as a front porch and carport makeover). So not purging money in the sunroom makes sense to us – especially since we have piles of to-be-hung art cluttering up the to-be-cleared spare room.
So that’s exactly how this little eclectic asymmetrical arrangement came to be. We decided it would look a lot better on the wall than in a pile on the playroom floor. Oh and the wood side table on the right looks a little heavy right now (even with the wooden art on the left side of that wall that we added to help balance things out) but we have plans to make it work a lot better down the line, so stay tuned…
We basically brought in a bunch of frames / art-sized objects and played with them until we found a grouping that felt somewhat balanced – both with one another and with the other furniture in the room, while also subtly mimicking the slope of the ceiling. Plus, we were lucky enough to find art that tied into the colors in the pillows as well as some darker pieces to bring some visual weight into the room. The goal was a bit of an eclectic look – nothing too matchy-matchy and perfect.
And if you’re curious about how we hung everything, we put together this animated GIF to show the order in which things got added to the wall. After each one we just stepped back, held the next one up, shimmied it around until we liked the placement, and moved on to hanging that one:
There wasn’t any methodical measuring since we wanted a casual and eclectic outcome, so the good news is that you don’t always need to break out any crazy math to get a collection of frames on the wall (although that’s usually necessary if you’re going for a completely balanced grid, like the one over our sofa).
If anyone’s curious about how I created the graphic above, check out this Photoshop tutorial. And if you’re wondering how we dealt with the crazy light and shadows that we get in that room, here’s our professional technique. Yep, that’s a giant poster of our local magazine cover that I’m using (given to us after a Richmond tour event). Work with whatcha got, am I right?
The items on the right are both maps – a North America map from a calendar we’ve had for a while (with the intention of using it for art) and the other is an old map of Richmond that has lived everywhere from our first home’s guest room to this home’s kitchen. Personally I think it’s a little “Hey, look! This is the side with the maps!” to have both of them there. But of what we had around, they were our best options for now – especially since the colors in the top one work so well in the room. We’re definitely open to letting everything on this eclectic frame wall evolve though – so it hopefully won’t be a maps-only zone forever. And we’ll keep you guys posted whenever we swap things out.
The left side is an odd mix of things I never thought we’d hang together. But somehow it kinda works for both of us. Call it stepping out of our white framed comfort zone, if you will. The big brown item on the far side is doily stretcher that we got at a thrift store this summer for $4. It caught our eyes back then because it was big, geometric and (okay) cheap. So I’m glad we finally found a spot for it. Especially since it begins to sort of subconsciously balance the wooden end table on the other side of the wall.
Next to it are two pieces of painterly art (one’s a watercolor print and one’s actual paint on a wood canvas). The bottom one is a print that someone brought us at one of our book tour stops. She hadn’t done it herself but she said it reminded her of us (it’s by Sally at sadlyharmless.com). We love it. Especially Clara, who is very much intrigued by the beard, the sharks, and the boat (in that order – yes the girl loves beards). The top item in the arrangement is an amazing painting of Burger that a reader’s husband painted (we met her on the book tour too, so Sherry got to gush about how talented her husband Joe is). Does that not look exactly like Burger? He’s got the same soulful give-me-your-cheeseburger eyes.
We hung all of these at night, so it was too dark to get pics of the process. Here’s our single attempt below…
… but for those who are curious about how to hang art on a brick wall, this is the method that works for us:
- use a masonry bit (you can buy them separately for your drill) to make a plastic-anchor-sized hole into the brick (or into the mortar when you can, since that’s easier)
- hammer a plastic anchor into the hole
- screw a screw into the anchor, so it’s held strongly in place (leave about half an inch of the screw sticking out of the anchor so the picture hook or the picture wire on the back of the frame can be hung on that)
I find this method gives me a strong enough hold to hang pretty much any picture frames – I’ve even used this approach to hang some pretty heavy mirrors. And as for undoing any unwanted holes down the line (sounds pretty hardcore slash irreversible to drill into brick, right?) we’ve had some pretty great success with patching holes in painted brick or mortar – so it really isn’t irreversible at all! Just yank out the anchor with the back of a hammer, shove some paintable caulk into the hole, and paint it for a fix that’s not obvious at all thanks to the craggy and uneven nature of painted brick.
What was far less involved than hanging frames on the brick? This. It’s two prints that I coveted for a while and have finally found a place to hang (don’t mind the table and chairs under them – they’re just things we’ve had forever so they’re sitting there until we figure out something more substantial and balanced for that spot). We think a piece of furniture with storage in it will be more functional since we can sit on the daybed and the egg chair, so more seating seems like overkill). You know we’ll keep you posted…
As for the bike prints, they’re only held up with masking tape at the moment (just so we could figure out the placement) but I think I’m going to build some simple wood frames for them soon. That is, unless you guys like the raw tape look. Kidding.
We wouldn’t be surprised if some of this stuff moves around a little bit still – or gets changed out entirely (I’m talking to you, map wall) – but for now it’s a BIG step in making this room feel more lived in while buying nothing but paint so far (all of the furniture is just stuff we already have, which might not be there forever, but definitely works for the meantime). Here’s the new “with-art” view of the sunroom from the living room:
It’s really nice to sit on the sofa and actually see what resembles a room through that big slider (art on the wall = a huge step towards turning an old storage zone into a real-ish looking room). Can’t believe we just started working on the sunroom after over two years here! What are you guys working on? What rooms do you get to first? Is it the living room, the dining room, the bedrooms, and the kitchen like we tackled in the first two years? Which ones end up in the end of the pack? I guess we use those other spaces the most – so our guest bathroom, playroom-turned-storage-room, and our porch & carport are hanging out towards the back of the list going into year three…
Psst- We finally (FINALLY!) wrote about Sherry’s mom’s pre-Christmas visit over on Young House Life. Here ya go.
Lea says
I actually really like the natural brown end table as-is.
Rachel says
LOVE the Burger picture. I have been searching for a good pet artist for a while to get a picture of our gorgeous Bulldog who died last fall.
On a complete aside, I accidentally clicked on your wedding section and got drawn in. At the exact time you guys were tying the knot, my husband, our 4 kids and I were nervously stood in JFK, waiting to be allowed to enter the country for our new life in the US! Monumental day for us all!! :D
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! What an exciting day. Glad to hear it was a happy one for all!
-John
Aly says
I’m in love with those bike prints. Even just taped up. A thin frame would look great probably, but chunky frames always look great too. :-)
You probably already know this but changing the “life” on your header to “our family blog” makes the header look funny on an iPhone. Still totally readable, but I know you type As might go nutso over that. I know I would if it was mine, even though it totally doesn’t bother me when it’s someone else’s. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Aly! I’ll have to check it on my iPhone! Sometimes it reads differently on every smart phone, which is crazy frustrating! Here’s hoping we get there someday… hah!
xo
s
Megan @ Two Live Colorfully says
The art mix is really charming! And the sun room is coming along so nicely!! I especially love the bike prints!
jami says
So I was just laughing because my latest trick is to actually hang things up with masking tape, and then use more masking tape to make a cool frame. Granted, I’m using colored or patterned masking tape (japanese washi tape).
But – it’s the perfect way to “frame” kid’s art. You’ve probably seen some photos around the web. So cute – I have a big red frame with boxes on the corners on top of my son’s bed like a headboard with a huge self-portrait that he did (he’s four) and then a couple more around he and his brother’s shared room. Then I just sectioned off two more “frames” in our eat-in kitchen to swap out seasonal kid artwork on the walls. The boys LOVE it. Get some cool tape and try it for your bike prints! Even just for a few weeks until you finish up the frames!
The sunroom looks awesome, by the way. Nice view from your living room, which must make you so happy!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s adorable!
xo
s
Jennifer says
The room is coming along so nicely and I love the usage of maps for art work. Silly question but if you drill holes to hang art on brick walls and later you go to move things around aren’t you stuck with a bunch of holes in your brick? is there a way to fill them?
Jennifer says
Never mind just see where you mentioned how to patch the brick holes! Sorry, I’m out of it tonight!!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries! Glad to help!
xo
s
Becky says
Love the maps! The make such good art. (Drawer liner too!)
Susan says
Hi! Sunroom is looking great! I notice a grey and white printed floor pouf in one photo. Can you share where you got it? Love it!
LARY @ Inspiration Nook says
You guys are awesome. The art looks all great. The fact that you hung some gifts from readers makes it even more awesome :)
Ms. Creative n Comfort says
I don’t know what purpose a map of North America will serve, but the whole set-up looks darn neat. Kudos!
Anna, Sydney says
Hang on! Did you masonry drill at night? What about Bean? Is she so hardened she sleeps through anything? (We have a phrase here when we think someone is soft and needs to harden up that goes “Have a cup of cement!” Maybe she’s had a teaspoon, the little one?!)
Also, in the last photo it looks like one of the dollhouse room’s is lit up (middle leftest)! Any plans on adding lights?
YoungHouseLove says
It wasn’t night yet, just after the sun set on an already dreary day. But she is pretty good at sleeping through stuff and since this room is way on the other side of the house (and sectioned off by those sliding doors) we could probably have a marching band in there and it wouldn’t wake her up!
No plans yet for lights – looks like the sun just hit that metallic paper in the right way!
-John
Stacey says
I love the framed maps and the painting of Burger. And the wall color.
Do you know if it’s possible to spray paint jute? I might be crazy enough to try it on something small first. Might be a cute way to liven it up.. like with a fat bright stripe down the center.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve spray painted natural fiber doormats before and it’s worked out pretty well (although they do wear down a bit over time), so it’s definitely an idea we could use here.
-John
Jennifer says
When we moved into our house, we started painting and decorating the areas everyone can see – the main areas of the house. Now, eight and a half years (and many projects) later, we have a bedroom that has never been painted, with the original curtain rod that came with the house and a cheap pair of curtains! My mom always said that a couple’s bedroom should be their retreat. We are now trying to figure out what we’re going to do to take our bedroom from that “college” feel to finished retreat.
If I had it to do all over again, I would have started with our bedroom!
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
bike prints = awesome!!
Jane Stona says
Pilot me! I use post-its everywhere!
danielle says
unrelated to this – but do you have plans to do clara’s big girl room this year? early/late this year?? selfishly i’m wondering b/c i have that same print that you bought for her room from ikea to put in my daughters room and want to see how you do the room b4 i decorate the walls of my daughters. although she’s getting anxious for me to finish her room so i will prob do sooner than later – but i just know that i will see what you do down the road and think ahh darn i wish i did it like that :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that room’s next. As in, we’ll probably be starting on it within a week or two. I can’t waaaaaaaiiiiiit!
xo
s
danielle says
oh cool so i just have to put my 5 year old off a little longer before her room is finally done :) that should be easy ;)
Christina @ Floridays Mom says
I love the idea of working what you got. Its amazing sometimes how much more creative you can be and you end up having some one-of-a kinds rather the same print from a big retailer you see in every other persons house. The room is coming along great!
Susan Aiiison-Diaz says
Okay 2 things…
Pilot me..I need the pens and my coworkers always need one and I never get the ones I loan out back its like they get gobbled up by the pen fairy or something..and I use pens, Siri, eyeliner, lip liner whatever is handy to write down ideas when inspiration hits.
2nd love the Burger photo looks exactly like my Ollie! One good thing about my husband being taller when painting he usually doesn’t need a ladder to reach the top of the wall (I’ve changed paint colors a lot in the past 3 years)
Emily says
I actually like the bike prints hung up with masking tape. It adds to their hipster nature.
Louise says
Guys – Love your stuff and approach. We have a brick wall in our old house as well and instead of drilling into the brick I’ve hung art (framed stuff) with the 3M sticky velcro removable stuff…sorry that’s not the technical name! Works great and I’ve done that all around the house. Never leaves marks and can be trimmed for narrow frames and still holds firm. Gives you tons of flexibility.
cheers & keep up the great work, Louise
YoungHouseLove says
So cool that works on brick! Who knew?
xo
s
Kelli H. says
Shut up! A doily stretcher! I found one at my local goodwill a couple months ago, and all my friends think I’m nutso for wanting to hang it on my wall! So glad to see I’m not alone, I think they’re fun and not to mention those gorgeous lines!
Carolyn Ellsworth says
Love the art. We’ve only been in our place 6 months and every once in a few months I hang a couple of pictures and I think, man, why didn’t I do this before. It always helps a room. I’m reading this with my 2 year old and she loves the picture of Clara in the tutu on the right. She has just decided tutus are fantastic so she was so excited to see someone else wear one :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha so cute!
xo,
s
sarah k says
This all looks great. I always wish I could remember how much better everything looks with art on the walls–and therefore have more motivation to just hang it up already!
By the way, I really, really love the dark wood end table next to the daybed: there’s so much white (which I love) that the dark wood feels like an anchor to me. It feels restful. I really think if you balance it just a little more (maybe even a couple of darker throw pillows?? just a thought…) that that darker note could weight the room nicely. Just my two cents’ worth…but I know you guys will make it look great whatever you choose!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’re planning to bring in some darker hits of color on the other side to balance out that table. Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
What a different the art makes! The painting of Burger is adorable and so like him. Love the photo of the painting going up. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at first… I was reading the text above and the paintings started moving Harry Potter style!
Melinda says
Am I crazy, or does the yard outside the patio doors (behind John) look oddly fall-ish? Was this a project you completed awhile ago, and just had stored up to share later? Not that it really matters, I’ve just got serious cabin fever trapped here in the Rocky Mountains where the snow and cold just have no end right now. I would love to look outside and see such a warm scene!
YoungHouseLove says
Just did this project! So funny that you think it looks fallish. That’s totally what winter looks like in Richmond. Well, those dead leaves are actually a vine that we killed around the base of a tree by cutting it in this post (it has died but none of the leaves have dropped, so we’ll have to saw all the branches off manually someday). Haha!
xo
s
nat says
Hey guys. I generally love your choices; some more than the others. I don’t know why but i strongly dislike the pillows overload and grey color choice. Strongly enough to actually write something about it. Lol. To me pillows colors clash with each other and with the wall.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, no worries Nat! We know hundreds if not thousands of people out there would do everything differently if they lived here! Haha. In person we love them, but what do we know?
xo
s
katie says
how funny! Sally from sadlyharmless & I hail from the same town! :) Which BTW you guys should totally visit sometime.. definitely a great culture I think you would like! :) And home to the great INDIANA HOOSIERS BASKETBALL! :)
We have seasonal art shows and her prints are always there. I have always LOVED them.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sounds like fun!
xo
s
nat says
Actually I would move into your house just for the kitchen and the guest room alone. And I paint a bold peacock color every day veraciously through you. Pussy cat that I am.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Nat!
xo
s
sarah says
it looks great!
Sar=)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/owleyevintage
sarah says
i love this! i’m currently trying to spruce up the bare walls in our bedroom and this is the perfect inspiration!
Rachel says
If you painted the side table white, it might balance things out and it would be inexpensive!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’re just not sure we want to paint original mid-century side tables (we have two) since we think we could craigslist them for a pretty penny unpainted (or enjoy them ourselves that way). Feels more “criminal” than painting an Ikea item. Haha! So I’d love to add a bit more of that wood tone around the room (it’s already in the art and in those bike frames, so we’re not too far off).
xo
s
diane says
looks great and love the Burger art…have one of my own. Would still love to see you install some molding where the brick meets the stucco..it just looks undone and the molding would match the window and door frame etc. I’m just sayn’
YoungHouseLove says
For now we don’t want to draw attention to the weird seam with molding (it won’t connect to anything on either end) but you never know where we’ll end up!
xo,
s