We found these babies at a yard sale and haggled them down to $10 a pop. Let’s call them our twig & berries.
We immediately thought the extra tall shape of the frames would be perfect for either side of our bed above the glass based lamps on the makeshift just-for-now side tables (they’re way too small and don’t have any drawers for storage) on this very unfinished side of our master bedroom:
We definitely had plans to change out the art. They’re prints of the berries and wildflowers of Alaska (which is kind of fun and fitting since we honeymooned there) but they felt a bit too grandma for us.
But we loved the long rectangular shape of those $10 frames. So we hung them up, just to see what we were dealing with. Don’t mind all the blank space on either side of the walls, we still have furnishings to add to fill up this cavernous room. And once we change out the side tables we might rehang the art a bit further out from the bed or higher up depending on the new furnishings.
We definitely liked the shape of our new frames, but we weren’t crazy about how the warm wood tones sort of clashed with the darker tones in the thrift store wood candle holders on either side of Sir Ram above the bed…
… along with the leaning mirror, and the leather chair in the corner:
And yes, we’re aware that not all couples aspire to sleep under a giant resin ram head. We are indeed a rare and special breed. Akin to centaurs and unicorns. Speaking of that above-the-bed stuff, we originally mentioned that the maybe-too-small-art might go, but months later it’s still there and has strangely grown on us.
But back to the yard sale frames. I actually decided to do something completely insane for me when it came to them (but totally ain’t-no-thang for anyone else). I opted to spray the frames with oil-rubbed-bronze spray paint. I know you might think that given my recent ORB kick (here and here and here) this isn’t news. But, you my friend, would be wrong-O with a capital O. Why? Because virtually every frame that we own is white (both in this house and our first one) and we must own five million of them! Dark frames have never been our preference. White is my eternal jam..
Until now, apparently. Total curveball. At least to a white-frame loving fool like me.
I’ll spare you the spray painting play-by-play (you can find some general tips here) except to point out these two things:
- the glass was so tightly fitted that I worried I’d break it if I tried to remove it before spraying – so I just covered it with newspaper
- I laid each frame up on a big ol’ rock from the yard so the sides wouldn’t stick to the “drop cloths” and peel off the finish when I picked them up
While I was at it I carefully removed the mats and sprayed those white for a cleaner look.
Now brace yourself for the hottest picture you’ve ever seen on the internet:
My white mom legs + black dress socks = sexy beast. I can’t believe I’m sharing this, but the whole dark sock thing is actually a spray painting trick I implement nearly every time. Instead of worrying about getting rogue drips on my shoes or flip flops (or my feet, which I could then track into the house) I just don some dark socks, spray to my heart’s content, and slip them off at the backdoor so I don’t track anything in (and don’t have to worry about scrubbing my feet or ruining my favorite shoes/flip flops). As for the rest of my outfit, I’m nude. Just kidding. I wear painting clothes that I do not slip off at the door (big drips only seem to fall on my feet).
A few minutes after snapping that photo was when John and I both started giving each other crazy eyes. Which means we were both having strange and exciting ideas (ideas that are completely unrelated to bedding each other under the ram – get your mind out of the gutter).
John: “What if we put those old botanical-looking prints back into these now that the mat and frame is all updated and graphic?”
Sherry: “Just to be suuuuure we’re completely over them – I agree!”
So we hung them up and we really liked them. So we are in fact completely under them (you know, as opposed to over them as we originally anticipated). Sure, they’re still a little grandma, but they’re also something we could picture in Elle Decor or House Beautiful (with more than a $10 price tag on them). And most of all, they make us smile.
Here’s where I’ll stop to acknowledge that not only is hanging a big white ram head over your bed one of those personal preference things maybe-I’m-crazy things, art in general is definitely a place where all folks on the internet won’t come together and unanimously agree. But we’re loving our twig and berries – er flowers and berries. I mean it’s not like we’ll ever entertain in our bedroom – so we don’t have to worry about what other folks might think. Which I hope is nothing weird and kinky due to the ram. Yikes.
Speaking of weird, we got an embarrassingly huge kick out of hanging the berries on J’s side and the flowers on my side. You know, because ladies have flowers and guys have berries. Too far? My deepest apologies.
Then something crazy and completely unexpected happened (manage your expectations, our lives are not that interesting).
John decided to exercise his veto power on the leafy duvet cover that we ordered around seven months ago.
Didn’t see that coming did you? See, back when the duvet cover was one of the first things we bought for our house (deeply clearanced from West Elm) John agreed that we could get it (we have a full agreement agreement, meaning we’re not allowed to buy things without both being ok with it). But he only agreed with one stipulation: that it wouldn’t necessarily be a forever choice. He reasoned that it was affordable enough and I loved it enough not to keep me from ordering it (I was so worried it would sell out and I’d forever regret it slash hold it against John The Tyrant). But he asserted that if someday he should decide that he no longer liked it I would have to be open to looking for something else that we both could love – especially if the price was right and we could sell this baby on craigslist or something.
At the time I grinned and nodded, never thinking that day would actually come. But wouldn’t you know it, John loved those 10 dolla (holla!) yard sale art infinitely more than the compromise duvet. So he decided we should revisit the whole new-duvet-cover-idea and leave the art as-is (since it was kinda circus-y and compete-y to have them both going on at the same time). And you know what? In an even more shocking turn of events I agreed.
Maybe we’re just sentimental suckers and sleeping between prints of wildlife from the place we honeymooned is our idea of romance? Maybe we think rams and flowers and berries somehow belong together? I don’t know. Either way, the leafy pattern in the duvet cover was fighting with our new leafy art so I stripped things down to our white duvet insert from Ikea and we stepped back to survey the scene.
The weird white duvet insert was definitely more compatible with the art than the competing leafy duvet cover, but not quite perfect. Meaning a white duvet cover isn’t going to be what we go for. We’re hoping to find something with less of a bold pattern and more of a subtle texture (like a soft chevron or crosshatched design or something striped or something else entirely). The jury is still out on what will come home with us, but we’re planning a few HomeGoods and TJ Maxx runs just to see what’s out there. And maybe even an Ikea road trip.
The lesson? Grrrrr, don’t compromise. Just hold out to find something you both love. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20, right? And I like to think the Alaska prints “found us” because it was meant to be. And we certainly had our fair share of decorating mind-changing in the first house, so it’s only fitting that we work in a few control-alt-deletes in this house too (look honey, it’s a bad computer joke that I threw in just for you).
So yeah, we’re thinking about selling the old duvet cover on ebay or craigslist. There are some on there for over $100 and we only paid $42 for our king-sized guy thanks to sales and coupon codes. So who knows, maybe we can recoup the entire cost and list it for $45 in great-but-slightly-used condition. We shall see…
As for what the kids think, Clara toddled into the bedroom and gave the new art two thumbs up (not lying, but she does happen to do that gesture a lot). And Burger gave it one paw sideways. He’s such an art snob.
Do you guys have any duvet cover switches or “rewinds” going on? Has anyone else had their man exercise veto power in a surprising but serendipitous-in-the-end way? Does anyone else spray paint while wearing black dress socks or sleep under a white resin ram? Yeah… probably not.
jody says
in case you decide to you the making-your-own route:
http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/fabrics_display.php?fabric=midwest-modern&cid=32&flid=12
honeycomb!
YoungHouseLove says
Love Amy Butler!
xo,
s
CarliJean says
OH my gosh. When I thought that you were going to throw the prints out I almost started to cry. I LOVE MY ALASKA… I grew up there, and now I am in North Dakota. *pout* Silly husband getting a job here. :P
I really like the new calmer bedroom! PS. Rusty says hi to Burgs… BDFL! http://joeandcarli.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_8293-2.jpg
That link is him. :D
YoungHouseLove says
Love him! What a cutie. But where are your spray painting socks?
xo,
s
Bethany Peterson says
I’m glad you decided you liked those prints. I LOVE them!! So cute!
Amber says
I have to admit I actually prefer the white duvet as well..
The printed one was just too busy for an adult bedroom. I think if you found something simple and then played around with the art and pillows it would be fab..
Nice find!
Rachel says
My first thought when you planned on keeping the prints was how it would look with your horse prints. They don’t seem like the kind of artwork that goes together in one room.
YoungHouseLove says
They look pretty good to us! The dark frames tie into the moody black tones in both of the horse prints and also relate to the dark chair and the dark mirror. We wouldn’t want a room full of berry prints or ponies so it’s nice to have a mix so it’s not too matchy. With a ram head tossed in for variety. Haha. We’re crazy.
xo,
s
Reenie says
WOW! I love the white comforter on the bed. Like the art too ~ and we got a glimpse of Burger :)
Laurel says
By any chance are these prints done by Toby Tyler
YoungHouseLove says
They’re signed RW Tyler. I wonder if that’s the same person? Or they’re related?
xo,
s
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
We actually switched out our bedroom art and bedding recently. Nothing super dramatic, but we ditched some old lady feeling things for more modern paintings and a fluffy winter duvet for a think knit blanket. Now, we’re both happy.
Leanne (Bride to Mrs.) says
My fiance and I have the same rule for our house… we don’t buy anything (or if I buy it, but he doesn’t like it like I do, we return it) unless we absolutely both love it. Sometimes it can be incredibly frustrating but at the same time, we now live in a home with things that we both absolutely love. :)
Julia says
I’m totally digging the white duvet. Maybe hold off on getting a new duvet cover to see if you end up brining in more textures, pattern and colour on the rest of the furniture/art? You may want something that doesn’t pull focus. Also, I think the white looks very restful and inviting!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s always a possibility too, especially if we don’t find something we love!
xo,
s
Kristen says
what if you used the duvet cover as fabric… and made some European Shams? or a really long bed roll. You know something you’d see out of a fancy magazine. That way you still get the pop of that fabric that you originally pulled all your colors from. OR… wait – just thought of this. You FRAMED the old duvet fabric? Ooo… maybe…
YoungHouseLove says
Always another possibility! Should be fun to see where we end up!
xo,
s
Brittany Long says
Yes, definitely pop into TJ Maxx whenever you are near there!! I was on the look-out for queen duvet covers a month or two ago, and I kept checking their clearance rack periodically (okay, obsessively).
I ended up finding this one for $22: http://www.amazon.com/Ralph-Lauren-Crochet-Queen-Duvet/dp/B004RUHPUC
Later, I found one almost identical to this one in a khaki color for $29: http://www.westelm.com/products/organic-cotton-pin-tuck-duvet-cover-and-shams-b340/?pkey=cduvet-covers
Double Holla-Holla! I still get excited thinking about it! Good luck!
Jillian says
My in-laws have those exact same prints in their house. They are totally grandma in their house, but I LOVE them in the dark frames in your bedroom. Maybe I’ll have to let them know the prints’ potential!
The Vintique Object says
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, yes. Painting those frames black lent some beautiful balance and nice contrast to the entire bed area. And going white on the duvet made things perfect.
Camille
Katie says
I love the twig + berries prints! (Never thought I’d type those words…) When you first wrote of replacing them I thought, nooo! But by the end I was like, yeeeah! What a ride, haha. I think they look fab.
Elizabeth says
I inherited a great piece of framed crazy quilt that my great great grandmother (I think) had sewn waaaaaaay back in the day, but the matte color bugged me because it just looked dingy. So I undid the professional frame job and spray painted that sucker white! It looks so much better and now that quilt looks all funky cool and artsy and not all dingy old and country. Thank goodness it was already in a black frame so it matched my general frame scheme…and I lean it where it is slightly obscured so as to not overwhelm my room with it’s antique quaintness!
Sheralyn says
LOVE LOVE LOVE the prints! And that they have meaning too…(Alaska)
SO glad you kept them and the new frame colour is awesome!
You have totally inspired me to spray paint! What an easy way to turn something you like into something you LOVE! (Thanks for the sock tip)
Great job!
Laura says
Have you seen this pin? http://pinterest.com/pin/77063579/
If you ever decide to change up the prints – making the color a little more bold could be an option.
It’s a really neat concept I think. Oh pinterest.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes- it’s so amazing! Oh Pinterest.
xo,
s
kickymarcia says
Have you thought of folding the duvet at the end of the bed? I think it would look cool with the white and add just a touch of color.
YoungHouseLove says
I played around with that but it still felt a little too scrambled. We’ll have to see how things come together…
xo,
s
elizabeth carney says
Okay I read every. single. day. I never post, ever. But today I have to break that because even though I am not sleeping next to either of you with that adorable ram and those very classy looking new frames/art {and no it’s not a joke, I really like them!} I really dig the white duvet cover. That photo that you took with the white cover {whole bed ensemble} made me want to go re-do our bedroom too!!! I love it and am sorry you aren’t going to be comfy with the whole white duvet thingy cause it works!
e.
Jen says
The room looks great! I would advise you not to sell the duvet cover, but rather to repurpose it into something else around the house. Pillow covers? Napkins? Shower curtain? It fits your color scheme and there’s now way you would be able to buy that much fabric for $45! My vote is to save it for the perfect project! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely brainstorming other possibilities! So if we come up dry we’ll sell but if we find a way to repurpose it we’ll be all over that too!
xo,
s
Danette from Oz says
OMG, way to go JOHN! High 5 for the duvet switcheroo! I haven’t liked the cover since you got it….sorry, but I never said a word because you guys are AWESOME and I knew you would turn it all around and I would love that cover OR you would sneak up on me and get a new one altogether, I did NOT see that coming! LOL! I am loving the white cover, perhaps a gorgeous patterned throw at the end? I don’t know what it is, but I love the frames, the lamps, the rams head now looks right at home and the white duvet cover and green cushions….I LOVE IT!!! Well done guys!
Michelle says
Spray painting an old mat = genius! Why didn’t I think of that?? BTW-I also paint in tall socks!
Nicole says
The prints are fantastic!! I too was sad at the beginning of the post when you said that you were not keeping them. I was yelling Noooooo in my head. I have my Grandmothers antique bird prints above my bed. The old with the new is a great mix!! I definitely can see were you are going with the room. Looking good!!
Sarah J. says
i’m kind of glad you ditched the duvet cover in preferance of the art. it think it feels very fun & vintage & has more personality. overall i love your color scheme for the bedroom and since that was all inspired by the duvet cover, i guess it wasn’t a bad purchase. :)
Eva Reynolds says
OMG! I just about spit my drink out when I read the berries/flowers comment. Hilarious!
PS. I like the white better.
Lesley says
A terrific example of how new ( or redone/repainted ) frames & matting can make a huge difference in our perception of a piece of artwork. The prints turned out really nicely and I’m with John on the duvet, so glad you changed it out. I think the strength of your design intuition is in using bold, graphic pattern sparingly and the duvet just screamed a bit too loudly in that room. :-)
By the way, I write an art blog and used to be an art consultant. Would love to maybe do some Artsy Alternatives for one of your spaces in need of artwork! It might be interesting for your readers to see a variety of looks & pricepoints available. Just a thought! Hit me up with an email if you’re interested. Totally serious. ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- I’m in love with the art you shared in the most recent post! Wow. We’ll definitely be dropping in more to see what you’re loving/sharing!
xo,
s
Lesley says
Glad you liked the site! Your blog was definitely one of my inspirations when I thought about doing the whole bloggin’ thing. Been reading YHL since back when it was TYH!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s sweet. Happy blogging to ya!
xo,
s
Carrie says
dark frames/white matts made a HUGE difference with the art which has totally grown on me. i put a vote in for a white duvet. it looks so crisp! and my opinion matters a lot in what you do in your bedroom :)
heather s. says
So glad you decided to keep the prints. As soon as I saw them I fell in love with them since 1) they look vintage 2) they are botanical prints and you can’t go wrong with flowers and berries. :) Initially I wasn’t fond of the small items above the bed but I think they work better with the artwork on the sides.
So you picked the curtains based on the duvet cover – are you going to swap those out now?
YoungHouseLove says
I think for now we’ll keep the curtains since they look nice with the white duvet insert since the throw pillows and art still relate to them. I slaved on those for a while so I don’t think I’m ready to scrap them anytime soon (although I would be open to stenciling or dying them perhaps) but who really knows where we’ll end up. We’re all over the place- haha!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Whoa! All the sex jokes: so funny!
Those prints and the sizes of those prints are the prettiest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. When at first you said you probably weren’t going to keep them, I immediately interpreted that to mean I could have them… But I’m not mad, because they look AMAZING in your bedroom, especially without the duvet, which I thought I liked but love even more without. I think the paint color looks better with the prints and without the duvet. Nice work!
Your family room was my first favorite room in your house, then the dining room swept in with the mocha slipcovers and took over, but now I think master bedroom is clearly in the lead. I love your house and your blog, so thanks!
Vanessa says
What a great find! I love the art and how you spray painted the frames. Also loving the ctrl-alt-delete of your duvet cover. I thought it was pretty but I really like the new direction the room is going with the new botanical prints. When you get such great deals on things its not a major loss when you change your mind and get rid of it. Two years ago I HAD to have this headboard off Craigslist. It was only $60 so just last month when I decided to get rid of for a new bed I didn’t feel bad about it. I actually posted it on Craigslist for $70 so I made a $10 profit! You can see the new bed I bought (also from Craigslist) on my blog. I am needed ideas about what color to paint the frame but finding lots of inspiration from pinterest.
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh love that new bed and the inspiration pic with the charming blue paint!
xo,
s
Kristi J says
I sure do… We painted…bought curtains…and then tried to find a duvet cover that worked. I don’t think we did things in the right order. I went ouyt and bought a plain beige/tan duvet to go with the Blue walls, Brown/blue paisley curtains and white trim. I think a white duvet would have worked better but not with the dog. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah- white with a dog can be hard- although I think every dog is different (Burger, for example, is cleaner than my hubby- but my big dog growing up would have ruined anything white!).
xo,
s
Paige says
I just bought that resin ram head for a friend of mine as a wedding gift! I had missed her wedding so I asked her if there was anything she lacked from her registry. She gave me a small list, and the ram was on it. “BINGO!” I though to myself. She’ll remember my gift forever!
As for the prints, I did something similar a few years ago. I bought a couple of prints that came from an old biology book… 5 bucks a pop. I put them in some floating glass picture frames I had bought at a close-out store and voila! Two pieces of lovely art for $10 each!
YoungHouseLove says
You are a hero among friends. She will never forget you were the ram head giver. At least I never would!
xo,
s
Gwenalyn says
Flowers and berries! Too Funny! And totally appropriate.
Kate says
I bought a new duvet cover three months ago. My husband still hasn’t noticed. No worries about vetoing in this house.
Jessica fielhauer says
I’m oddly sad about the duvet cover being nixed. I mean it definitely goes better without it – and im personally digging the lightness of just the white duvet. It seemed like it was a key piece in bringing that room together, what with it being the initial inspiration for color choice of the walls, the drapes and even art. Everything was planned around the duvet cover. Or compared to it. I guess I’m just surprised John only felt mediocre about it all that time.
/unrequested 2 cents :P
YoungHouseLove says
We figure if the bedspread was the starting point for everything from the wall color to the curtains and it led us to things that we adore like our ram and our horse art and our twig/berries – even if it doesn’t stay around we like to think it served its purpose and taught us something (too much bold pattern on the bed in there isn’t the way to go)!
xo,
s
Luann says
personally i fancy the vintagey chenille bedspreads. many different varieties. don’t get stuck thinking it’s all ‘grandma’. you make it what you want right?! found a beauty at goodwill. the husbend nixed it. i mourn.
Rachel says
“You know, because ladies have flowers and guys have berries.”….hilarious!!!
Carla says
White helps tie your house together. It keeps things fresh and vibrant and connected. The prints in their quirky, quaint charming way actually work great and help ground your home. Too much Ikea and shiny new can overwhelm and rob your home of warmth. So I love vintage and the unexpected.
The bed still really feels odd and out of place in terms of design, but the prints look cute there. The white duvet, however, is too much white, but I’m not a fan of the other one, so it’s a starting point. Do you know what toile is? Just throwing that out there. Anyway, I’m enjoying your home redesign process. Just watch out for how matchy-match-match things are becoming. The same things on opposite sides of the bed or doorframe. But soooo cute with those prints!!!
As always thanks for the inspiration.
YoungHouseLove says
John’s not so much into toile, but we definitely like the idea of something finely detailed and more “texture-rich” than high-contrast and pattern-y! Should be fun to see where we end up!
xo,
s
Christina@Lessons of a Newlywed says
Your twig & berry/ Flower & berry references had me literally lol-ing. Glad I waited till I was home to read!
Kate S. says
I was secretly holding my breath through that whole post, thinking you were going to trash those botanicals and dreading the moment. So glad you didn’t.
Losing the duvet and adding those prints has really improved your room! I love the changes. Love them.
allie says
No joke, my mom had the exact same prints hanging in our bathroom growing up. Love it.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing. You’re the third person to have the same ones!
xo,
s
Mary @ stylefyles says
those alaska prints are awesome – I never would have thought! But the revamped frame and mat totally make them cheeky and fun, rather than grandma-esque. very clever, you two!
Veronika says
I love the art! You guys have an amazing treasure hunting eye! (or eyes since it’s both of you) The other thing that made me happy today is that the slip cover is gone! (or gonzo as you say it) I mean it’s not a bad slip cover, but it never screamed YHL to me, you know like the newly found art does. I’m glad that you’re changing it and am really excited to see what’s coming!
Constance says
I totally agree with John (with means both of you now) and thought this when you added the horse pictures (sorry, sure that’s not what you prefer to call them). Team new duvet. Great new prints!
Veronika says
……I dunna why I kept saying/writing slip cover…haha, you know what I meant though, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yup!
xo,
s
Ruth says
currently on the fence about a duvet cover I bought last winter that I really love by itself. my current bedroom basically just has the bed and a dark wood dresser in it, so not much to match. but I’m moving next month, and will have more stuff in the bedroom. so now I’m concerned that coordinating anything to the busy duvet is going to take it to crazy-town.
oh! but you guys are familiar with it, it’s the same fabric as the pillow covers in your guest room. from pottery barn. I think it has a silly name like “woodland.” so that’s my exciting duvet dilemma.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man I love those pillows so I think I’d be in love with the duvet! But I can see how it could be a little busy. Maybe add white toss pillows and a white throw folded at the bottom of the bed?
xo,
s
E.Lefebvre says
I LOVE the prints. They’re great and actually remind me of the Klimt garden prints you mentioned a week ago. And about the duvet? I’ve changed mine a few times in the past few years. To me, duvets and shams are like the pillows of the living room… things that are meant to be changed. Sometimes I even come back to a sham or a duvet that I previously decided to change. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing? I don’t know… but I think you should hang on to me and who knows… in some future guest room, master bedroom, Clara room, it may be perfect!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s true- we might find another way to reuse it for sure!
xo,
s
jenn says
i was just watching nate burkus and he used the pictures in the den of your old house as an excellent way to show personal photos in similar frames. i believe it was your honeymoon pictures? i got really excited as if it was my own den. haha.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so crazy! Thanks for the heads up (and the excitement- haha). I wish we could have seen it! Still don’t get his show here in Richmond. Boo!
xo,
s
Valerie Gerard says
Looks great. I vote textured white duvet to tie in the pendant light. I’m glad you got rid of the patterned duvet though. It definitely looked too busy with the fun Ikea light!