Decorating

the power of a collection

November 21, 2012

We shared the beginnings of this project with you a few months ago when we had first started scheming and creating a floor plan for it. Yesterday we installed one of the final pieces of the “puzzle”: this console and wall of art. We found these beautiful vintage glicee bird prints while we were at Brimfield this past September and had them reframed in some great faux bamboo frames. The Chinese Chippendale chairs on either side of the console were actually found on Ebay by our client! We covered them in a graphic Alan Campbell fabric to freshen them up and make them feel more modern. We love how these birds really fill this wall space and suggest this type of arrangement for any space that has a large wall that is also a major passageway. The trick to making a collection of art like this look right is hanging them fairly close together. We hung these 1.5 inches apart. A little behind the scenes :)  Our client ordered some beautiful ceramic lamps that hadn’t arrived in time for the installation, so we brought in a pair of our own to stand in for the time being. 

A close up of one of the Ebay-found Chinese Chippendale chairs. 

  • Lauren (the cottage mix)

    Love them..looks great! I have a thing (maybe obsession?!?) with bird prints. Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Sherry Hart

    I have always loved birds…whether in wallpaper…fabric or prints! They look awesome.

  • Keeping it Cozy

    This wall looks amazing… the bird prints hunt together are just beautiful. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  • TheLittleBlackDoor

    Those birds are a classic and will always look fabulous. Beautiful space!

  • Liz

    Love so much of it but if I may … I think the side chairs don’t have the weight they need to balance the rest of the space and counter the empty space under the console. I think you need something more substantial, maybe even upholstered. Those are classic chairs and as your book suggests, great pieces have the ability to work in so many rooms. I suggest moving those chairs elsewhere in the house, even if they have to be separated, and finding something knock-out for this space. But you noted the client found these chairs … maybe that’s the point?!

  • Tori

    I love the prints and the Chinese Chippendale chairs. However, I think if the chairs were painted black, like the prints’ frames, they would carry more weight in the space, even though they aren’t heavy or upholstered chairs. The thickness and height of the console table cause it to overpower the chairs a bit. It seems if you sat in one of the chairs, at the table, it would come up to your chest. The space under the table could use something too… perhaps a fairly low, rectangle basket with soft throws or extra pillows in it, to warm up that “nook” of space. But overall, love it.

  • Liz

    Oh you know that’s a great point about the space under the console. Putting a couple stools under it (isn’t that even in the good bones book!!) would look awesome and may even make the Chippendale chairs looks better there.

  • Hillary Butler {Fine Art}

    I’m seeing more and more of the bird/ crane like prints- am I noticing a fun new trend?? Love the arrangement of 6- hot hot hot!!