A cheap, easy, creative way to put personality into your decor
There are plenty of design updates that can be expensive and take a lot of time to implement – painting rooms, buying furniture, renovating spaces – that also take a lot of resources to change if you don't like the result or your style evolves. This is why I also like to play around with ideas that are low cost and low risk. I bring a lot of ideas to this column that revolve around repurposing second hand pieces, making your own design elements or using what you already own: they're ways to test out new ideas and scratch your creative itch. But they're also easy to discard if you don't like the result or just want to try something new.
Lately, I've been wanting to make my own art again. Photography, painting, drawing and collage are all mediums I used to dabble in, but haven't done in a while. While I get to express a lot of creativity through my interior design work, the physical act of making things with my hands, still calls to me. Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, but merely remain open to the idea of creative endeavors, you never know when inspiration will hit you. Case and point:
Recently, we bought one of those giant bags of grapefruit from Costco. One sunny Saturday morning, we were all enjoying the cold, fresh grapefruit for breakfast. The beautiful coral, pink and orange colors of the fruit struck me, as well as how pretty they looked on their plates at the table. An idea for a special art project was born. Each one of us took a photo of a grapefruit, in whatever setting we wanted. I just had these printed as 5 x 5 square prints, and am embellishing plain white frames to create a vibrant, joyful focal point in the kitchen.
Making your own art is cheap, easy and fun. The beauty lies in the spark of ideas, the process and the trial and error, until hopefully, you land on something that feels just right and reflects your personality. The possibilities are quite literally endless, but here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Remove the frames. Take the frames off of painted canvases and hang them back up for a pared back, minimalist look. Hang images on the wall with clips and wire, instead of frames. Or remove the mats from framed images and “float” the art on top of plain or a complementary patterned paper inside the frame instead.
Collage it. Take a large, empty frame and fill it with old printed photos of random sizes from varied life events for a nostalgic collage. Instead of photos, use your kids' art from over the years or make your own small scale paintings and collage them over each other to make one large piece of art.
Snap a photo series. Take photos of everyday objects at home (like grapefruit), inspiring vistas or the architecture right outside your door. Print a series of them in the same size. Hang them in matching frames for low cost, but coordinated grouping.
Paint over it. There is no lower threshold than repurposing second hand pieces. Don't overlook outdated or ugly art while you are thrifting. As long as it has a good frame, you can do something with it. Paint a design or image over the whole piece including the frame, to create an entirely new piece of art. Or simply paint the nice frame and use it for one of your own pieces.
Think outside the frame. Blank walls are your canvas. Create a mural with abstract shapes using colors that complement your existing decor. The more organic, soft or wavy your shapes and lines are, the less you'll be concerned with perfection.