In this Friday’s makeover reveal, there’s a piece of art I’m still thinking about.
Maria & Elizabeth (Watch this epic makeover here)
It hung above a cabinet in the family room (below), a piece of art a student had painted for the homeowner, something she genuinely loved. But it was up there completely alone. No framed friends. No company. Just one meaningful piece, floating by itself on a big blank wall.
My sister Elizabeth films these makeovers with me, and in the car on the way to shop, she said something that stopped me:
“That art is an orphan. It needs a family.” (below):
She wasn’t wrong. And honestly, that’s the whole idea behind the gallery wall course I built: Give Your Art a Family. Not just learn how to hang frames around your TV (like I’ve become famous for) but how to actually give the one piece you love–the family and friends around it–that makes a wall feel finished, layered, almost like a mural, instead of one lonely painting doing all the work by itself.
If you’ve followed my one-day makeovers for a while, you already know what happened next. Someone asks about one room, and because most homes are open-concept, it’s almost impossible to touch just that one space. This one started in the family room and, like it usually does, it spread and I ended up finishing the living room, styling the entry, dining room and kitchen too! This one became an extreme makeover and we were still finished in just one day!!
When we went back to do the walkthrough last week for Friday’s reveal, she mentioned that “My husband doesn’t care about this stuff, but he sure noticed this round of changes!” He noticed that the house glowed at night now, instead of sitting under what used to be a runway of overhead pot lights, end to end. We swapped that for eight lamps. And he noticed the fact that the feeling suddenly shifted in every roon.
That’s really the whole point. Not decorating for decorating’s sake, but the way a room you actually love changes how you live in it, whether you “care about this stuff” or not.
And there’s more to this story about art:
We met two roommates this past weekend, in the middle of the heat wave.
Two women posted in our local community Facebook group”. . . if you have a pool in this weather and you’re keeping it all to yourself, that’s just pure selfishness! Share the wealth, think about it! Please don’t laugh at us, we are running on our last single brain cell. Help us out!” In exchange, we will bring ice-cold Aperol Spritz to start the ultimate pool-side happy hour!
So we invited them over.
Virtual garden design by MaryAnne White
The boxwood in my triangle beds in front of our vegetable gardens and greenhouse filled in this Spring and look at how fabulous the lavender is, followed by my white agapanthus which comes right after the lavender has expired! So gorgeous, I feel so blessed.
Last year for my birthday my team sent me a double lounger in yellow (linked here) and white stripes along with this raft that has become Lucy’s favourite toy when we’re in the pool! She’s doesn’t like the water but she sure loves to jump on and off the food and cabana bar (linked here).
Anyway, somewhere between the pool and the patio, we got to talking about their house. It’s a rental that came furnished, but there was no art anywhere in the living room, and only one lamp. She mentioned the room had basically become a drop zone — nobody actually sat in there.
That’s what Friday’s reveal is about. And it’s what Give Your Art a Family (which is the new name for my Gallery Wall Module. which OMG deserved a much better name so you can all feel the joy) teaches from the ground up — starting with just one piece you already love, through the frames, the colors, and how to hang it all without turning your wall into a swiss cheese wall of holes.
Get it here, and give your art some family and friends! Woo hoo.
See you Friday (I cannot wait for you to see this makeover!).
Related posts:
To fix holes in wall easier. Be sure to use the wall hangers that have thin nails and when you remove you can easily cover: use a spoon back to gently flatten out the hole. Cover with a dab of Sheetrock compound. I put on with a putty knife but you can use your finger. When it is dry you can wipe off wall with sponge or cloth. Unless it’s dark paint you won’t see the former hole. If dark, use a small artist paint brush and put just a drop on the white spot. I have done this in homes we sold and it’s not even noticeable.
I wish everyone would do this, but no….people use ridiculous anchors for pictures that leave huge finger size holes. If I have a big picture, I use two hangers. I never use anchors for pictures, but I’ve had to repair a ton of holes due to anchors previous owners left behind. And then I have to repaint the whole wall.
Looking forward to Friday! Your one-day make-overs are so good. Maria, your pool, backyard, and gardens are stunning! Thanks for the eye candy :]