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Spray Painting Mismatched Frames

We all know I have a pillow problem. And true to form, I couldn’t resist grabbing two of these boldly striped 26″ x 26″ euro pillows for just nine bucks a pop when we came across them at HomeGoods. In my defense, John walked off and came back holding them, so he might have a pillow problem too. But come on, $9? For giant 100% cotton euro pillows? Sold. In our house, pillows are definitely nomads, so these guys could end up doing a little tour (hitting up the guest room, the playroom, and even the sunroom or living room). But right now we’re loving them in our bedroom with the similarly toned flower & berry prints from Alaska that we hung a few weeks back:

Bedroom Pillows

It’s sort of like adding a completely temporary boldly striped headboard without doing anything more than spending $18 and tossing them on the bed. No muss, no fuss. And no commitment. We really like how they work with everything from our garage sale botanical art and the lighter toned greeny-gold curtains to the green potted plant on the other side of the room and even Sir Ram. Because when you stop to think about it, what really works with a giant ram head over your bed? Am I right? Oh and as for the smaller greeny-gold pillow, it’s sure to pop up in other places too, so it’s not always destined to be layered with the new striped pillows for those who object (although in person it’s really nice pairing that further ties in the curtains). Here’s a wide shot of the very unfinished side of our bedroom:

Bedroom Bed Side

I know, I know. That picture looks crazy. So check out all the doodled changes that we’re planning to make as we go:

Bedroom Bed Doodles

To further expound upon my doodles:

  1. We hung the twig & berries art on the same center-line as the ram (just so they wouldn’t look like they were riding high and because the lamp shades only overlapped the written flower/berries names and not the illustration) but once we get new night stands that are hopefully taller (since those old living room side tables are way too low and don’t have any concealed storage) we’ll probably scooch everything up a bit.
  2. The ottoman is necessary for Burger to get in and out of bed (yes, we pander to him, although we refuse to buy doggy steps) but it’s a little short and chunky and dark (although it does tie into our leaning mirror and dark chair) so we might get/make something lighter and longer (perhaps with dark legs but a lighter fabric top).
  3. The wheat colored lamp shades sometimes read as a little dirty since the bedding, trim, light fixture, and door are so white. Mehaps a little makeover or upgrade is in order.
  4. We’d love some sort of big chunky cabinet to the left of the bed for function, balance, and to make sense of the odd little nook there.

So that’s the long-term plan in there. And just as new additions to a room often inspire some tweaking (ex: in a surprise turn of events our twig & berry art spurred us to lose the ol’ printed duvet cover), the addition of the new striped pillows sparked a little art tweak on the other side of the room. Ever since we added the matching framed botanicals by the bed (along with the matching wall plaques on either side of Sir Ram and the matching new striped pillows at the head of the bed) the horse art somehow slipped from feeling nice and balanced (since it had two different items under it – a chair and a dresser) to feeling a little too balanced and mirror-image since it was one of many things that were now in pairs…

Bedroom Final1

So because we were itching for a little less symmetry (while still wanting to maintain some semblance of balance to help the new-ish chair and the very old dresser relate), we decided to play around with stuff that we already had to see if we could come up with a free alternative:

  1. Down came the horses above the dresser (which now reside in the playroom but will hopefully find a permanent place somewhere else down the line).
  2. Up went two differently sized old Ikea frames that we had sitting in the playroom, waiting to be hung for almost 8 months.

We immediately liked the less symmetrical arrangement but the oddly mismatched frame colors weren’t doing it for us (one was a clashy reddish brown and one was white). And since the botanicals looked so good with a little oil-rubbed bronze spray paint I decided to quickly pop the glass/art out of them and give them a few thin and even coats of leftover ORB. You know, so they’d tuck into the room a bit more and look more integrated with the stuff going on across the wall. So outside I went with my sexy spray painting socks (see those here)….

Frames Before

… and soon enough the frames were bronzed and beautiful…

Frames Sprayed

Then I needed something to put in them. So I dug through the old art stuff we already had and found a simple little green dandelion print from Ikea (it used to hang next to our front door in our first house). I also decided to make some always-appropriate-for-a-DIY-couple’s-bedroom “paint chip art” with old Ralph Lauren swatches that I had in my basket (yes, I have a paint swatch basket since I hate throwing them away, which is also where I house all of my paint decks except for my favorite one that hangs in the hallway). Home Depot doesn’t even sell Ralph Lauren paint anymore, so I figured “recycling” the old swatches was better than hoarding them or just trashing them, so I pulled out all of the little colored squares…

Swatches 1

… and just used tones that reoccur in the room so it would tie in (I didn’t need something that screamed since that would compete with the botanicals and the remaining horse photograph over the leather chair). I was left with a little pile of browns, grays, blue-grays, greeny-yellows, soft sand colors, creams, and whites. So I just arranged them in a gradient from darkest to lightest (this photo was still a work in progress since I switched out a few of the chips that stuck out too much or looked out of order).

Paint Swatch2

Little loops of scotch tape on the back of each one held them in place on four pieces of card stock that I taped together to create a big 16 x 20″ background to fit the frame. Ta-daaa.

Paint Chips

We love that the paint chip art looks like a pixelated photo and the dandelion pic is a nice little “neutral” touch in the room as well (so it all layers in nicely without conflicting too much with anything else on the walls). Yay. We’re fans. Although we’ve learned that art posts are definitely the most not-everyone’s-boat-is-floated-by-the-same-stuff kind of thing. But we sleep in that room and we like it mucho. Hurrah! Clara’s favorite part? The pig of course (she runs into the room squealing “piggy!” and pointing while oinking). Very cute.

Dresser New Frames

For another version of paint swatch art, check out what we did with leftover swatches in our old office (on our postcard ledge) and drop in on Jessica Jones’ awesome paint chip art project here on How About Orange.

Oh and since I’m in a doodling mood, here’s a bit more about why we did what we did:

Dresser Doodles

See, it’s not as perfectly balanced and mirror-image-ish. But it still kind of goes. And it’ll work a lot better after some tweaks over time (get ready for more doodling)…

Bedroom Other Side

… like this…

Bedroom Other Side Doodles

We really like that the white mirror in the nook relates to the glossy white window trim, and the art hanging on either side of it is dark enough to feel balanced but not exactly the same size/shape anymore. So that’s where we are.

Who knows what else we’ll change as we go though. We’re definitely fans of the trial and error method (since we never seem with it enough to get things right on the first try, haha). Although this corner view is still my favorite for some reason. Probably because the mirror reflects a ton of window-light and the big chandelier is floating overhead with the neutral-ish-but-not-white curtains, the dark moody leather chair, and the horse art in the background.

Bedroom Corner

So anyway, it’s nice that something as simple as two cheap-o pillows and some fast & free art swappage (I must be in a free art mood this week) could add a bit more interest while taming the super-symmetry that seemed to build and eventually boil over as we added art and accessories.

Have you guys bought cheap-o pillows lately? Or decided to switch out art and accessories as you toss in other additions and slowly build a room? Any favorite pillow sources in general? Oh and has anyone out there gotten it totally right with everything from the furnishings to the accessories in one shot? That must be amazingly serendipitous. We’re more of the learning as you go slash bumbling along type. Haha. But at least we didn’t break anything this time…

Comments

  1. laura says

    LOVE the new art!! I think it goes much better with the dresser and I love that it doesn’t match the other wall now…makes it a little more interesting!

    Reply

  2. rachel says

    i think you should know that i spent at least 60 seconds trying to figure out what ‘dolla’ pillows are and where you had 9 of them hidden in that picture… i stopped short of googling ‘dolla pillows,’ thank goodness! i swear motherhood has melted my brain. also, the room looks great- love the pillows! : )

    Reply

  4. Lesley H says

    Loving the paint chip art and the new bedroom mix!

    I have the same dingy issue with my lampshades so I’m thinking of spray painting them white. Have you ever tried that? Would love to hear if it works:)

    Reply

  6. jamie says

    I’m currently hunting for throw pillows… we just moved and i’m trying to re-do our living room color scheme. Right now I have a rocking TURQUOISE accent wall and chocolate brown sofas. I can’t decide on the other colors to use, but i figure when i find the perfect pillows i’ll “just know!”

    Reply

  7. Kristin Cronk says

    Definitely like the new frames, I’ll have to try that ORB finish on something, looks like it works well on any surface!

    I’d actually be curious to see what it would look like if the frames were flipped… so the smaller frame was closer to the door to the powder room. I feel like right now, the frames lead your eye away from the center of the room and into the corner… where as if they were reversed, the larger to smaller setup would lead your eye into the room instead.

    Pondering that… :)

    Reply

  8. Meghan says

    Yes! I bought the same pillows with Navy stripes from HomeGoods! But for $10 each. I’m planning to go back and look for a patterned pillow to go with them. I got them because they were huge and could brighten up my ugly brown couch in the sun room. We are going for “The Lake” theme.

    Reply

  10. jen says

    Hi guys,

    Just wanted to let you know that Ralph Lauren paint is indeed still in production…it’s just hard to find. RL used to be in most local/small business paint stores but then pulled out when they got the contract with Home Depot years ago, which left a sour taste with those small business folks. Recently, Home Depot dropped it’s contract with RL in order to pick up Martha Stewart’s line which has since left RL scrambling for product placement because a lot of those small business folks have declined to take RL back. If you contact RL customer service, they can direct you to the nearest store that carries their paint.

    Reply

  13. Jane says

    I usually agree with all your changes and updates.
    And I loved the new paint chip artwork.
    But I didn’t really like where it was place. Maybe it’s just from looking from pictures on the computer screen vs. real life. But I felt it more balanced with the other horse frame. A little too busy with the 2 asymmetric frames on the right side, and the large horse on the left.

    But your paint chip inspired me to do something similar!
    By the way, I went to Crate & Barrel last week to shop and use a gift certificate card I received over Xmas. They had a multiframe on display with “paint chips” that were the EXACTLY same colors as the square artworks in your living room. Too bad I didn’t have a camera with me to snap a photo and send to you.

    Reply

  14. Shunta says

    1. so funny, as soon as I saw the pillows, before I read any further I said “Hey! those are from homegoods!! they are 9.99!!” We have had those at our homegoods for a while now and I’ve been trying to think of a reason to buy them. 2. LOVE the paint chip artwork. it’s going on my pinterest right this second!!! 3. SOOOOOO glad you switched out that art and did the two frames instead.

    Reply

  15. Kjirsti says

    Your homemade art lately has been so inspiring. I love the butterflies and now the paint chip image. Not to mention the clothespin chandelier- it’s all reminded me how incredibly creative and talented you two are. Thanks!

    Reply

  16. Shannon says

    brilliant! Such a good idea with the paint chips. We have hundreds as well, but they usually only make it to bookmark status, not wall art. Lookin’ good!

    Reply

  18. Abby C. says

    Oh my god, the view looking at the bed head-on – AMAZINGLY sophisticated. Those pillows really bring alot in.

    For the ottoman issue, you have a DIY tufted ottoman tutorial from a reader. With the right fabric it might really work, and be super cheap!

    Reply

  19. Olivia says

    I have a kind of random question for you guys. How do you keep your furniture from scratching your wood floors? Do you use some type of pads on the feet or something?

    Reply

  21. Cara D says

    Great idea for art! I like the more assymetric look too. Just saw your nursery in the august issue of American Baby. Congrats. You guys are everywhere. By the way I bought “Mamazzari” and love it!

    Reply

  23. Emilie says

    I love the new pillows! I’m a huge fan of stripes, I have them all over my house.

    Also, thank you! I thought I was the only one that was constantly switching out art as my rooms progressed, and I also have an art stash and hoard paint chips. My family thinks I’m crazy, so I’ll tell them I’m not the only one!

    Reply

  24. Lorilyn says

    First, my favorite part of these pictures is how in the bathroom mirror your light fixture is reflected. That might be weird, but I think it makes for a really cool picture.

    Second, I get really confused when people say they don’t make Ralph Lauren paint anymore, because they sell it at the Miller Paint store by my house. Am I crazy?

    Reply

  27. Nicole B. says

    Nice changes! I really like the art, and I happen to disagree with Jules regarding the placement. I think the weight of the horse picture balances out the weight of the dresser on the other side of the wall. I think you should leave it.

    Your room has a lot of balance in general. Great symmetry. I think that going for the large piece next to the bed will balance out the mirror on the other side. Have you considered instead of doors on the vanity putting in a tension rod with a fabric curtain? I think it would give it some great dimension and add some weight without making everything too symmetrical. Just a thought :)

    I love your room… it is so relaxing and inviting. I would never get up if I were you!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, never thought about a tension rod with fabric! That could be cute if it’s really clean looking and fabric that we like (otherwise we’re fans of the built-in door look more). Hmm, something to think about. Although it might not be the best while Clara can get into things (since you can’t put locks on fabric skirts. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  29. Steph H. says

    LOVE the gradient art. I totally did that once with old paint chips from design school. Maybe I’ll find that sucker and hang it up… Also please tell Clara I’m sure we’re meant to bffs because I have the same reaction to pigs (I’m 24…but that’s ok right?) haha!!

    Reply

  30. Sandy says

    Hi Sherry — love your website, and I’m a daily visitor — but I wanted to let you know that for a couple weeks now, I can’t see the pictures you post, oftentimes until a couple days after you post them. It’s tantalizing and teasing! :) Just thought I’d let you know, in case you’ve heard anything from anybody else, or it might be a server issue. Thanks, and keep up the great work!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry about the trouble! We haven’t heard that from anyone else for a while but it could be antivirus software that you have (sometimes they block our images for some off reason). You can change the settings to allow images from younghouselove.com though I think! Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  31. Stephanie B. says

    I too am a pillow addict – so much so that, after two moves involving boxes of pillows that were too heavy to lift, my husband now refuses to let me buy any more. (Even though all the ones in those boxes are gone now…)

    Anyway, one of my favorite tricks for recycling old stuff and ending up with completely unique throw pillows is to make them out of old t-shirts. Take an old favorite t-shirt that you don’t wear anymore and cut a square or rectangle out of the front, then fuse some interfacing to it. Pick a contrasting fabric for the back of the pillow, and maybe some cool piping or trim, and twenty minutes of sewing later, you’ve got something that no one else has – and that might have some personal meaning just for you, depending on what t-shirt you use.

    Reply

  34. OMG-YHL says

    I love the paint chip art! I did something similar the other day, only with various shades of pink, and cut into triangles, and not organized from light to dark… but still made of the ever-versatile paint chips! There’s nothing better than free stuff!

    Reply

  36. Ashlee says

    I LOVE those pillows! They look so luxurious, and I love how they make the lighter pillow and even the ram really pop.

    The new art looks fantastic too. I never would’ve thought to do something like that with paint chips. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps me (and everyone else!) reading your blog every day!

    Reply

  37. Autumn says

    paint samples assembled into art? You guys are geniuses (which you already know). I seriously want to go rob Home Depot and make that this weekend with greens! LOVE that concept!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw you’re too kind! We’re definitely not the first ones to tackle something like that! There’s inspiration all over Pinterest for various paint chip art creations, and my girl Jessica Jones at How About Orange did an awesome triangle paint chip thing a while back! We just loved the idea too much not to add some to our bedroom too – especially since I have that giant basket fulla swatches. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  38. melissa says

    love the new artwork!! I’m itching to try some DIY art for my living room but I’m stuck home with my two sick little girls. =( As soon as my hubby gets home I am bolting to the craft store!

    Reply

  39. Jen @ The Decor Scene says

    I love the new/repurposed artwork over the dresser, but I miss your colorful duvet. I do love white duvets too, but I really liked your colorful one. Maybe it will come back one day. Your bedroom is really coming together. Love it!!!

    Reply

  40. jordan says

    Hi Sherry….so fun to watch things evolve at the petersiks! I never realized that there was an actualy indented “nook” to the left of your bed (just thought it was lots of space). Would you consider building in a window seat (minus the window) with cushions on top? just a thought….

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We did think about that but weren’t sure if we’d get more use from something with lots more storage (and that would balance the tall white door on the other side). Should be interesting to see where we end up!

      xo,
      s

  44. Nette @ This Dusty House says

    I love your resourcefulness! We keep the paint swatches we use in a ‘memory box’, but all the others get thrown out immediately. Or just completely lost in the mess of tools and drywall dust. I love the art you came up with… just slightly jealous of your creative minds right now!

    Reply

  46. jacquelyn | lark + linen says

    I’m seriously digging (I used your word) the new art! I liked the horses, but I feel like they were a little out of place and not very John & Sherry. Not that that’s always a bad thing. But this is much more like it!

    Reply

  47. Brittany says

    LOVE the new art! WOW… I am totally going to do that! Too bad you cannot count that as one of your Pintest challenges!

    Reply

  48. Sarah says

    I have a white duvet cover on my bed from IKEA…and I Love it! I also have a little girl and two dogs so who knows what ends up on the duvet…which I what I love about the white is that I can just soak it in some bleach and it comes out great over and over again!

    Reply

  49. Lauren says

    So, when I first saw the headline of this post I read it as “Nina Dough-la” pillows and I was wondering who the heck is Nina Dolla? I’ve never heard of that designer. … Oh, the hilarity!

    Also, I would like to suggest swapping the art on either side of the doorway leading to the bathroom. I think there’s too much “darkness” on the left side and it bothers me that the horse and rider in the print are facing left into the corner of the room.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, if I were going to design pillows I would take that on as my pen name. Hilarious! Nina Dolla pillows. Bwahahaha. As for swapping the art, we tried it both ways and the dark pony over the light dresser looked top-heavy, so it was more balanced this way (with the dark chair grounding it). But thanks for the suggestion!

      xo,
      s

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