We’re back with Ashley Pepitone from Camp Makery to help you with tips for a fall bedroom refresh! This time she takes on the media center to create a clean fresh look with art and decor.
Televisions in the bedroom. I know. There’s that old saying, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” That’s always kind of been my decorating motto, especially when it comes to electronics. We also have a television over our fireplace (horrors!) but there really wasn’t anywhere else to put it and let’s be honest– we use the television! A lot! So that begs the question: How do you “join ’em” and make your television fit into your décor, while avoiding a frat house chic look?
It’s all about the gallery wall, my friends. Gallery walls are everywhere on Pinterest, design blogs, even your beloved PB catalog. As common as they are, tackling how exactly to make a good one come to life can be daunting and expensive. Here are my tips for working with electronics in a gallery wall.
1. Set the electronics lower than most of the art. If you can place your television at your seated (or prone position) eye level, that is best. Not only does it make you more comfortable while viewing, it takes some of the focus off of the television while you’re standing.
2. Work in some pieces that are at least as big as the electronics. If your TV is absolutely huge and this just isn’t an option, work a grouping in that are cohesive and give the look of one work of art. Here I used four of my Instagram prints, framed by the incredible team at Framebridge. Just make sure they are all the same size and framed in the same way and you will get the same effect as a larger piece.
3. Choose pieces that have meaning to you; Priceless doesn’t mean expensive. I paid very little for all of the art in my gallery wall. Again, the four photos are Instagram snaps of my baby girls. The paintings on the left and right are watercolors that I painted myself, framed using hardware store acrylic and brass findings!
4. Invest in beautiful frames. Not every frame in your gallery has to be pricey, but if you use quality frames and mats your art will always look better. No matter whether it’s a valuable painting or a photo booth strip from a carnival.
5. Don’t be afraid to DIY. Try your hand at watercolors, like I did, or let your kiddos have at it with fingerpaints that coordinate with your color scheme. Whatever it is, make sure it’s personal and suits you before you worry about it suiting the room. And if you love that DIY acrylic frame, here’s the how-to!
You will need:
- Two sheets of acrylic/plexiglass
- Four brass nuts
- Four brass bolts
- Lighter
- Nail
- Pliers
- Double-sided tape
- Picture hanging wire
Have your local hardware store cut down the plexiglass to your preferred size. Make sure to leave at least a 2″ border around whatever art you plan to frame. Remove the protective film from the plexiglass. Holding the nail with the pliers, carefully heat over flame until it is red-hot. Press into the plexiglass at the four corners. Make two more holes on just the piece of plexi that you will face the wall, about halfway down and where they will be hidden by your art. Thread your wire through and secure. Center your art and sandwich between the plexi, holding in place with the double-sided tape on the wall-facing sheet of plexi. Secure with your nuts and bolts.
Voila! Cheap, easy, modern framing that lets your art be the star! Please head over to Camp Makery for the rest of this series, including tips on working antiques into your new classic décor, and how to make the perfectly imperfect bed!
(Photography by Ashley Bruschi)
