Jones & Co
Hanging art on your walls makes a home your own and gives an insight into your personal style. However it doesn’t have to be all squares and rectangle frames.
Mixing things up with treasured objects, collected pieces and nature’s gifts might just prove to be your best decorative work yet. Find artists you love across different mediums – from ceramics to oil, watercolour on paper to sculpture, and then scour galleries as well as vintage stores for little keepsakes that light you up inside.
Objects that you’re not quite sure what to do with, but are beautiful to you, can find their home on the wall. Here are some new ways to see some of the objects in your life.
1. Treasured textiles
Whether it’s a sari you inherited, a quilt grandmother made or a handmade macrame you love, textiles are a great choice for covering your walls. Vintage fabrics are a particularly good choice as they’re often too delicate to press into service for their originally intended use. Choose textiles that work with your colour scheme – they can be a hugely effective way to add colour but if they’re too thick and dark they can close in a smaller room. The added bonus with textiles on the wall is their ability to reduce loud noises in the house. They’re a great option for houses with wooden, tiles or hard floors, and those with lots of children – balls bouncing, shouting, running, wailing – around.
2. Baskets
Many baskets are made by hand, making them possible works of art. They range in shape, size and colour and never fully wear out if you treat them right. Any signs of use only add to their tactile appeal. Hang baskets together in a group for a textural display, or present one giant specimen on its own.
3. Hanging plants
Indoor plants will change your life, says many. You can pot an indoor plant and pop it in a corner of your home, or you can adorn the walls with climbers, allowing them to creep their way up your staircase or into highlight windows. Use wall-mounted pots to hang your new green “art”, or hang them in pots from the ceiling. Bring in your healthiest plants for visits inside to purify your air, please your eyes and feed your soul.
4. Ceramics
Ceramics – think plates, platters, little ceramic artworks – can be hung together in a grouping of similar shapes or colours to match, or they can lead the room decor. Pick up vintage and antique plates in similar hues to create a whole new vibe at your place. Often the older plates and ceramics are not food safe, so this is a lovely way to enjoy them every day. Other forms of ceramic can also look beautiful on a wall. Christina McLean of Trade the Mark creates bespoke art pieces and textile design for all parts of your home.
5. Wire objects and tools
A coastal-themed decor begs for something made from wire and/or driftwood to grace your walls. These wire crab pots are arresting in their size but delicate in construction so don’t dominate the space.
6. Floating shelves
Floating shelves can be mounted anywhere in the home to give you the freedom to change the art on display as often as you like. Use one long shelf for a sleek contemporary look, or stagger a set at different heights to arrange curated vignettes and cascade plants.
7. Objects found in nature
The original artist, Mother Nature provides endless elements to use as wall art – thing plant material, driftwood, leaves and husks – all of which can be fashioned into exhibits.
8. Practical vintage possessions
Treasured collected pieces with aged patina become even more beautiful when carefully displayed as art. Avoid crowding pieces, allow space around each piece to celebrate its distinct characteristics.
9. Vintage mirrors
Mirrors are a terrific way to reflect light into a room and a grouping works the same way as one large mirror to visually double the space as you move around the room.
10. Postcards and paper treasures
Travel the world and collect postcards on the way, then frame in groups or individually to great a meaningful art wall that takes you down memory lane. You can collect little illustrations the children draw, perhaps a train ticket with a story around it, a lipstick heart polaroid from your amour, the paper possibilities are endless.
5 beautiful objects to hang as wall art
01
Macrame wall hanging
$210.06, Etsy
Best for: Japandi meets boho
Is there anywhere in your house this all-natural wall hanging won’t be amazing? It’s a versatile addition to your walls, working as a bed head or as a means to soften a noisy area – the fabric actually reduces the noise level in the house. This is a piece of art, really, as well as a talking point and a beautiful thing.
Sizes: Medium (pictured) 81cm x 107cm, large (125cm x 107cm) in landscape or portrait, XL (150cm x 120cm) in landscape or portrait
Materials: Cotton cords and teak wood
Key features:
- Completely handmade to order
- Made with premium cotton rope in soft beige, white and brown for accents
- Duster and vacuum to clean
02
Vintage postcard set
$13.21 (usually $15.54), Etsy
Best for: Pocket-sized quirk
Finally, somewhere to store all the lovely postcards you’ve been given over the years: on your walls! Or pick up a cohesive look with this vintage set of 12, which has a Japanese-inspired designs that will add a pop of colour to your wall. Arrange them in one large floating glass frame or arrange a collection of frames on the wall for a gallery wall look, but miniature postcard size.
Sizes: Postcard, A6
Materials: Paper card
03
French reclaimed wood bread boards
$95.24, Etsy
Best for: Vintage patina
Old is new again, and so in vogue. These wooden European bread boards are perfect for displaying on the wall, as seen in every stylish magazine ever. It’s no wonder this Etsy store is so popular. It turns wood reclaimed from aging cheese into something we can use again and into the future. Their beauty lies in their patina and little markings, which have built up over time and make each one unique. These small-sized boards measure 28cm x 35cm including the handle, and a few together would make an impressive wall display.
Material: Reclaimed wood
Key features:
- Created from vintage and reclaimed wood
- Wipe clean with cloth
04
Set of 13 baskets
$153.91, Etsy
Best for: Intrepid, boho walls
This set of 13 baskets and wicker bowls is designed to be displayed on your wall in a cluster. Arrange them how you like, giving centre stage to your favourites. Or, use this pile of pretty bowls on different walls in your house to create a more cohesive look. Displaying objects you’ve collected on your travels always looks great, and means more, but when you haven’t been further than the suburb limits lately, this collection get the look. Each bowl and platter has a little hook on the back, making them easier to hang. If you’re looking for fewer bowls or have a smaller wall space to fill, this collection of authentic Tonga, Binga baskets are a beautiful solution.
Sizes: Set of 13 baskets. The largest measures 46cm across, and the smallest measures 15cm.
Materials: Rattan, bamboo, sedge fiber and jute
Key features:
- Hooks on the back for easy hanging
- Made of natural materials
05
Oaxaca wood carving animal heads
$210.06, Etsy
Best for: Colour me fun
These wooden animal figures for your wall will brighten up some bleak little corner. Hailing from Mexico, the small little figures, measuring about 5cm x 8cm, can be bought as a collection or displayed in isolation. If bold colour is not your thing, the two monochrome figures will add interest in a more muted way. These animals are handmade, and are treasures that might one day be heirlooms.
Sizes: 5cm x 8cm
Materials: Wood, painted
Key features:
- Made in and delivered from Mexico
- Free delivery to Australia
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