Oscars inspired home decor intrigues decoristas and cinephiles alike as the motion picture award season is upon us, coming to a glorious golden crescendo Sunday, March 10th with the broadcast of the 96th Academy Awards.
Actors, artists, producers, directors, set designers and their memorable movie sets, locations, sound, and scores that produce legendary moments in film will capture the evening.
“I live for old movies.
You can learn all about decorating, table manners,
chic dressing, and stylish living
from old black-and-white films!”
— Hutton Wilkinson
Design and decor aspects tap into the intrigue of the Hollywood motion picture and the glamour of Oscars stage decor.
Architectural Digest highlights the best Oscars stage décor of all time.
Town & Country Magazine takes us back to what the Oscars looked like through the years.
On the Monday morning after the Oscars night before, the buzz will build around talented fashion and decor designers who will translate Oscars best to accessories, accents, and Oscars inspired home decor.
Salutes to the splendor of classic Hollywood, today’s pop culture, red carpet fashions, costume design, and visually impressive cinematic color palettes serve as an artist’s muse in the design concept of Oscars inspired home decor.
There’s a distinct correlation between the allure of the beauty created on the silver screen and home furnishings and décor inspired by the opulence associated with the Oscars red carpet arrivals, fashions, and Academy Awards ceremony.
Even though the article appears to be from the June 2014 issue, it proves classic design and decorating choices rooted in symmetry and proportion stand the test of time and trend.
Designer Wendy Kirkland
I really like this image of the great room vignette, and thought it may be fun to emulate the look in an in the Lowcountry style of show and tell feature.
I can’t tell you how many times a client has started a consultation by showing me an image from a shelter magazine or Pinterest followed up with a request for the completed space(s) to look exactly as pictured in the aforementioned image.
Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, and I’ve yet to meet a decorista who hasn’t flattered the heck out of designer or decorator by borrowing from a well designed and decorated space.
Call it a creative compliment.
I don’t participate in, condone, nor suggest taking the work of another and calling it your own.
Ever.
What I have done, and continue to do, is use the initial presentation as inspiration and from there incorporate my own personal in the Lowcountry style of preferences.
Lowcountry refers to the geographic and cultural region along the coastal region of the Georgia and South Carolina coast.
Sourcing furnishings and décor items in the style of consists of searching sites for antiques, vintage and new pieces that complement the primary style, and then utilizing those finds to create visual harmony, balance and beauty.
Antique buffets, sideboards, and servers make excellent spot pieces. I’ve seen them used in foyers, hallways, kitchens, dining rooms, mudrooms, bathrooms- you get the idea.
Antique furniture does not do it for everyone, but when you compare quality, price, patina and presence of an antique piece to a new piece, often there is no comparison between the two.
Coastal design style is a summer natural, and when it is merged with in the Lowcountry style of accents and accessories the result is a serene, inviting, and charming aesthetic.
I received an email suggesting a repost of The Art of the Hang: Instructions for Hanging Art may prove beneficial to new readers and decoristas taking spring updating to heart and wall alike.
In the spirit of seasonal updating, this new, improved and updated version is primed and ready to show and tell you Places In The Home instructions for hanging art.
It’s funny how movie titles stick in the impressionable side of my brain, becoming an exercise in conversion to interior design and decorating application.
Let me demonstrate for you how it’s done.
Hang ‘Em High is a 1968 western starring Clint Eastwood.
It is not the standard instructions for hanging art and decorative accents.
Balance, scale and proportion partnered with room size, ceiling height, and intention of dramatic effect become the relevant factors to consider when assessing placement of artwork.
Traditional Home
Traditional Home
Over my career as interior decorator, house to home flipper/stager, and antiques shopkeeper, I have hung my fair share of framed artwork, decorative antique plates, pediments, mirrors, ironwork, and sconces.
Many homes ago we were blessed or cursed depending on how you look at it with sixteen foot ceilings.
The traditional rule of picture hanging did not apply in this case, and decorative interpretation as well as adjustment blurred all standard lines and rules of placement.
Back in the late Seventies, my parents attended a starving artist sale.
A buying spree of landscape, floral and architecture paintings ensued.
With hammer and picture hanging kit in hand, no formal instructions for hanging art to guide, and two sets of eyes fixed for eyeballing measurements and placement, the marathon art hanging session commenced.
Aren’t you going to use a measuring tape?
Don’t need it.
Let me at least get you the yard stick.
No, we’ve got this.
Is it level?
Good enough.
I was fourteen at the time and even I knew this wasn’t the way to go.
Dave the Builder is a MacGyver in the name of all things house that make a home.
In his apprenticeship years he mastered the skill of hanging pictures, mirrors, artwork, etc. in both a visually pleasing and design appropriate manner.
He brings his mathematical, architectural experience, and building talents to the table, and I bring a discerning eye and keen supervisory skills.
I’m good like that.
From years of hanging art in our homes, homes of clients, and at Hopefully Classic, we have mastered the art of the hang by following the instructions for hanging art.
Eye level varies from person to person, height to height.
If it doesn’t look right to you, raise or lower the artwork to accommodate.
After deciding the desired height to hang the picture, measure from the ceiling the distance to one hanger on one side of the picture.
Next, measure from the ceiling to the other side hanger to assure a level picture hanging.
If the frame has only one center hanger, measure the back of the picture from the center of the bottom of the frame to the center of the top of the frame.
Divide this number in half.
That is your center line.
Mark spot(s) on the wall with a pencil.
Pull the picture wire tightly upward as if hanging on the hook.
Measure the distance from the center line to the top point of the wire.
Add this distance to the eye level line measurement ( your pencil mark or marks on the wall).
This is where you put the picture hook.
Two hooks placed 2 inches apart seems to work best for smaller pieces.
If the piece is larger, it is better to use two hooks spaced 8 inches from each side.
Gallery groupings of different sizes and subjects work to capture the wow effect, deviate from the expected, and create what I call a decorating oxymoron- the off balance balance.
When arranging a grouping of artwork and before hanging, I like to layout the pieces on the floor in front of the wall they will be hung on.
This allows you to get a visual read on the balance and proportion of the layout, and to fine-tune the arrangement.
It also helps to eliminate or at least cut down on putting holes in the wall.
Trick of the Trade Tip:
Plain white toothpaste is as a great alternative to caulk. Squeeze the toothpaste into the hole and wipe off the excess.
Use a spirit or laser level to ensure artwork is level.
No level, no problem.
I find the best measure is ultimately trusting your eye.
Hanging artwork above a fireplace mantel offers the opportunity to layer artwork pieces.
When hanging artwork over a fireplace, aim to leave as little space as possible between the bottom of the art piece and the mantle unless another item will be placed under artwork or decorative accessory.
The art to hanging artwork, framed treasures, mirrors, architectural pieces and the like is in the scale, placement and arrangement that best suits the space and optimally showcases your personal style.
Today’s A Most Fetching Friday features spaces that work like a charm to enhance a space accessorized with, fortify the visual power of, and confirm the appeal of animal attraction in decorating.
The above image from Southern Living exemplifies the decor hallmarks of the Southern home. The mix and the marvel of the curated look anchors many a Southern home.
Eclectic elegance is alive and well done in Brooke and Julian Metcalfe’s Oxfordshire home. Funky disco balls, a model of the Titanic and animal head wall decor juxtaposed with grand millwork and signature Florence Broadhurst wallpaper brilliantly work the room.
Tom Petty knows exactly what he’s talking about when he sings the waiting is the hardest part. Waiting, especially in a hospital situation, requires a vast amount of patience and a variety of good reading material. I’m what you would call a student of the old school- a scholar of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it studies. In other words, I decided to read a print magazine instead of pulling up a digital edition on my tablet. I spied a couple of shelter magazines of house and home interest in the rack – some with current cover dates, and some not so current. Enlightening articles-tips-snippets of information beneficial to all things house that make a home will always make for a good read, regardless of cover date. I look at it as an interior design, decorating, home decor accessories, antiques and how to score the best of the best refresher course.
The first article of interest gave the reader tips for successful flea market, garage and estate sale shopping. Everyone has their own way of treasure hunting, but there is a proven core strategy. In the world of antique auctions, flea markets and estate sales, the preview is the time to get your deals and steals game on. Dave the Builder and I split up; a divide and conquer technique that works for us.
I keep a notebook and pen in hand for taking notes from everything to lot number to condition to dealer location to asking price to this is my absolute bottom bottom line price offer, bid etc…
Dave takes close up pictures with his cellphone of the pieces he is interested in to further examine for imperfections before bidding begins. The deal can be found in the imperfection only if you can do the repair, refinish or reupholster yourself or hire out for little out of pocket money.
Auction houses stack items tight and tall in dark spaces and corners to utilize floor space. A crowded house or stacked to the walls booth translates to scores of salable merchandise. For this reason we bring his and hers flashlights so we don’t overlook a fracture or fine-line crack.
Dealers at flea markets, estate and garage sales begin to discount unsold items later in the sale which can work to a buyer’s advantage. Larger ticket items can be worth the risk of playing the waiting game. I’ve scored several pieces for a steal, and missed out on some too. It’s strictly depends on the item and nerves of “steal”.
It’s basically an in the moment call.
Now let me share with you another enlightening articles-tips-snippets of information gem stemming from the magazine article my mother read while keeping me company in the hospital waiting room. Our recent coffee talk conversation went a little something like this:
My mother: “Sister, what is WTF?”
Me: “An acronym for Where’s the Food.”
It took me about three seconds to realize I’d better tell her what WTF really means. Leaving her in the dark depths of millennial slang, risking her repeating to her beauty shop cohorts and the ladies that lunch loyal what she thinks is simply a hip colloquial term would be irresponsible on my part. Funny, but irresponsible.
Me: “Mother, WTF is slang for What the F***.”
I was curious why she wanted to know what WTF means, so I did what any respectable curious and/or noisy person does. I asked.
Me: “Mother, why do you want to know what WTF means?”
My mother: “When Dave was in the hospital and we were in the waiting room, I was reading in a magazine (she can’t remember the name of the magazine, but she can remember WTF) a story about a woman catching her tweenage daughter texting WTF. The woman asked her daughter what WTF means. “With the Family,” replied the fast thinking tween.
Fast forward several months to when the woman, a newbie to Facebook and the speak, slang, and acronyms of social media, posted an update from their family vacation to Paris. Surprised by the amount of likes her post received, she shared the development with her tween daughter. The daughter asked the mom what she was posting vis-à-vis the vacation. “In Paris WTF.”
Me: Well, now you know.
We’re headed back to the hospital next week for more tests, more waiting, more reading. I think I’ll bring a few of the shelter magazines from my 2017 stack to donate to the cardiac unit waiting room reading material collection. A good read passes the time, enlightening articles-tips-snippets of information are always appreciated, and a good laugh lightens the mood. As they say, laughter often is the best medicine.
Cadillac ran an ad campaign several years ago with the attention grabbing line “luxury is measured in carats, thread counts and occasionally horsepower.”
Beyond the count of thread, texture and pattern, the measure of luxury bedding fabric equates to what is pleasing to the sense of style as well as the personal sense of comfort.
Luxury bedding in the style of European antique heirloom and Italian renaissance textiles bedding emulates the elegant finery of true antique and vintage linens crafted from fine laces and linens.
Gracefully romantic on all thread counts, the bedtime story to tell is the stunning presence heirloom inspired bedding and textiles lend to the feel of your sleep sanctuary.
Where Egyptian cotton sateen or seamless silk cotton is the twin, full, queen or king bedding standard for some, cotton percale, linen or microfiber is the only choice of bedding fabric for others.
A luxurious, comfortable, gorgeous, blissful, and beautiful sleep duvet cover tops my gotta have it list for birthdays, Mother’s Day and Christmas gift giving and receiving.
I have my eye on spring things to come and these lovely Melange Home toile duvet cover set.
Luxury bedding is not necessarily based on product price, but determined by the personal style and sense preferences that promote an excellent overall sleep experience.
As we transition from winter, thoughts turn to spring and summer updates to the bedroom and the texture, style and comfort of cotton and linen bedding.
Crochet pillowcases, crisp cotton sheets fresh from the clothesline, a vintage chenille bedspread, and a bedside window raised just enough to allow the morning breeze to fill the room with the scent of African violets made a lasting impression on my soul and senses.