Monday, March 4, 2013

Hallway Library/Gallery Peak

Here's yet another space that has gotten a facelift since the beginning of the year, but has never fully been revealed here.  Our upstairs hall was also painted Benjamin Moore's Cloud Cover to blend with the rest of our common open areas.


I shared this picture a couple of months ago when I made this cool pom-pom and finger knit garland (here).  The hutch holds both books and green pottery.




A long time ago I had asked for opinions on paint colors for the hutch. One of the reasons was I just could not decide on my own what to do with this piece. Every time I would come up with an idea something made me hesitate from actually following through with it.  I think the true reason was, that I actually wanted to leave the piece original; I really love the pattern in the lower doors.  What was totally not reflected in the pictures that I had shared (here) was that the hutch really wasn't in the best shape at all.
 
Here are a couple before shots:
 
 

 

 
 
 So, I decided to try and salvage the piece before I attempted paint.  I found this great project called Howard Restor-A Finish that was a bit stinky, but easy to use (you basically just wipe it on).  While it did not take away all the imperfections of the piece it definitely improved it at least 80%. And, it is pretty cost effective, too.  I paid under $10 for a container at the Home Depot and have most of it leftover.

Here's an after of the front of the cabinet. Definitely not perfect, but much, much better.

 


 
See the little teapot painting? My oldest, Antonio created it at art class for me for Mother's Day two years ago. Love it!
 


I brought up this bench (previously our coffee table) as seating in the area. I love that it was more neutral than my gossip bench. The pillows tie into both the bench and the rug.




We added in a family photo gallery wall on the space leading into the master bedroom.  It is truly floor to ceiling (with a few spaces left on the bottom for additions). I think, eventually it will continue on to the remaining blank wall.
 

 
I love that the pictures are from all periods.  It's a great way to get children to connect with the past.
 


 
 
All I did to create the gallery was lay everything out on the floor in a pattern that I liked. Martino hung everything up for me. No tracing of all the frames or extreme measuring (which is typical of Martino, not me).  He hung all this up while he was horribly sick with bronchitis.
 


How do you display family photos in your home? Spread out or all grouped into a large gallery. Please share!
 
 



 
 
 
Linking to:


 

14 comments:

  1. love the mix of photos and love your rug choices! that bench is awesome, too!

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  2. What a pretty space! I love your family photo gallery wall!!

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  3. I'm glad you didn't paint the cabinet! It looks beautiful with the wood! I used to have a wall of photos but got tired of it after a few years. Now I just mix a few in book shelves and on little tables around the common areas. Bring all the old photos out at Christmas and place around with decorations. Always feels fresh when I move the photos around.

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  4. I need to put my photos on one wall, I love what you did. Right now, they're scattered around, waiting for me to get motivated :)
    Leslie (Gwen Moss)

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  5. AS always everything is just beautiful and well thought.

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  6. I love the eclectic feel of all of your images. I really like the sentimental value of your gallery wall, as well.

    I'm glad I read about your dinig hutch. I keep thinking I'm going to paint the sideboard in my front entry, but can't bring myself to do it. I might try the Howard-restor-a-finish stuff to see how that turns out!! Thanks for the info!

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  7. Love the gallery wall :)....the closer together the better is my gallery wall philosophy, I think

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  8. What a beautiful space. Love the gallery wall. I was just admiring a gallery wall of family photos at a friend's house the other night. I don't have one in my house - just scattered framed photos.

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  9. Love that piece. The Restore-A Finish seemsto have done a great job brightening up thefinish on the piece. Your gallery wall is great with pictures from different eras included.
    Ruth

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  10. Angela Lovely piece - I think the 'Howard' products are a pretty good line for restoration. Looks marvelous - I love your family gallery wall too - I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  11. This little hallway is full of personality! And, I'm glad you kept the hutch in the wood tone, too :) Thanks for linking up.

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  12. What a cool gallery wall! I love how you kept the frames so tight and carried it all the way from the floor to the ceiling!

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Thank you so much for stopping by Number Fifty-Three! I look forward to your comments.