Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Decorating With Salon Walls.....French Art Gallery Style



In France, hanging art salon style means putting lots of different paintings together on one wall to create a focal point.Salon style dates back to 1670 and the French Royal Academy of Art and Sculpture.. Around that time, the Academy began exhibiting the works of recent graduates at year's end. In order to fit them all in one room, the curators would arrange the works next to and on top of each other, something that had never been done before.The style caught on and was first embraced in this country by Minnesota lumber baron Thomas Barlow Walker. From him, it spread to other Gilded Age giants like Pierpont, Morgan and  Rockefeller.

 As an admitted Francophile, I've always been a fan of salon style walls.It's a gallery of a wall, like an art exhibit that you make yourself. Usually the edges are not aligned and there's a mix of styles, sizes and colors.

Salon walls have more of an eclectic look, and feel no need to match frames or position the pieces in a perfect grid pattern. It uses a variety of frame styles, frame details and frame colors.There are no rules, but there are some strategies or your wall design can be completely random. Choose any arrangement pattern you like and apply it. You will soon notice that your house will become a gallery because the moment people walk in, the arrangement is the magnetic force that pulls them to take a closer look. 




Enjoying art is one of the great pleasures of life. Too often art gets put on the back burner  when it comes to home decorating. It's remarkably easy to showcase what you have by creating a salon style art wall.


Lovely wall!!


A wonderful Salon Wall in Hubert & Isabelle d'Ornano's flat in Paris 




Besides being a terrific way to display your collection, salon style display has the added benefit of turning a wall into your own personal gallery.


In Europe, it remains commonplace to hang images and other objects in this fashion, certainly among the art lovers.


Your Salon Wall doesn't HAVE to be on a painted wall!!


An example of the English style Salon Wall





Nothing quite shows off colorful art like a white wall. This is why it is common to see white walls in art galleries.


It isn’t about expensive work or even “important” work, but a desire to have visual access to many objects we love at once.




The rhythms, textures, colors, and dimensions of the pictures displayed need to harmonize.


In other words – too much variation will result in a mess! Instead, seek a sort of balance, as the combination of paintings, drawings, photographs or other objects as a whole forms its own composition.




Those who love and live with art know that the eye “needs to rest” moving from one composition to the next. And yet, for some of us, there’s rest enough in the playful, chic, and eclectic display of floor to ceiling visuals – if it’s done right.



If you are going to create a wall of lots of small items, you MUST be committed to keep them straightened. Nothing looks worse and ruins the look you have tried to create than a messy Salon Wall. This one is bordering on it and the eye really notices since the objects are close and have an order.

pinterest.com

Individual collectors gravitate toward salon style too, often finding that groupings of smaller works add charm to an otherwise broad expanse of unadorned wall.


With a tape measure and a few simple tools, you can have your own miniature Louvre right in the living room!

I like this all white salon style wall.



Before pulling out the hammer and nails, decide your layout first. So what’s the best part about salon style? There are no rules. Just make sure nothing is hanging obnoxiously crooked and you’ll be just fine. Here are some designs you help you get started.





Grab a friend or two and have a picture hanging party!! Trace wall art in craft paper then you can play with the arrangement on the wall. Use painter's tape.....any other kind will pull off your paint. Now before hanging the pictures you will know where to put nails.


The site below will show you how to accomplish 3D layered gallery wall displays.
http://inmyownstyle.com/2011/02/how-to-create-a-3-d-gallery-wall.html




Click here to see the previous post!


This blog post was published by
Lisa Farmer