apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You might want to try to buy a few canvases (2 or 4), use your excess wall paint and you can buy small sqeeze bottles of fabric paint at any arts/crafts store. make something abstract and pollock-esque. try turquoise and coral or even yellow and green to make your work standout. it will look great against the chocolate wall and khaki furniture.

Check etsy.com, you could get something huge or else a grouping of smaller paintings/prints/photos. Or, take your own photos, print them out all in black and white or sepia and use nice ornate frames (ebay), or else in color and use simple identical frames (Ikea) with matting.

Or you could do those gallery shelves (is that what they are called?) and lean a bunch of things on them, ie; artwork, pottery, framed pretty postcards or wallpaper, etc. Even a sideboard with something over it, like a mirror? Depends on your style really, but you have so many options!

I've always liked these: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1420&f=5096 check out the room views, they have a photo in a dining room. Actually, there was a post earlier about JCP mirrors, might find something cheaper there. Good luck, post your finished product!

I wish I were closer I'd paint something wonderful for you, just a large canvas with subtle washes and gradations of red!!
But alas, maybe go to a fabric store and find a knockout fabric, not too busy a pattern and stretch it over a prestretched canvas( stapled at back- this way it can be changed at a later date... or even get some fab wallpaper and attach it to a medite panel( paint the edges black or d brown)- again go for an overscale bold print!!!

http://www.walnutwallpaper.com/wallpapers.php?filter=color&type=red&name=Red&paperID=329

I had a similar problem with the wall in my living room, but then I found a gorgeous painting on www.UGallery.com.

It's all original artwork (I hated the idea of having something generic) and it's pretty affordable. I think my piece was around $400, but you could always get a series of pieces that add up to $200 and then arrange them in a cool way.

Good luck!

Stretched fabric is going to look like you ran out of money and will stick out like a sore (cheap) thumb with the rest of this room.

Put up a big square mirror until you can afford (and fall in love with) some real art.

Of find some rustic object or architectural fragment. Or hang a piece of Kuba cloth.

If you can't wait, check Ballard Designs and Overstock for large "space holder" art.

i think that CD cases can be a great way to make large scale art. if you use bold fabric or have a photo blown up, cut the art into squares, put them in the CD cases and attach them to the wall. dividing the image up gives it a more interesting and finished look. or just paint little squares in several different colors and arrange in a pleasing pattern.

mrs yow

Check out these wall tiles from mioculture.com. I'm planning on using some over the sofa since I can't afford art.

http://mioculture.com/store/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=2

Take a piece of string, a small pin or nail and a sharp pencil. Tie one end of the string to the pencil and the other end to the top of the pin or the nail. Put the nail/pin into the wall, and pull the string tight at different lengths to make random large/small/medium circles. Have some of the circle intersect. Have some of the circles partials where the brown paint meets the ceiling or one of the khaki walls. Then, using a fine paint brush and some red paint, go over the drawn circles...loosely - so that the circles look "sketched." Instant "wallpaper."

Hi, you might want to try your local craigslist for artwork and also both TJ maxx and Marshall's have a pretty good selection of wall art and frames for your own photos. With $200, that's a reasonable budget! Good luck!

This wall is screaming for one LARGE art piece. I think a bunch of small pieces would not give the same impact as a huge piece. Look at art websites such at art:ASAP.com and AllPosters.com or put your talent out there by purchasing a huge stretched canvas and your favorite colors and just paint. But GO BIG!

i've mentioned "polish posters" in the past(theater, opera, events).....don't remember how i found them, but they have incredible images. i think they have an "oversize" poster category.
http://www.polishposter.com/

framing is expensive, but years ago i gave a client (who needed several posters framed for a restaurant) the option of purchasing plexiglas cut to fit the poster dimensions. we then drilled holes in each corner to accommodate nicely finished brass screws. the poster, mounted on foam core or board, was marked for holes. the plexi and poster "sandwich" was then mounted, via the screws, onto the wall.

forgot to add that prices are reasonable...average price: $40 plus shipping for 32X40.

I just went to Paperboy for the first time this past weekend (1351 W Belmont). I actually read about it on this site. And, it was as fun and inspiring as I thought it would be. When I was looking around, I instantly thought how wonderful their beautifully patterned paper would look framed on a wall. This would be a cheap and easy way to add some punch to your wall. You should check it out.

why not another (non-CB2) marimekko hanging? maybe it's marimekko overkill, but the large scale of the prints would complement that space well. personally i love the bottna in green:

http://www.finnishgifts.com/marimekko-cotton-fabrics.html

or the wall flats used in that stereo cabinet makeover?
http://www.inhabitliving.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=20

otherwise i like the idea of a dramatic mirror. you can bring in color with a vase. or a nice colored credenza/sideboard.
or

I think you should pass on the art and spend the $200 on a rug. Urbanest in Andersonville has some nice sisal rugs at large sizes (you want to make sure the rug is big enough so that when the chairs are pulled out, they still rest on the rug). I bought a 8 x 10ish sisal rug last year from them for under $300.

A rug will help draw some attention away from the wall, which is already interesting because of its dark brown color. If you are desperate for art, I agree with some of the above posts--buy a large piece of canvas and paint it with washes of red as a temporary solution.

A slightly more traditional option (but still very effective) would be a large mirror with some candle sconces on either side. You could look at antique markets--a rough mirror with a tarnished reflection can be a really strong focal point and work the same way a piece of art would.

Good luck!

I'd love to see a large painted graphic, made by tracing an image that you like (using an overhead projector) then painting it in with one or more complimentary colors.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/042007/small-cool-2007-entries/16-brian-lukes-postwar-paradise-021418

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/hot-posts/hot-post-sideblown-quince-tree-mural-025812

a dan flavin-style light installation would look cool. four of five vertical neon tubes...

My husband and I decided to create our own painting on canvas to hang in our livingroom. We opened a bottle of wine and let our creative minds flow. 9 months later my son was born.

and a the painting hung over our couch for years.

Hey Lisa-

I'd recommend a really large scale peice. You can find affordable art from well known artists at www.lumas.com.

Hope this helps-
Lisa

Thanks pisceanchick for the reference ( I'm Brian of Brian and Luke's ...) That project was a fairly easy one to pull off but man I've had so much positive feedback on it since!! we still love it but since we've thrown up a swank Sputnic chand. and some decent shades for the window...

luvdecor--

I bet that painting gets even more interesting under black light.

Another thing I'd do, short term, is a TALL very vertical, very tailored arrangement on the table. Or a collection of elongated red glass vases of various variety. And the aforementioned mirror on the far wall.

something like that here would really work but do the pattern in a shade lighter or darker then the wall is now- don't go too contrasty or you'll overwhelm the rest of the room...http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/042007/small-cool-2007-entries/16-brian-lukes-postwar-paradise-021418

Chicago is a great art city--check out the art schools' annual sales, faculty and students' work. Commission something and pay in installments, but buy something REAL. If you must do it yourself for money reasons, take time and plan it out and don't do it drunk (although I loved the nine months later story.) And make it BIG.

Not exactly a poster or a print but....we went to the flower district and brought 3 large branches that fan out (they look kind of like coral) and put them together on our wall. You could easily spray paint them red if you really want them to pop. Crate and Barrel and West Elm and the like sell those things for a large price--but going directly to the source, we paid no more than $40 each branch.

How about enlarging an image or several images? You could hang it like wall paper or mount it on poster board. There are some great ideas at:

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas! I will definitely re-post once I've made the plunge.

I had the same problem. Oddly enough the same exact color, instead of red I used metallic gold paint. I create a geometric stencil from my favorite patterned shirt that I have and by photocopying it till it became large enough that it would not be to difficult to paint. Cut out the shape, trace it on some foam board and get ready to test your patience. It took a while to complete but well worth the $40 for paint.

Have you checked out the Sweden Shop on Foster across the street from North Park University? Well worth the trip out there, they have fabric which I found quite inspiring.

Try architectural salvage -- you should be able to get something large-ish in the way of ironwork for $200. Paint it a color that contrasts with the dark brown; hang with molly bolts. You get the play of light and shadow as well as the shape itself.

What about the blik Chandelier? It's cheap, it will go well with the clean lines of your furniture, it has a sly humor to it (especially in a dining room), and you can take it down if you get bored.

DITTO SOUTHENDER!

buy REAL art, don't make something just to fill the space...

be patient, live with the empty wall, and buy something that really speaks to you, that is meaningful, and that doesn't just coordinate with your furniture, otherwise it is just 'hotel art', which is an oxymoron...

Buy some canvasses, print out some black & white photos, color them in a la Warhol style, glue or decoupage the photos onto the canvas and hang them close together for your own art piece, or you could go to the rasterbator website ( homokaasu.org/rasterbator ) and print out large photos on 81/2 x 11 sheets on your printer. You definitely need something large there. This would be great (and inexpensive) until you find what you really want and love for the space.

a funky chandelier or modern hanging light fixture over the table?
Personally, the idea of a wash of color on canvas sounds kind of impersonal, maybe uninsipired. I would wait until you come across something you love and that really speaks to your personality, rather than thinking of it as just a shape or block of color to fill your space.

This wall hanging from CB2 would look great:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=587&f=4069&viewall=1

Canvas hardware = >$100. :-)

Generic catalog art is a shame. There is no need to settle for what everyone else has. Try original art for $99.!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/artwork/original-art-for-99-043543

Agree, colorist. But artists should get more than $100 for their art. And those who don't have $100 to spend should still be able to surround their homes with art. :-)