Silhouette portraiture has been around since the late 18th century and still holds its old world charm today. This art-form has gone from the tradition of black paper cut out portraits to being created in every color, pattern and shape you can imagine.
Adding silhouettes to your home instantly gives an old-timey elegance to the room. We find it being grouped in framed portraits, on plates and pillows, and silkscreened on furniture. Now don't think you have to stop at people portraiture; you can have fun silhouetting any animal or object whose shape tickles your fancy. Here are some modern twists on an old-school art that has been trending for the past few years and will no doubt hold true for many more to come.
Top Row
1. Benign Objects
2. Design Public
3. DIY Ideas
4. HGTV
5. Decor Pad via Lonny Mag
Bottom Row
1. Vintage Renewal
2. Paper Cuts by Joe
3. DIY Silhouette Shams from Apartment Therapy
4. Inhabit
5. Oh, So Darling
Images: As linked above.
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I love the bench in the first picture! It's so unusual, I've never seen one like it.
How cool are these?!
I'l been collecting silhouettes (some of my family) for years. Nice to see them making a comeback.
Hmm, anyone else remember when that first image (minus the photoshopped silhouettes) was the cover of Blueprint magazine a few years ago? I knew it looked familiar---hunted down a link because it was driving me crazy: http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/01/cheap-yet-hip-wall-art/
The 3rd picture on the top row with the yellow couch..anyone know where to find that rug?
I said this the first time I saw that bench in the first image, and I'll say it again. I love it. I want it. I need it.
Sigh.
@mrterle, yes! totally. aw, I loved that magazine.
I like silhouettes, but I hope they don't suffer from over saturation and end up a trend that is forever branded as late 2000s home decor like the yin yang symbol in the 90's or something. blech*.
*note to self: trick people into thinking yin yangs are cool again....
I'm a huge fan of silhouettes! I once painted a silhouette of two male heads facing each other for one of my gay clients and they LOVED it (i loved it more lol)
As an interior designer, if I am unable to find something amazing...I tend to just do it/make it myself!
Thanks for this post!
Ruben Marquez
www.rubenmarquezjr.com/blog
Great picks. I love Jason Miller's work (second photograph, Design Public). You should check his other pieces too.
My mom found my old Disneyland silhouette from when I was five and mailed it to me, so I made an updated portrait of me 20 years later to hang next to it. I think the pair looks pretty cute, if I do say so myself!
A little different then these but also check out http://www.etsy.com/listing/77300249/bpt-mirror
I made a couple of silhouette pillows because I just couldn't afford the ones that I saw online or on etsy. The weiner dog ones were made out of wool table mats that were on christmas clearance for .99 each.
Check em out:
http://typearamblings.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-silhouette-pillows.html
And the pillows from Inhabit were on my "want but can't afford" list.
We made our own silhouettes and reversed out the color---varying the background for each member of our family, with all the heads in white. I can see them from my bed (they are in the hall) and I love them.
Here's how we did them:
http://thenestinggame.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/silhouettes/