It’s the middle of August….. almost…..and I’ve been feeling a need to switch over from Summer decor to something a bit more “Fall” like. So welcome everyone to the blog today as I show you how I changed out the main Great Room Bookcase. I’m not quite finished yet but this will give you an idea.
If you look in the bottom left of the above picture, you can see two rows of wine glasses that pretty much blend right in with the background of the bookcase. In the other sections you can see that by adding a picture in a dark frame behind or in the center of a grouping of glasses, the crystal shows up much better. Contrasting light and dark works almost every time.
I started out by choosing the pictures. This first one is by a local watercolor artist. The subject is an old house in browns and greens with a black mat and frame. Then I attached a velcro strip to the back of the painting (see first picture). I eyeballed the space and placed the painting in the center of the bookcase compartment. It appears to be floating. In the far right picture I used the same technique. This time the watercolor is of a bird drinking from a pond. I have a hand-carved goose and one made of plant material flanking the painting. Some crystal glasses were added on either side of the painting. The dark frame and matting are repeated.
Once the pictures were mounted on the back of the bookcase I added crystal glasses to the space. I have a lot of really pretty ones and they are usually keep behind glass in another room. Thought it might be fun to display them all together in one space. From a distance the glasses almost disappear and you are primarily aware of the paintings. It’s fun to collect these smaller pieces of art work. They are more flexible and you can move them around easily. When I want a new display I can easily detach the velcro strips from both the wall and the painting.
Here’s a close-up of another painting and my Vera Wang glasses. the glasses are split across two shelves.
This shows the rest of the Vera Wang and the Pairpoint goblets. The picture is actually two small paintings of a Deep Southern garden. Sorry for the glare and reflection off the glass. Couldn’t seem to find an angle that prevented the reflection.
Here I have an etching of a cute little cat. Really like the whimsical quality of this art work. I grouped it with some colorful blue and green goblets.
Look at the bottom left of the bookcase. You can see, in the next picture, how a framed picture changes the look of the space.
The framed artwork defines the space and gives a great backdrop for the crystal glasses.
Although I still have a few sections to complete I am loving how this is coming together. Sometimes you just have to try new things and see if you like it. Most of the items on display were thrifted. It’s amazing what you can find at the Thrift Store.