Thrifted Finds: Crafting a Serene Winter Gallery Wall

Welcome to the blog today, friends! I hope your holidays were filled with merriment and joy, shared with those closest to you. After all the color and glitter that abounds in December, I’m ready for a simple, calmer look to embrace the quiet beauty of winter. Today, I’m inviting you to join me as I create that serene look in my Morning Room—one step at a time.

Every design begins with a spark of inspiration, and that inspiration can come from anywhere. For this winter refresh, my idea was born from the evocative lyrics of a poem turned into a well-loved holiday song. The poem, written by Christina Rossetti and set to music by Gustav Holst, captures the stark yet peaceful essence of winter:

In the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter, long ago.

The imagery of a quiet, frozen landscape feels like the perfect antidote to the chaos and color of the holiday season. It offers an invitation to calm, to quiet reflection, and to a gentle start to the new year.

With this peaceful vision in mind, I turned my attention to the Morning Room—a space that welcomes soft winter light and invites a slower pace. I wanted to create a look that feels cozy yet minimal, where the beauty of simplicity shines through.

The prints above are treasures unearthed at the Goodwill Last Chance Clearance store, where chance often delivers unexpected beauty. These two black-and-white winter scenes, crafted by the same artist, evoke a quiet, timeless elegance. Each depicts a snowy landscape graced by delicate birds, a solitary wooden structure, and endless fields of white. In one, a serene lake reflects the tranquility of the season, drawing the eye into its soft, hushed world. The simplicity of the monochromatic tones whispers of peace and the beauty of nature laid bare. Amazingly, these untouched prints were just 45 cents each, still nestled in their original packaging. I paired them with thrifted frames I already had and visited Hobby Lobby to find pre-cut, double mats that perfectly embraced the artwork—an affordable touch of sophistication for under $5 each. In the end, framing these two serene pieces cost less than $10, yet they bring a priceless charm to any space.

This is the other print by the same artist.

I really liked the minimal color scheme that was developing and I wanted a few more examples to create the wall vignette. The next piece I found was a pastel painting.

On the left, you can see the pastel artwork in its original frame, accompanied by a mat that, to my eye, seemed at odds with the delicate tones of the piece. The colors clashed, drawing attention away from the art itself, and the mat cropped part of the painting’s story. To give it the showcase it deserved, I reframed it in a sleek black frame with a white double mat I had saved from a previous thrift store find. Now, the painting is fully revealed, its composition unhindered, allowing its vibrant energy to shine. The scene captures the raw power and untamed beauty of nature, placing you at the very edge of a rocky shore. Crashing waves, whipped by a vigorous wind, churn and sweep in a mesmerizing rhythm, reminding us that nature can be both breathtakingly beautiful and awe-inspiringly formidable.

Including our own photography is a special joy for me, and these two images are wonderful examples. The photo on the left captures a rare and magical moment—a snowfall blanketing the view from our front door, transforming the familiar into a winter wonderland. The photo on the right, taken by my husband, is a striking study of the moon suspended in a deep, velvety black sky. Photographing these photos presented a challenge, as reflections in the glass made it difficult to capture a clear image of the finished pieces. Both are framed and matted with thrifted finds, unified by my favorite combination of black frames and crisp white mats. I’m always on the lookout for frames with these elements when I’m out thrifting—they create such a cohesive and timeless look, allowing the art or photography to take center stage.

When curating this gallery, I asked my daughter to contribute some of her photography, and she provided three breathtaking scenes. One captures drifting snow sweeping across a mountaintop in Colorado, another showcases a killer whale set against a majestic Alaskan mountain backdrop, and the third features a rustic stone cabin nestled beneath snow-capped peaks in Colorado. The vivid colors of the originals are stunning, but I chose to convert them to black and white to harmonize with the rest of the gallery. Each image was carefully matted and framed using thrifted finds, blending beautifully into the display. Including these family photographs adds such a personal and heartfelt touch to the vignette, making it not just a collection of images but a cherished celebration of family memories.

When creating a wall vignette, it’s essential to incorporate a variety of sizes and textures to keep the arrangement visually dynamic. On the left is a striking ceramic piece we discovered during a visit to Savannah—its craftsmanship and subtle elegance make it a standout. At the center is a delicate watercolor, gifted to me for my birthday, with just a whisper of color that draws the eye in a gentle, thoughtful way. On the right, a painted scroll on textured paper adds depth and an intriguing tactile element to the display. Together, these pieces create a harmonious blend of materials and forms, each telling its own story while complementing the gallery as a whole.

This final thrifted watercolor is a piece I couldn’t bear to part with after the Christmas wall vignette. Its subject—windswept dunes—speaks in the same gentle tonal language as the rest of the collection, even as soft blues and greens whisper through the scene. It has quickly become one of my favorites, exuding a quiet charm that draws you in. The rough wooden frame, finished in a variegated gray, perfectly complements the dark gray mat, creating a subdued and harmonious backdrop for the artwork. Together, these elements keep the painting beautifully aligned with the serene mood of this vignette.

Here, the curated upper section of the display comes into view, showcasing a thoughtful variety of sizes, textures, and subject matter, all unified by a calming black-and-white tonal palette. The theme, Alone in the Natural World, weaves through each piece, creating a sense of connection and harmony among the selections. This cohesive thread evokes solitude and contemplation, inviting the viewer to pause and appreciate the quiet beauty of nature. In contrast to the vibrant color and bustle of the holiday season, this vignette offers a tranquil retreat for the spirit—a space where serenity reigns, and reflection thrives.

Here’s the completed gallery wall. You can see on the bottom shelf below the bird watercolor a collection of indoor plants and some herbs that I grow throughout the winter months. I have grow lamps attached to the end of the shelves that provide a soft light for these plants to keep them healthy and vibrant.

Thank you for being here with me today as I arranged this new wall display in the Morning Room. Sometimes, the simplest changes can create a sense of calm, a quiet space to pause and just be. This little corner now invites moments of stillness and reflection. I hope it inspires you to find your own peaceful retreat. Until next time, friends, may you find beauty in the quiet moments.