Home Art

Remember CopperArt ?  I think I saw more ads for CopperArt as a kid than I did actual
tv programs.

CopperArt is now HomeArt, but i'm still pretty sure most of the items you can buy there
are on sale in this fabulous Pete Smith commercial from 1988:




Nice.


My aunt was an award-winning local copper artist. 

She did relief sculptures and they hung around her home festooned with the
show ribbons to show off her many successes.  Her house was pretty interesting -
along with the copper art, there was a giant fork and spoon wall hanging and they had a bar! 

I used to play in the bar a lot as there wasn't much to do for little kids at their house. 

I was fascinated with the copper(!) necklaces around the bottlenecks declaring
"MARTINI" or "VERMOUTH" and they had matchbooks from many different places
and fancy cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. 

Oh, and her bed had a radio built in the bedhead, and she had these fibre-optic flower
lamps that bloomed with changing colour.  I'm sure it was all very tacky, but I was fascinated. 
We didn't have any of that stuff at my house. 

There is something very magical about falling to sleep watching a musical fibre optic rose
blossom and fade, blossom and fade.


Anyway, when we moved back into this house, some of the art we had up previously
no longer worked with the new walls, and I cant put up my giant LOVE metal letters as
I inherited my Grandmother's piano, but we are getting there. 

I've got some great ideas for a few empty spaces.. just got to get my craft on.

It wont be copper art.



Here's some art i've got up so far:




^ You've seen my hallway art .. still quite proud of that effort :)





^ Outside my son's room.

I made this too.  There's a similar one you can buy on the market, but to be honest,
whenever I went to click "BUY" the dimensions of the arrow bugged me .. not quite right. 

I spent a long day in Photoshop creating this and comparing to the proper iconic
Melbourne hook turn signs I could find in Google Images to get the dimensions just so,
and to find the perfect font.

You can see my big unhung L O V E metal letters on top of Grandma's piano here too. 






^
Further down the hallway just before you turn into the open-plan kitchen/living area
is my wall of SuperCats.

I was lucky enough to receive these 4 SuperCats for Christmas last year .. and I knew
where I wanted to put them, but they were just too small for the wall space. 

Oh!  but then I remembered my Chat Noir framed print and I think good & evil offset
themselves nicely here.








^ I won this piece of art with my Carpet Court prize.  I love the colours in it.
It's by Gazza & Wazza of The Block fame. 

I'm not sure if they actually made the art though, I think maybe just curated? 





^ and this superb canvas is an original artwork by my multi-talented friend Clair.
When I enter my home via the front door, this is the first thing you see at the end
of the hallway and it's just perfect.  You can find Clair here, among other places:
( http://www.saatchiart.com/clairbremner )





^Finally, I picked this up on our Geelong Weekend, just before we were about to board the ferry.
It is perfectly sunny in my laundry/pantry.





^ Next up I am concentrating on that space above my green egg chair.
I have some ideas I need to workshop some more that are perfectly formed in my mind,
so we'll see how they pan out in real life!

Then I need to hit the bedrooms.


I don't mind little steps though .. it takes time to make a home come together.


xx
Lea

Related articles

• Hallway Update
• The Bathroom .. Now with a Touch of Green ..
• Where the Wild Things Are.
• The Death of Craft

Hallway Update

It's been a while since I did a house update - the little things take time I think.

Repenting in leisure does not suit me .. especially if I have to walk past something
"not quite right" everyday, and especially even more if that something is an art work,
which usually, being a thing of beauty, has a pretty price-tag too.




I wanted something to go above the hallway bench.

I'm not sure where I got the rest of my idea from.  Things tend to come to me in dreams,
so we'll go with that.  I know I was aware of steel words you could buy from stores,
but they weren't quite right for me - size, pricepoint, or font. 

I know I did steal some inspiration from them though.

A cheaper copy, if you will.






And I wanted to mount it somehow.

I know it's a bit trendy, but I do love the pallet look.  I have a pallet coffeetable, and have
always loved a rustic edge.  Also, I have Scottish blood, so you know .. hello pricepoint - ✓

This pallet was gifted from a friend who actually made the most awesome deck seating
system with built-in flowerpots.  From pallets.  Oh yeah.  'tis sweet.  Very sweet.





So there you have it .. a bit more of my house.

I dismantled the pallet and put it back together to the size I wanted, and then I shaped
wire to make my word.  Once happy with everything, I wrapped the wire in wool and
fixed it to my pallet. 

By the way, try finding a nice thick wool in Melbourne in a good hue. 
I seriously bought the last ball of this stuff and I looked in a fair few places.

That frame with the bunny in it?
I bought that on my honeymoon 18yrs ago.  The frame that is, the bunny print was
another gift from another friend ( I have good friends, huh? )


There's more hallway, obvs .. we've just put some prints up on the other side too ..
but I haven't finished tweaking, so .. another day.

I just wanted to share this because it's one of those projects that worked out just how
I wanted and I so love walking past it and I love it.  I think it looks great with the
yellow and red and green and orange .. I couldn't have planned it any better if I tried :D


xx
Lea

Related articles

• Sliding Door Made from Old Pallets
• Home Art
• Gift Vouchers for Christmas ( or other occasions! ) :: Melbourne Lifestyle Photographer
• Weekend Inspiration: Pallets!!

And Now For the Stuff I Really Like ..

The things I do like, the colours that come up time and again, the textures and finishes.

I feel like i'm in an ep of "Who Do You Think You Are" and getting closer to discovering my
true self ( ha! ).  Too bad my family is just a long line of nutjobs...
( and I can say that because i'm not without my ishews too ;)


L-R on the Clockwise...


Round Sisal Rug

It's funny, because i'm sure a lot of dislikes come from my childhood, but then so does my likes. 
I love sisal.  In the home where I first lived ( as a baby ) we had seagrass matting. 
Oh how it *cut* into my soft baby soles .. I was scared of it.  But I also loved it. 
Our first rug as a couple was sisal.  I was sad when it was finally time to say goodbye -
rugs in general are just awesome.  I also grew up with a cowskin rug and love them too
( my dad chose a cow with a nice pattern, then we had it slaughtered, tanned, and we ate
the cow .. barbaric, huh?  ).  It wasn't very warm or soft to sit on, but it felt and smelled nice.


'Ribbon Stool'

I love a touch of red in the living area.  We've had red couches in the past which I loved,
and I think red will make a nice counter-foil to all the grey-blue in the room. 
These are from West Elm, but I can't find them on the newly-opened Australian site.  Boo. 
Lucky there's lots of industrial styled stools around the place I love. 
None with red metal i've found yet, but that's ok.  That's why paint was invented..


IBride Tray/Art

When I first saw IBride's art a few years back, my eyes popped.  I immediately tracked them
down to a stockist in Prahran and stood for a long time in that store admiring a $$$ platter
with an empty purse.  It was beautiful.  I took my husband with the understanding it might be
more than I could afford, and i'm sure if i'd wheedled I could have nabbed it .. but ultimately
it was my nail-nibbling financial calculations that bravely made me turn away.  Regret. 
But maybe one day..


Floor Lamps!

Well, any lamp really.  When it comes to ambient light, i'm like more, more MORE! 
I love this one, but if you showed me another i'd probably love that too.


Bench Seats

This picture reminds me of a lovely home I lived in for a little while once in Califormia
as a student.  In the seats were all manner of fluffy throws and cushions. 
There is nothing better than a seat that uses a window as backing. 
To curl up and watch trees and birds and raindrops on the glass.  Heaven.


'Pallet Style' Coffee Table.

I was saying on facebook the other day that i've never owned a coffee table as i've never
found one that i've liked enough to buy ( although we did have one once, as part of an IKEA
starter set when we first moved in together, but hello .. that was 2 decades ago!? ). 
Anyhoo, these.. are.me. 

This is my favourite by far around the traps, but it's from Birmingham, England. 
I've toyed with making my own too .. hmm ..


Industrial Art

I don't know why I like metal typography and reclaimed pieces as much as I do. 
Is it the aesthetic you pick up as a starving Uni student, where art and furnishing is seen
in every empty milk crate?  Is it a yearning for the past?  I think a lot of the time I like things
because they are used, not perfect, a bit dinged.  Perfection makes me nervous.


Mustard Lounge Suite with Chaise

I've always wanted a chaise.  'Nuff said.  This chaise isn't GOLD, btw .. it's mustard. 
There's a difference :)


Egg Chair

Again, always wanted.  This would be for me as I rarely get a spot on the couch. 
It would cup me while I read and the yahoos watch tele.  I quite like this emerald green too. 
The arched back would add some curvature to the square-ish room..

I love chairs the way I love lamps..


Split-Level Living

Our house is on a bit of a slope, and it makes me sad we couldn't split-level it. 
I love sunken lounges, mezzanines, split levels.  Another house maybe ..


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Anyhoo, no spending for me in my immediate future i've been told by the boss :/


We move back in at the end of next month.  The painters are making everything look all
fresh & breezy right now and the tiler starts on Monday.  Then they're oiling my floorboards.


Yes, oiling.  Something else I went backwards & forwards on and gathered much opinion
( resulting in a pretty even 50/50 split of opinion ).. but I just took a call from the builder
and he's all in favour of it.  I could tell from his voice he just saw the same awesome awesome sample I did and he was pretty excited.

I also assume it's something new he can sell to other people if it works for me,
so that decision is happily made.


So what do you think of my style?  I guess it's sort of natural/rustic?  But not overly so? 
If I had to describe myself i'd say i'm kinda autumnal? ( my fave fave fave season! ) ..
happiest always in my boots and a jacket .. my garden is practically all deciduous,
and the colours here are the colours of the leaves as they fall on my bluestone tiles ( t-Ziing! ). 
It definitely has a cooler weather vibe to it I think.

A friend of mine is contemplating a move to Beechworth.  From Sydney. 
I told her I never felt like I belonged until I moved to Melbourne ( from NSW ).


Home.



( BTW - feel free to show me the things you love and hate too - i'd love to come take a peek at what you come up with ! x )

Gallery Space

These pics are a little bit crunchy, but I just wanted to pump out this little mini-reveal into a space I am quite excited about.

 
 ^
the Space as it is now .. and an artist's impression ( ha! ) of future space ...


 Ok .. so this is a little alcove after you come in the front door.  it used to be the kitchen, and one day, about 5years from now, it will be an open stairwell.

I like it.  A lot. 




The amount of  perfect going into the house bothers me somewhat - sure I love clean lines and surfaces, but i'm also drawn to the quirk - textural interest .. imperfections, flaws..

Which, if homes are a reflection of their owners, then I think i'm pretty true to myself.

And I dreamed of this wall.
I trust my dreams implicitly.


Yesterday I found these metal letters.
Today I bought them.


I can't tell you how happy they make me.