art + design

Living Room

This post is sponsored by Art.com

When people come in our apartment they usually comment how it looks bigger than 450 square feet. We hadn’t measured it since before we moved in so I decided to measure it again and we’ve been officially upgraded from 450 to 550 square feet! I measured the countertops too. Does that count as square footage? I don’t know. Somehow 550 sounds a whole lot better than 450 so I’m going with it. Even though this apartment is small it has a really good layout. Some apartments can feel so wasteful with space. For example we used to live in an apartment with an enormous bathroom (it was big enough to fit a queen size bed!) It was a luxury to have a bathroom that big but it was such a waste of space when we needed room so badly in other places like the nursery.

Here is a little peek of our new living room. I knew I wanted some art that was large and black and white and I fell in love with this “Beach Exercises” piece from Art.com that Jocelyn picked. It is quirky but I liked that it feels sort of subtle because it is black and white. The bookshelf is from World Market. The lamp is from IKEA and I am toying with painting it a color (maybe fluorescent?) The little white piece of artwork is by a friend Sunny Belliston Taylor and the large piece on the right is from the flea market.

Our rugs and the last few pieces of furniture that we shipped over from France get here this week. I’m excited to put them in the apartment so I can feel like it is officially “done.” I can’t wait to share pictures of the whole apartment.

The Commission Project

I always hear people say they would love to purchase a painting but it is out of their price range. So a few years ago Paul and I discussed different ideas and we came up with the idea of The Commission Project. For a flat price of $240 you can commission your own custom portrait. There are a limited amount of spots available at this discounted rate (they are normally $450) and in the past it has sold out in just a few days. The process is really simple, just purchase a painting right here and then email your photo in–then wait by your mailbox for your finished painting. They will be shipped no later than December 1st. These make great little presents, just in time for the holidays!

So if you need a portrait of your dog or baby or lover…or a painting of your childhood home, your family car, or your wedding shoes, now is your chance. Click here for more details, photo submission requirements, more sample paintings and to purchase.

PS: A lot of people have asked for it, so this is the first year a bigger size is being offered in addition to the standard size.

Big Art

This post is sponsored by 20×200. Art for Everyone. 20×200 has three quality framing options (Made-to-Measure Mat, Quick Kit w/ Basic Frame, and Custom Frame) so you can have your art delivered to your door and ready to hang.

I love 20×200 because they make art accessible. Not only for the people buying art but they really put an emphasis on promoting emerging artists. I’ve just been putting finishing touches on our apartment like choosing throw pillows and  art. For the living room, it is really small so I want a really large piece that is subtle and lots of white. I usually lean towards color with the furniture so I feel like I need to tone it down and make the room feel a little moody. Here are some of my favorite picks from 20×200.

Offerings by Taca Zhijie Sui

Waiting by Ian Baguskas

North of the Tennis House by Joseph O. Holmes

Lake of Tears by Taca Zhijie Sui

Food Sign by Bryan Schutmaat

Modern Sticker Book

I bought one of these awesome sticker books from Muji last year in Europe and I love it. There are a ton of different blank faces and six pages of stickers in the back filled with different eyes, noses, mouths, etc so the kids can make their own book of faces. It’s really well done and the quality is excellent. My kids love it and it keeps them really busy on trips and at restaurants. I noticed they just started carrying it in the US Muji stores .

Inflated Deflated

I love this tumblr page. They also sell prints right here.