Farmhouse Gallery Wall

For quite some time, the wall above the Thomasville dresser has been blank, and the dresser has been covered in project supplies. But after cleaning the living room & gathering up some frames, I was able to create a new gallery wall that you see as soon as you walk into our home.

The best part about this project is that it's personal & cheap! Almost all of the frames are thrifted, the art was done by someone I know, and each art piece represents someone or something important to me.

I first started with a few elements I knew I'd want incorporated & worked my way from there. Gathering items together really helps me visualize the arrangement before I start putting holes in the walls.

I knew I'd want the ampersand to be up, not only for the color (distressed white), but also because of what it represents. This was the first decor item I bought for Aaron & I's apartment, so the "and" represented that this place would be ours. In a way, the ampersand is a symbol of us and our relationship in this home.

Each of the wooden 5" x 7" frames were $0.79 at the Salvation Army in our neighborhood, and the window frame had been in our basement since we'd moved in (I bought it about a year and a half ago). 

Once I had all of the frames and items in one place, I knew where I wanted the two biggest pieces & quickly hung them up, closely followed by the ampersand. The feather was a piece that Hannah had already painted for me; it inspired the rest of the wall.

Once I put the rest of the frames up & filled them with more custom art from Hannah, the wall looked fabulous! It even made the dresser look great in its original state, further solidifying my decision to leave it in this condition.

The feather on the left was the inspiration for this piece, but doesn't represent much of anything (other than Target, which arguably could be something considered important in my life with how much time I've spent in there).

The blue jay eggs in the nest represent my Grandma Cole. Her favorite color has always been blue, so we chose these eggs to keep with the bird theme.

In the large window frame, a goldfinch egg and the bird itself are shown, representing my parents. We always used to feed the goldfinches in the area & watch them stop by and hear their loud "peeeeEEEEP!"-ing all spring & summer long.

  

Lastly, cardinal eggs in a nest represent my Great Grandma, as cardinals were her favorite bird. She had them on several pieces of clothing, decorations, and a windchime that hung above her kitchen sink.

The goldfinch feather is a continuation of the window frame pieces, tying the two ends of the wall together & completing the collection.

I couldn't be happier with how this wall turned out. There are plenty of natural elements, accented with small bursts of color. The art pieces all coincide with each other, are sentimental, and aren't generic big-box store decor.

This project helped me to clean the living room, so at the very least, it the living room looks better if only for the boxes & bags of donation items being ditched at Salvation Army ;)

Allie & I were talking about maybe sanding down the edges of the ampersand a little more, since both it and the wall are white. Distressing it might make it pop a little more, but I don't want to over-do it.

Until we decide and another project gets taken care of, I'm just going to look at it and debate.

See you soon!