Monday’s Moments #5

We’ve been covering a lot of different vignettes and how to apply them to our rooms.  Today, I would like to talk about challenging spaces.  Do you have a challenging area in terms of decorating?  Usually, we all have one.  Something that either stumps us or is just unusual.

 

Mine is our fireplace.   It is not your usual one dimensional mantel.  The fireplace sits in the corner and is a beehive, add to that, it is brick.  So not only is it curved, but it angles back towards the top corner the higher you go up.  Thus the name beehive.  See my challenge?

 

 

I had avoided decorating the mantel because I knew it was going to be tough.  Just before I rearranged the furniture, I had tackled this spot, and got it on the first try.  How many times does that happen?  I ended up using a painting that fits the space proportionally.  Because it fits the space well, you don’t notice that it is a flat painting sitting on a curved background.

 

 

Next, I took a collection of crosses and placed them asymmetrically around the painting.  I did not have these grouped together at the last house.  Grouping them created much more visual impact.  (See that there are an odd number of crosses?)

 

 

Finally, I placed a little tin I picked up from Goodwill next to one of the crosses.  It contrasts the rectilinear shape of the painting, but repeats the colors you find in the painting as well.  It and the cross propped on it’s side, helps to balance the visual weight of the two crosses on the other side.

 

 

Overall, it is a simple vignette.  But, it needs to be simple because the fireplace and the beams in the room hold enough interest already.  I don’t want the mantle to be the star of the room, but the beams and fireplace to be the attention getters.  We are just accenting and pulling a little attention to those features, by drawing our attention to the fireplace and our eye up towards the beamed ceiling.

 

Okay, now it’s your turn.  What places challenge you when it comes to design?  Did you create a vignette that decorated a challenging space and are really happy with the results?

 

How are your vignettes coming?  Make sure to email me a photo, or post one on the Lil Huckleberries Facebook page, so I can feature your vignette in the coming weeks!