New Living Room Art

Well FINALLY after having our art prints for the living room for about 5 months, we got them all hung up! We have a big blank wall in the living room, the only spot the room has for art (other than the gallery wall of our wedding photos on the wall behind the sofa). I knew it needed to be large scale and I wanted something fairly neutral with black frames to pick up some contrast from other areas around the room. I love the depth that black creates!

Here is the listing photo of the house:

Here's the room last summer after we installed our builtins:



And here's the room TODAY:


In case you missed any of the previous posts about this room, here's our finished builtins, the DIY hearth stencil, and new rug.

 I found this art on Juniper Print Shop's website after scouring it, and right when I saw this I knew it was perfect. I love the modern yet whimsical feel I knew it'd bring to our more traditional space. Juniper Print Shop is one of my go-to's for client art because it's so affordable and you can even choose to print it yourself or have a professional print mailed to you (which is what we did in this case, since it was so large). The art in our dining room is also from JPS and LOVE it.

Large Frames:

Okay, let's talk about the frames. The great thing about JPS are their print sizes are compatible with Ikea frames. This is the Ribba frame in 24x36". I was worried the plexiglass was going to look super cheap, but I'm here to tell you, I'm SUPER happy with it and would use it again and even put it in a client's home. They're really quite easy to hang and very lightweight. While I prefer hanging art with a picture hanging wire and this doesn't have that, you could install them yourself, but otherwise what they came with worked just fine. 


 Just a note, the frames took TWO MONTHS to arrive to me because of Covid. But they are here and I am so happy. I thought for sure they were gonners ;)



 Hanging Height:

You want the center of your art to be about 58-61" from the ground up the wall. Mark this measurement on your wall before starting, then get the center of the art at this location by having one person hold it up, then a second person marking the top of the frame so that you know where the top will be. From there, measure down to the hanging hook to see how far down you need to put your nail in order for the height to be correct. I have a story about this on instagram highlights if you want a more in depth look at how we hang art!



Art Size & Placement: 

I'm so happy with the size and that I went with the larger one. I was debating back and forth between this size or one size smaller, but then I remember my golden rule: when in doubt, always go bigger. We centered them on this wall since nothing is along the wall; however, we would love to get a larger sectional sofa soon and if we do, the long part would sit along this back wall and we may have to rehang the art to be centered over the sofa depending on placement and length of the sofa. We'll see! 

General Tip: you want your wall art to take up about 1/3-2/3 the size of the wall OR 2/3 the size of whatever it is hanging over (in this case, it's not hanging over anything, but say there was a sofa along this wall-- you'd want to make sure it was about 2/3 the length of that).






 Doesn't art just totally finish off a space? Well, that and window treatments :)  Thanks for taking a peek! Other than our new sofa we hope to get in the coming year and a window bench seat for our bay window, the room is done!


xoxo



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When Memories & Art Collide

A couple months ago I showed you a new piece of custom art we got for our bedroom from my friend Rachel Wadlow Art. It's an abstract painting of one of our wedding pictures and I adore it. Rachel's an incredible painter and I just love how she can take real-life moments or photographs and preserve them in abstract paintings! She is truly talented!
Rachel just came up with a new product she offers in her etsy shop. Basically, you send her a photo and she will paint you a custom piece inspired by that photo, then frame the two pieces in this new frame she designed where the small framed photograph actually sits on top of the abstract art. You can see what I mean below! This is a totally new kind of framing style.  Isn't it cool?!

I sent her my favorite sunset of all time-- the first sunset we saw on our honeymoon in Maui. It was a cotton candy sky, that's for sure (and in the colors of our wedding!!) My husband and I both love sunsets, so we wanted to preserve this memory in a painting. Rachel's painting arrived to me a couple weeks ago and I love it! It's so fun to see how she interprets the photo in her paintings.

She also incorporates some pencil lines in her work which I love. It just adds to the uniqueness of the piece!
I actually like mine unframed as well, sitting on my bookcase. So different and fun, right?!

Thanks for the gorgeous painting, Rachel! Check out her Etsy shop here (she has tons of custom options available and even paints stunning backdrops for a wedding or photoshoot!) Use code GALLERYWALL for 10% off any Instant Gallery Wall Print + Painting Duo.

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo
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(Note: I received this painting as a gift from the artist, but opinions are all 100% my own as always. Thank you for supporting shops and artists we love!)
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Apartment Kitchen Updates


It's been a while since I've shown you an update in my kitchen and since I've added a few new things, I thought it was the perfect time to show you around!

 I have been saving up for my marble cutting board from Sur La Table, and finally I decided to pull the trigger while I was at the store a few weeks ago. Since I have all (ugly) laminate countertops in my apartment, I wanted to come up with a way to distract from them. This HUGE marble pastry/cutting board covers a large section of my counter and I love it! I was surprised by how affordable it was. {Side note: Sur La Table is one of those stores I could stay in forever and end up thinking I needed absolutely everything in the store by the time I left. Thing I didn't even know I wanted or even existed suddenly seem so necessary! ;)}

 I picked up these flowers (probably the last of the peonies for the year!) at the farmer's market yesterday.

Since my apartment is so white, thanks to these builder-white, no-sheen walls, I like to add color in other ways. When I saw this ADORABLE print by Lily & Val, I knew it needed to go in my kitchen asap. If you know me, you know I drink ridiculous amounts of tea, so this print was basically made for me ;) I framed it in a fun turquoise frame to pick up on the pastel colors in the chalk art. Have you checked out Lily & Val recently?! Valerie has everything you could dream of! From placemats, wrapping paper, sweet greeting cards and more, there are so many beautiful and thoughtful pieces for your home. You can get 10% off your next L&V purchase with code MND10.

Two weeks ago I picked up this little basil plant and thankfully, it's still alive! I truly can't believe it! Clearly it's a little wilted, but hopefully it has a few more weeks left in it, because I love cooking with basil. To complete the little counter vignette, I have my recipe box sitting to the right.


Last week I grabbed this dish towel for 50% off at Anthropologie, which made it less than $10! This exact one is sold out, but I love this one just as much. This striped set is also fun.


Tea Kettle

Finally, I'm not sure why it took me this long to think of it, but I've finally found a great solution for two problems. One, the top of my fridge has always felt awkward and empty. Two, my fruit/veggie bowl has always taken up too much counter space. Last week I stacked two of my cookbooks on the fridge and put the bowl on top of that. I think it added some good height and keeps things interested up there. It also covers the ugly cabinets a bit ;) 

Cookbooks: Three Sisters Bake / It's All Good  / Fruit bowl: HomeGoods


It's amazing how small little updates can really make the rooms look and feel so different. I love that about decorating! Have you made any kitchen updates recently?

Don't forget you can get 10% off your next Lily & Val purchase with code MND10.

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

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Note: MND was gifted the Tea print from Lily & Val, but as always, all opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting shops we genuinely love.
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Kitchen Update: New Art & Paint


It's been a month of changes around our house! We've been redoing little things around my parent's home since September, and there's nothing better than seeing your design work come together and see your parents clients really happy with the results.  In addition to the living room design plan {which, by the way, we chose a rug-- thanks for helping us!} 

We painted the whole interior of the house KM Malibu Beige, which actually comes out looking more gray, and we love it! In the kitchen, we also took down the dated piece of art above the bar cart and replaced it with beautiful paintings from The Paper Wing shop on etsy. I just love these herb prints, as they're more modern and the black frames accent the black detailing on the bar cart perfectly.

Have a look at the before and after below!



 




SHOP: Herb Art Work

What do you think of the changes? I know you can't really tell we painted the walls with this lighting, but hopefully I'll get some better shots later so you can see.

Have you done any quick updates recently?

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo
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A Playful Kid's Room Design Plan + Artwork

One of my best friends and her husband are adopting 2 or 3 children from Ethiopia very soon! It's been such an amazing {and trying} experience to watch, and I'm so grateful to have been included in the process along the way.  They already have two children, whom I adore like my own, so adding more to the family will be such a joyous time. As adoption goes, they are unsure of how many children, what gender they will be, and when these sweet kiddos will be coming home, so the design for their new room is on stand by until we get more details.  

However, one thing is for sure! When I laid eyes on these STUNNING watercolor prints by Laura Dro Designs, I knew they had to be in the room.  What could be more perfect than a set of colorful, safari animals for wall decor?! I went over to Kate's house the other day to snap a picture of the prints in the room.  The walls will stay this light blue, the prints will be framed in white frames and hung above the dresser, and we'll be adding some key pieces to the space as they get closer to bringing home their kids. For now, this is the general design direction: simple and practical, playful and colorful. 

Details | Curtains // Bunk Beds // Striped Rug // Bookcase // Lamp // Watercolor Wall Art

What do you think?! Fun, right? I can't wait to give more updates on the space as it comes together.  If you'd like to follow along with their family's adoption, you can follow Kate's adoption blog here and keep them in your prayers! 

Enjoy your weekend!
xoxo
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PS. You can catch me over at Katie's blog, See You There, today as well! I'm dishing on travel tips in Seattle.
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NS Pottery Giveaway

It's giveaway time!! My ever-so-adorable sponsor, Natalie from NS Pottery is giving away one of her beautiful products! This girl is so talented...she creates all of her own pottery at her home studio! Let's take a look at some my favorite pieces from Natalie's shop:








Today she's giving away one of her amazing soap dishes:





One lucky winner will receive a handmade soap dish in the glaze color of your choice!


Here's what you do to enter {leave a separate comment for each}


*Follow Natalie's Blog, NS Pottery.
* "Like" NS Pottery on Facebook
*Follow Natalie on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. {Example Tweet: Head over to @michaela_noelle's blog to enter and win a handmade soap dish from @NSPottery!}
*Visit NS Pottery's Etsy Shop and come back telling me which color you'd want for your soap dish!


That's 4 whole chances to win...have at it, friends! Giveaway ends next Monday, September 12th and will be announced Tuesday, September 13th.


Hope you have a wonderful Monday! I'm off to work...again...5 days in a row of 7 hours shifts...yikes!
Love,
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PS. Happy Labor Day!!!
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Going to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has been on my Summer To-Do list for a while now.  And with only 3 weeks left before heading back to Seattle, we planned the trip.  It's so great to only live 45 minutes south of San Francisco...it makes it easy to get to Giants games and make fun trips to the city during the holidays.  The museum is so incredible.  It's crazy to have taken an art history course last quarter where I learned (& memorized) a multitude of famous paintings and then walk in the museum, only to see them hanging on the wall.  Seeing them on the wall makes my professor's (who I loved!) description of them so much more real.  I could finally see the epic proportion of Mark Rothko's famous painting done in 1960:


The actual size I'm not quite sure of, all I know is it's HUGE.  Probably around 20-25 feet tall.  I love the inspiration behind this painting.  He was inspired by a poem by J.D. Neilson and the last line reads "Life is simple and messy and pure".  I feel the emotion of this line is the essence of the painting.  It's simple to the eye, with only 3 pure colors, but at the same time, the edges are messy.  Don't you kind of feel like that statement sums up your life sometimes?

Here were some other favorites:


Matisse's Woman with a Hat, 1905.  This was a truly a controversial painting, because no one had ever portrayed a woman, much less Matisse's wife, in this bright of a palette before.


Picasso's Jug of Flowers, 1937.


Mondrain's abstract oil paintings, 1935-42.
I love how this painting is so simple, but yet a lot of thought went into it.  He was known for his paintings being well proportioned.  It takes a few stripes of red and blue to balance the amount of yellow in the top right corner.  Having the colors at opposite sides of the canvas also achieves that.  Although the stripes are larger on the right side, the thicker lines of the stripes on the left side also balances the canvas.

I also really enjoyed this:

 

A velvet cake with chocolate ganache filling in the shape of Mondrain's painting.  So delicious!



They also had some really neat chairs, entirely made of wood.

And I'll end with what reminds me of any interior designer's color swatches:


I'm so glad I was able to go to the SFMOMA yesterday. It was a great experience and even someone who's not as into art/design can appreciate it! (My mom and dad came also, and totally loved it.)  It just makes you into a more well-rounded person, because behind the paint is a person.  And that person made history.

Love and Simple, Messy, & Pure,
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