Fun With Oil Paintings, Spray Paint, and Silk Tassels!

Painting with Drapery Medallion, Rope Cord and Key Tassel

I have wanted to "hang" an oil painting this way for the longest time, and I finally got around to it!  After spending almost an entire year on Lars's quilt, I was ready for some DIY instant gratification.

I picked up this large impressionistic oil painting on the cheap from one of the vendors at the High Point Furniture Market a year or two ago.  It looks more expensive than it was -- the frame isn't even real wood, but the style, size, and colors were perfect for this blank wall space in my little office.  Although the painting is actually mounted to the wall from behind using traditional picture hanging hardware, I wanted to create the illusion that it was suspended from an ornate hardware medallion by a braided silk rope cord.  Not only is this a great way to show off a little decorative trim in an unexpected way, but it also helps to draw your eye up to the faux painting and decorative bronze upholstery nails on my crown molding and ceiling. 

The best part about this little project is that I used mostly odds and ends leftover from previous clients' projects, and the only thing I had to buy was the silk key tassel and a can of spray paint.

The decorative hardware is 6" x 6" Vega medallion in solid wrought iron from Helser Brothers, available through the design trade.  After I had already ordered the fabrics and hardware for the silk and velvet swag treatment pictured below, the client requested that we change the design by widening the swags and eliminating one of them, so I ended up with an extra medallion. 


Vega Medallions on Client's Master Bedroom Window Treatment

The Manchester Gold finish applied by Helser Brothers was perfect for my client's treatment, where I wanted the hardware to blend with the Silk Singh damask swag fabric from Kravet.  But for my office, I wanted a dark, metallic bronze finish that would complement the frame and stand out dramatically against my caramel gold grasscloth wallcovering.  Spray paint to the rescue!

Hardware Before Painting

I had a remnant of 1/2" diameter silk lip cord from Highland Court in my stash of leftover odds and ends, just long enough for this project, so I sat down with a seam ripper and carefully cut off the fabric lip from the cord, one stitch at a time.  The rope cord was hot-glued to the back of the picture frame in situ, after the painting was already hanging on the wall and the medallion had been installed above.  In order to create the illusion that the decorative rope cord is supporting the weight of the painting, it's important to get the cord taut with no slack whatsoever.  I ordered a matching hand-tied silk key tassel from Highland Court that I simply looped over the medallion.  Voila! 



Halstead in Sand from F. Schumacher & Co.

The truly amazing thing about that picture is that my office is clean, for a change. You can actually see what color the desk is, for instance!  Next order of business in this room will be to make and install drapery panels.  I ordered this F. Schumacher fabric late last year, and it's just been standing in the corner of the room, neatly wrapped on the bolt, making me feel guilty for ignoring it ever since...  I should probably give it to the drapery workroom that I use for my clients, because they do a beautiful job and I would MUCH rather be quilting, but I partially rationalized spending so much money on the fabric with the idea that I was going to save money by sewing the drapery panels myself.  If I don't "get around to it" soon, I'll cave in and take the fabric to my workroom anyway. 



Fire Restoration Update: Drapery Installations Begin in the Kitchen!

The project I've been working on for the clients who suffered a house fire last summer has finally started installing this week, and everything looks amazing.  The client's objective was to take this tragedy and use it as an opportunity to make her home "even better than before," and that's exactly what we've done.


Kitchen as decorated by Previous Homeowner



 I'm just going to post a few snapshots for now, just to whet your appetite.  This first shot is of the kitchen as it was when the client purchased this home several years ago.  The drapery treatment was from the previous homeowner, and my client hated these pendant light fixtures with a vine detail that reminded her of serpents.



Same Kitchen, Redecorated Prior to Fire

This is a view of that same elevation after I worked with the client the first time around. We replaced the serpent pendants with Quadralli pendants from Fine Art Lamps, and I designed this kimono-inspired medallion swag treatment to give the kitchen more of an Asian contemporary aesthetic while indulging the client's love of exquisite drapery textiles.

Same Kitchen, January 2011

Now, here's what that same kitchen looked like a couple of months ago, when the custom built, solid tropical wenge wood cabinetry installation began.  The cabinetry was built by Bill Truitt Wood Works, Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Same Kitchen, April 6, 2011, 9 AM

...And here's what the kitchen looked like yesterday, when the drapery installations began.  The cabinetry and gorgeous art glass backsplash tile have been installed, all the appliances have been replaced with upgrades, and the remaining bit of crown molding around the new range hood installed later on in the day.  I recovered the client's bar stool seats in Lee Jofa Jasper Velvet, and we have a swivel glider chair for the adjacent keeping room area coming that will be upholstered in the same fabric.  The Fine Art Lamps pendants have been replaced with identical fixtures, and the drapery installations and furniture deliveries are about to begin.

Brian Installs the Iron Drapery Medallions

In this picture, the builder has already installed the remaining crown molding around the range hood, and my drapery installer is putting up the iron Artigiani medallions for the kimono swag valance that was recreated to be identical to the treatment I originally designed.  The Pyramid medallion drapery hardware is from Helser Brothers, the company that sent me to Paris last January to cover the Maison et Objet trade show for their Why Helser? blog.  Just for the record, I loved Helser Brothers' beautiful products and outstanding service even before they sent me jet-setting to Paris.

Debra & Brian Finessing the Swag Valance Installation

...Ta da!  The first of many drapery treatments installed.  After taking this picture, I had Brian turn the medallions so they would be squares instead of diamonds, which I like much better with the new cabinetry.

I'll be posting more photos of this installation over the next few days.