We’ve been renting for almost seven years now. When we lived in Detroit Zack and I rented an adorable little house. When we lived in Minneapolis we rented an apartment downtown for a year and then a gorgeous home in the Uptown neighborhood for two years. And now that we’re in California we’ve had two really fun, really different apartments in Los Angeles.
Some of the homes we’ve rented have allowed us to paint the walls (which is fun), but I’ve learned I’m a terrible wall painter. I’ve also learned having a large statement piece on the wall with a few smaller, supportive pieces is my favorite decorating trick.
I’ve made statement pieces from an XL framed photo, a typeography canvas and painted art from our 22-month-old son. In the nursery I hand-painted a large sheet of wood with the lyrics to our favorite song. Smaller pieces are then added in. A few of my favorites include a feather taped to the wall, a wooden rack filled with spools of thread, an empty metal frame, a vintage coaster (seriously, we nailed it down) and embroidered hoops.
My home decorating goals are to add color, texture and curiosity. And the good news is I hit my goals faster and faster every time we move or redecorate. Do you have any decorating goals for your home?
The statement pieces are my “investment”, meaning it’s usually something I bought, and the smaller pieces are my “crazy fun”, meaning I shopped our home and found interesting/free things to hang.
Here are a few inspirational photos for decorating with a large statement piece:
via Nesting Place
via A Beautiful Mess
Did you notice the smaller art pieces are full of color, texture and curiosity? Such a fun way to decorate.
One of our sponsors, Signazon, is offering an 18รขโฌยx24รขโฌย gallery wrap canvas to one lucky Maggie Whitley Designs reader, so now you too can add a statement piece to your home! Simply upload your image (or design file) and Signazon will create your gallery wrap canvas.
To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter entries below. The first entry is required (leave a blog post comment) but the remaining are not, although weรขโฌโขd love for you to share this giveaway with your social media communities. One winner will be selected at random and notified via email. Please note: this giveaway is open to US residents only. Good luck!
We LOVE our own art put on a gallery wrap canvas! I have an idea for this one already:)
We’ve never had a wrapped canvas before! I’m excited.
I would make one of our family photos from this fall into a canvas to replace the previous years! :)
This is so great! I would some art or a picture of our boys :)
I would have the recent photo of my four kids done! :)
Oh I would love this!!
Lots of inspiration in this post! My husband and I recently bought our first home and I’m always looking for ideas and new artwork! I have a great photo of a baby sea turtle from a volunter event we worked with a nature preserve on the Outer Banks – it would look amazing as a large print!
YES. I would love to have several of these large canvases in our home — photos of our boys together, adventuring.
I’d love to have a canvas of a picture from my daughter’s one year photo shoot.
Love this idea! Would use a picture of our little guy :)
We’d probably have to get a good family picture taken to put on a canvas!
Definitely one of my wedding photos
Definitely a photo from our wedding to remember “us” before we started growing our family!!
we have a ton of very large white walls that a gallery wrap would be great on! I love decorating with statement pieces- you’ve given me some extra inspiration! ;)
I would either use a photo of my little girls or an inspirational quote.
I would use a picture of my 3 littles from our family pictures in the fall. It’s a such a great picture! They are 4, 2, and 1 so a great picture with them is a treasure!
I think it would be really cool to have one of our ultrasound pictures blown up and printed on a canvas for the nursery. The black and white art would look stunning against our green walls!
I would definitely do a landscape of where we live (British Columbia)–it’d be the perfect pick me up through the winter (rainy + grey) season to see it in the sunshine!
Sarah M
I would have a photo of our family cottage done. We went on our first family of three vacation there this summer and my family is in love with it just as much as I am.
That is such a hard decision. It would have to be one of all three of my boys
A picture of my daughter
our most recent family picture :)
We have one canvas with a picture of our daughter on it and love it! I would get one made of our 2 month old son!
Your style is so fun and eclectic. This suits you. I am beginning to think by making my own artwork throughout my home I can show more of my own personality. Things you buy at chain stores everyone will have. That’s why I love to shop handmade and small. Thanks for the inspiration.
Would love to win!
I would have a recent maternity photo turned into a canvas. It would be so beautiful on the wall!!
I’d probably get a print of our three boys done!!
I would choose one of our wedding pictures.
I’d love to put together a collection of photos in the shape of a heart for a Valentine’s Day gift for my husband. รฐลธหโ
I’d love to have a canvas of our growing family, possible one of my littles embracing my baby bump before baby come in April!
so smart. so doable. you are a rockstar … xoxox
I would probably choose a family saying to have made into a canvas.
I would probably print a picture of our family together!
A family vacation photo!
We’re about to meet baby #2, so it’d be a picture of our family of 4!!
We’ve lived in our house for over three years and have only hung up a handful of pictures. My husband & I both love taking pictures – a canvas print would be perfect! We could definitely use some color on our walls :)
I would love to have our family photo that we got taken this winter!!
Hmm…so many picture options! I love taking pictures :) I would probably do one of my favorite pictures from a hiking trip I took last summer. The scenery was breathtaking and every time I look at the picture it would remind me of the good time!
i would do a photo from our family photoshoot in sept :)
I would get a photo of my son
We’re expecting our first baby in a couple months so I’m sure I’d pick a photo of her.
I would love, love, love to do something for our nursery :)
I would make my favorite wedding picture a canvas piece.
Between a new home and a baby nursery to prepare for our first little one on the way, I think a statement canvas is exactly what we need!
I’d love a canvas of my family vacation!
I have a picture in mind of my two boys on their grandparent’s farm which would be perfect!
I’d love to put this picture I took of my kids in December. They’re laughing and it just captures their innocent, fun personalities.
i’d put my favorite of my three kids from our last family photo session, they are sitting together with the littlest in the middle all giving each other kisses! I love it!
i’d do a photo of our family. i have zero photo canvases in my home and would love to have one!
I love the mountains – the fresh air, the vistas, the perspective you get from facing something much bigger and older and more worn than you – I would take one of my Yosemite pictures and put it on the canvas. A moveable piece of perspective for our home. :)
Like always… adore your insporation! I would love to get this super cute photo of my little boy & his bestie, our pup, on canvas!
We’re going to France this summer, so I’d print up a picture from that trip for our office wall!
a picture of our girls.. 22mo and due in 2 weeks!
I would love a wedding picture on canvas!
I am actually in the middle of revamping our dining room walls and just got photos back that I wanted to order on a canvas! So this giveaway is PERFECT!!!
I would use a picture of my family for over the fireplace
Great article. There are a lot of ways to decorate. If you are out of ideas you can always repaint. It is a good choice. My last project was painting my daughter`s room in white and gold. It was the best spent spare time. Best regards!