A week or so ago, I posted this picture of my hallway on Instagram and on the FB page. It is my completed gallery wall in the hallway of the main floor. I was excited to have it finished finally! It wasn’t what I had originally planned, but isn’t that the way it always goes? And if I was starting it all over, I would lay it out differently but I guess that’s what happens when the plan changes part way through.
But I wanted to share a few of the stories behind the reason these things are special enough to make it onto the gallery wall.
A few of the items are things that I’ve milk painted, such as the arrow that I painted during the Milk Paint Workshop I did with Rose and the chalkboard { which is still blank…. } from an old shutter panel I scored at Onslow Historic Lumber. Off the arrow hangs a heart made out of barbed wire that I bought years ago from who knows where, but I still love it.
There’s also a piece of old moulding that I found during my trip to ‘The Barn’ with Rose, it’s found a spot rounding out the top left corner. I love that little piece of moulding, it even has some old wallpaper on the side of it and I mean proper old wallpaper, that is made from, gasp, PAPER!
The sunshine painting I bought last November during the Olde Foundry Market I organized in Pictou. It was painted by my friend who owns Melrose & Pistachio and I love the way it brightens up the hallway.
Then there is the last piece that found its way onto the collection – the ‘AND HATS’ sign. This thing is the real deal. If you are from the area and have lived here for while, then you will probably remember the store in Truro called Margolians. This sign, at some point, hung in that store. How did I get it? Well, I work one day a week in a shop called Above & Beyond Home Decor and that shop is in part of the old Margolians building. This sign was in their storage space and they decided to pass it on to me. Anne and Liz know about my fondness for old things! The handlettering is so cool! And the colours are perfect for my hallway. I love that the board isn’t cut straight, just adds that extra character. My plan was to string some kind of wire to hang the girls art work from but when this made its appearance, I knew it was perfect!
The wooden shoes reflect my Dutch lineage and I found them in an antique shop in Cape Breton during a trip to see Janice. These are exceptional to me, simply for the fact they are painted to look like Delft Blue. I’ve seen quite a few pairs of wooden shoes over the years, but these are the only wooden ones I’ve seen painted in this manner.
The last piece that is part of this gallery wall is the mushroom painting. This is an extra special piece of artwork because it belonged to my grandmother, Lena, whom my Lena is named after. This painting was apparently given to my grandmother by her art teacher. I don’t really know anymore details than that, but I wish I did. I’ve tried to research the name on the piece but without any success. I believe it would’ve been before Grandma immigrated to Canada, but I think I may just be assuming that… I love the story behind the painting, but I also love the painting itself – the colours, the subject….yep, I’ve very happy to have it and I display it with pride.
So that sums up the gallery wall tour. I hope you enjoyed it. I know that this wall is not perfect nor is suited for everyone but for me, it’s the perfect way to wrap up the hallway project. I’d also like to mention how difficult it is to try to photograph this wall!! I’ve tried different angles, different spots but nothing is ever quite right!
Now tell me, do you have a gallery wall in your house? I’d love to see pictures and hear all about it!
To be continued,
Lori
PS You can see the post about the hallway when it first got painted HERE
