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Studio Update: A Frame Worthy Update

We are slowly making little adjustments and tweaks to the studio space, to bring things down a notch.  As I mentioned here, there was just too much going on, and I was re-living my teenager days of color happy everything.

One of the items I loved in the studio is my memo board. 


I used it to pin up notes, inspiration, photos, memorabilia, etc... anything that made me happy.  Unfortunately, the board is visible from the sofa in our family room, and it really disrupted the flow of the two spaces.  It also added a lot of visual clutter.  Even after emptying everything out of the room, just that board alone still gave the room a feeling of "too much goin' on".


So, I took it down.  There are other ways for me to enjoy those photos and happy moments, so I am going to explore those options as I continue with the space.

I decided what the wall really needed was symmetry and simplicity.  A way to still bring in small amounts of color, but not in a jarring sort of way.

I happened to spot some beautiful frames on Pottery Barn's website.  I fell hard for the silver finish with the over-sized mat/small print combo.


I wasn't going for a busy wall, but the frames and mats spoke to me.  So, I added six to my cart to the tune of $356.  Not.

Clearly that was more than I would care to spend on a photo display.  I needed the Pottery Barn look on an IKEA budget.  So, off to IKEA we went and I purchased six aluminum RIBBA frames at $10 each instead.

The only thing left to fix was the matting.  The IKEA frames come with a mat that has an opening of 7½ " x 9 ½ ".  I was aiming for 3" x 5" opening because I was so drawn to the look of the thicker matting. 

Off to Michaels I went, where I purchased two large pieces of framing mat board, which you can find in the framing department.  I also purchased a mat cutter. 

The process was super simple.  We started by cutting the mat boards down to a total of 6 mats to fit the six frames.  Then, we found the center of the mat, and measured out to create a 3" x 5" rectangle.  Using a straight edge {an old level} and the mat cutter, we created our own photo opening.


Then we just popped the frames up on the wall in a 3 x 2 grid.


As far as the styling of the room, please remember that I am basically back to a blank slate.  Going so far backwards means that I have not styled any of the surfaces/spaces or integrated any warmth.  It is all about slowly layering in items. 


Inside of the frames I selected photos of some of our favorite travel memories and a few other shots that just bring a smile to my face.  It was a fair compromise in taking down the over-sized memo board.


I am definitely crushing on those chunky mats. 



Adding in the simple frames completely changed the feeling of the whole room.  They allowed me to keep some favorite moments on the walls while drastically reducing the visual noise.  And it cost me a fraction of the price for the inspiration frames, so that is totally worth doing a little tap dance for!

Sometimes the smallest things make me so excited.  Discovering the mat cutter will allow us to customize our hallway gallery wall down the line, and I even have a few other random frames that will be getting updated. 

Here are some of the other items on the studio list:

• Find the perfect rug
• Sew and hang a curtain for the closet door
• Build a new desk {a beautiful wood desk to replace the white one under the frames and fit over our filing cabinet}
• Update the built-in desktop
• Accessorize and style

Still lots of fun ahead!