This post was originally published on September 17, 2019.
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For the longest time I lived with a blank wall above my beautiful blue sofa.
I thought, hey, I don’t need to fill in that space. Blank space is freeing. Blank space is fun. Blank space requires no work or thought.
Boy was I wrong because all I could do was think about filling it in. It doesn’t help these types of non-projects when the algorithms somehow know that you want to print out your photos in such a way that you must put them on your walls.
It’s like they know even before you know yourself. Creepy, man.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to take about a million and a half pictures. Like, every week. But, I feel like I digress.
The other thing is that I quite like living in a space for a while as I marinate on what it is I want to do to fill in those empty parts. Or maybe those spaces should stay empty. If you’re like me and enjoy taking your time deciding these life-changing choices, it’s fun because it’s part of the process. I like daydreaming about it. I like discovering the new and innovative products other creative people are coming up with to get me to spend money.
I also like taking my time with these decisions because part of making a home is the careful curation that can only be achieved over years of collecting. Collecting doesn’t have to necessarily mean just stuff, mind you. Collecting is also in the shared experiences with friends and loved ones, the hard stuff that grows you and shifts your mindset, the lessons that only years of living can teach you.
All these things, surprisingly, are captured in our homes and what we choose to bring in them to surround ourselves.
All that to say, the photos I chose to put up on my wall to gaze upon at all times, were scenes captured from different pieces of my life. Some are very close to home (literally my backyard) while others still span oceans and continents and time itself (not to say I’m a time traveler, but that might be kinda cool).
The algorithms showed me this app called Mixtiles that prints out the photos on your phone. They then send them to you on these 3-D tiles that have sticky stuff on the backs to just stick them on your walls. The thing about Mixtiles is that you can stick and remove and move them all around without marking up your walls. I totally recommend them!
The other thing about Mixtiles is that you can totally eyeball the placement. I personally don’t have much time for all of the measuring, etc. And by much time, I mean, patience. At least for this project.
I ordered six tiles and so it was fairly simple to come up with the best looking arrangement.
I also found this gorgeous oil painting in a golden frame along with this fantastic canvas map of my favorite place on earth.
London. My favorite place is London.
If you’re wondering where I found these gems, it’s Homegoods.
I’m still searching for one more perfect piece to fill in that last space under the canvas map. I haven’t found it yet but I’m pretty sure I’ll know it when I find it.
It’s funny how putting up some photos, a painting and an old map can make a living room feel so warm and cozy. It’s those finishing touches, collected over time, and curated through experience, that turn a room into a home and reflection of you.
And that’s brilliant!
