Home Decor ideas you can plot during the lockdown
It’s week three of the Covid-19 lockdown, and we are all bored as anything by now. Not being able to pop out for a coffee, or head to the bach for Easter weekend is taking a toll on all of us, but running out of things to keep us (and the kids) amused is probably the biggest threat to our sanity at home.
And by now, like us, we’re sure you’ll have been plotting some home decor changes for after the lockdown is done. When you’re in a space 24/7 for a month, it’s bound to be something you consider at some point.
So we decided to break our boredom by writing this sweet article to help get you inspired! We’ve gathered a few of our favourite ideas for what you can do in your home that you can plan out over the next few weeks, and bring to us once the lockdown is over so we can help you get them on the wall!
Get in touch with us if you have any questions, or even want to run some ideas past us. We can still give you heaps of advice from our bubble, so please email to help keep us a bit sane! You can get us at info@elframo.co.nz.
1. The Gallery Wall
We LOVE a good gallery wall. For art lovers like us, the wall is very important real estate and we all run out of space very quickly, and a gallery wall can really help with squishing more and more artwork or photographs into your space. A well crafted gallery wall is an art form in itself, but we take a really ‘do what floats your boat’ approach to them. There are no strict rules, but different people like different things.
If you like them uniform, then find a range of prints that are all the same size, buy a collection of identical frames, and hang them in a perfect grid (our Artefact Frames standard range is perfect for this). You can change it up by alternating frame colours if you like too!
Maybe you want it to be cohesive in some way, but want the flexibility to add to it over time. Choose a frame colour or print theme! Choose all white frames for example, and add all kinds of white frames over time. This lets you use classic box frames, and intricate detailed profiles, whilst retaining a cohesive look. Or, like the above image, choose a theme for your artwork. The above is a collection of black and white prints and photographs for a monochrome collection. You could do this with any tonal combination to create a great looking wall.
Or throw it all out the window, especially if you have a full collection of framed art already (we have many MANY customers like this). If you have heaps of frames already, alternating them on the wall in a more random style looks REALLY good. Often when we buy art, we have specific styles that we appreciate which helps tie it together, but if not, and you have a more varied taste, then the collection on the wall will just reflect your personality through and through!
For hanging any of the above:
Take some brown craft paper, or old news paper, and trace the size of each frame on it and trim it out. Mark where the hanging hardware is on the paper to help you later.
Tack the paper up on the wall using masking tape or blutack to create a layout that you like the look of.
Whack in your hooks using the marks you placed on the paper to mark the location of the hanging hardware, and boom! Gallery wall!
Anything you do will look good, we’re certain of it.
We’re writing a full guide for crafting the perfect gallery wall, coming soon!
2. Kids Lockdown Art
Keep the kids busy by getting them to create some art! Our advice here is to pick a standard sized piece of paper, so if it turns out really great you can frame it later! Our standard range is perfect here. Pick a standard size frame, one for each of your kids even, and every time they do something new you can switch it out! The kids will get a lot of excitement out of seeing their art on the walls, and with a nice frame around it, it could look like a Picasso from a distance!
3. Your lockdown art!
Some of us just appreciate the beauty in art, some of us are good at creating ourselves, and if you’re in the latter group we’re CERTAIN you’ll be passing the time doing something creative. We’re also sure that some of it will be deserving of a spot on the wall - you have to appreciate your own talent before anyone else will!
Same advice about kids frames applies here - pick a standard size frame, the same as your sketchbook maybe, and cycle your artwork through it over time. Or come see us for a custom option when it is safe for us to be in the workshop again if you don’t like to be constrained by a certain paper ratio.
4. Hunt down some new artists to add to your collection
Now is the time to scour the internet and try to find something new for the collection. You have all the time you need. Curl up on the couch with a glass of wine (or a nice Gin and Tonic like in our bubble) and browse all the galleries.
If you order online, we recommend leaving your new print in its packaging until you bring it to us for framing. This helps keep it safe, and ensures that no damage come to it when you try to get it back into its tube (prints crease really easily). It also means we will know that any damage it has once we remove it was caused by the sender, so you can request a replacement.
You can get prints and paintings delivered straight to us to make the framing process as easy as possible (as well as make it easier to resist having a peek before visiting us). We will keep it safe until you can come in to choose an option for it. Please note though that we have no way of collecting packages right now (we’re at home like you) so maybe don’t do this until the lockdown is over!
5. Find all the best family photos to get printed and framed for the wall
Printing family photos doesn’t really get done very often anymore! So many of our family memories are in our phones and computers rather than on our walls or in albums. Pick a few favourites, and create a family photo gallery wall at home! Spend the lockdown going through all your collections and pick a few goodies for us to print and frame for you once we’re back in the workshop. We have a large format inkjet printer that can print from a standard 6x4 to A1.
Our standard frames, again, are a great candidate here with smaller photo sizes and all the NZ paper sizes available. We can print and fit your photos to the collection once the lockdown is over to make it as easy as possible for you to get your memories on the wall.
6. Go through the old film collection
On the subject of family memories, many of them are buried deep in the film archives! We have a film scanner on site, and can help you take those old memories from film to framed print.
We will also give you a copy of the digital scan file so you have it safely stored away.