Playing with Art

For a few months now I have had two large IKEA Ribba frames sitting behind the sofa in our living room. My plan is to add prints and hang them. Radical, I know.

But what prints to use?? Should I go through my Places board on Pinterest for beautiful images like this one and have them processed like a photo? Or, as an engineering print from Staples? Will they be high enough resolution for the size I need (20x16)??

 

The look I am going for is large format like these inspiration images.

 But with TWO prints over the couch instead of just one.

This is a partial shot of the wall above the couch (from the holidays). 

The wall material is cinder block. It's painted and smooth and doesn't make me feel like I am in a basement. I dig it but realize it's not for everyone--and maybe not even for us forever. The wooden beams from the cathedral ceilings end on this wall. To the right is the fireplace, which needs a mantel, and then beyond that is a shorter bit of wall. 

I want a graphic print for the (forthcoming) mantel. There is now a beachy pastel watercolor, hung horizontally, on the wall behind where the Christmas tree was in the photo above. 

One of the methods I use when I am designing a room is to create a collage on PicMonkey. It's super easy to use and free.

Here are a few different options using prints from Minted. I chose Minted because they are one of the sponsors of the One Room Challenge and I like the many different options (423 art prints; some available in multiple colors; all in a variety of sizes). This is not a sponsored post. But you can get 10% off your purchase through May 4th using the code MOMDAY14.

Rectangles Revisited //LA Sky // D'Office Malta

This is likely the graphic I would want but I would orient it vertically on the mantel so the stripes were going side-to-side rather than up-down. I love the juxtaposition of the Ferris wheel with the European street image. Kind of teensy view because I didn't say I was good at PicMonkey.

Paris is Always a Good Idea // Runaway

I like this combo of city and beach as well as the way the neutrals subtly combine with the colors in the graphic pattern.

Rusty Patina 

Here are the same two prints but with a different abstract. I LOVE the colors of this one, called Rusty Patina. It looks like it was left out in the rain to get all drippy and runny. Beautiful as it is, it's not what I had in mind though...

Joel Surf 2 // Rooftops of Paris

Back to the graphic lines. The colors of this combo are much brighter and bolder but still would work. This time I am also mixing a photo (Rooftops of Paris) with a painting. Not sure about that...

Highway Wildflowers // California Dreams  // Violet Innertube 1

If I wanted to orient the frames over the sofa the other way (portrait, not landscape) I could have this arrangement. I just love the reds, corals, and oranges together! This also features a photo (Ferris wheel) with a painting (inner tube) but I think it works better.

Lots of decisions! Besides Minted's selection, there is the incomparably fabulous Gray Malin, tons of favorites on Etsy, and local sources. 

What do you think?? Do you have a favorite combo?