Gallery Wall and Styling at the Sigmon's

This is a project that I really had fun helping with because it was for our closest friends, and I’ve watched Cole bring this antique crystal chandelier from house to house since we were 18. I’m also really fond of this space because it is such an earth-friendly design. Cole and Ian found the midcentury buffet and marble dining table second-hand, which I always love to do before considering purchasing something new. Vintage items always have more charm and character… always. They are earth-friendly because their production is not adding more to the waste stream and if you do the work to hunt for the pieces yourself, it can save you some money - how can you go wrong?! The chairs were purchased from a local business that was selling their old seating during a renovation. Cole had them reupholstered by our best friend’s mom and spent multiple Saturday’s sanding and staining each one by hand (bless her). She wanted the stain to be dark, almost black, but I thought that black would be too intense with the other earth tones of the space, so I suggested an espresso stain. They turned out perfectly! Not too brown, but also not so black as to be distracting.

Cole and Ian meticulously gathered and custom framed their artwork over the course of the summer: vintage pieces, family photos, film photos from their travels to other countries, and a painting done by a close friend. They needed my help hanging the gallery wall and styling the rest of the space.

I love how it turned out!

Gallery Wall Tip: Hang your large pieces of artwork first, then fill in with the smaller pieces. That way, there will always be a balance between the heaviest pieces and you can fill in gaps and swap out smaller frames whenever you’re in the mood!

Create Color Stories in your groupings: We added plants to the left of the buffet to bring out the jade tones in those pieces of artwork and added a bowl of clementines and a warm-toned landscape film photo to the right side of the buffet, to bring out the warm tones on that side of the gallery wall. I stole some of Cole’s dried flowers from around the house to make an arrangement to bring out more of those colors.

Create Height: We added some height to the buffet by bringing her tall plant down from her bedroom. Adding some height to a room not only makes it feel more dramatic and intentional, but it also encloses the space and makes you feel cozy like you’re in a warm hug.

Of course, we incorporated the marble candlestick holders, wood bowls, and amber salt and pepper shakers from the shop! Vintage spiral candlesticks in earth tones finish off the look.

Before and After:

One piece didn’t make it into the gallery because it felt too bright with the others, but don’t worry! It’s in the office now!