Y'all you can't flip, or more aptly, 'click' a page in a home decor mag (or similar blog or Pinterest, Instagram, blah blah blah) without seeing the Salon Style Gallery Wall, SSGW. Oh, WWJD? Are you kidding-- OF COURSE he has one, Betch! They're everywhere. Like reclaimed wood or subway tile. Get into IT:
From Little Green Notebook blog by the amazing Jenny Komenda
And it makes sense: they're relatively easy to execute...it's easy to make them look great (mostly) and they really help give a fun, whimsical & personal touch to a room. But, when going all SSGW in your own space, be courteous and don't forget to give good ledge. Uh huh. What's that? This:
pic by Bob Martus
This is my kitchen wall. Obvi, I collect clocks...(yet, interestingly, I'm usually in a manic panic to get various places). Hmmm. Oh well, these clocks are totally SSGW. This display method doesn't just apply to artwork like paintings, photography, etc.,it's an incredible way to display collections too. Notice that in and amongst the clocks, I'm totally giving y'all LEDGES (orange ornate, yellow & blue square, and white barely there) also known as Brackets. The added ledges give us some visual spice, and take what would generally be a flat display & turn it all 3-dimensional and sculptural. MIND BLOWN-- right?! The ledges used above are mostly vintage and mismatched, 'cause that's how I roll-- think I scored them at various flea markets/thrift hauls. Ebay and Etsy both turn up pretty great results searcing, 'vintage decorative shelf'. And actually, the two squares above are repurposed wooden chocolate boxes from LA Burdick painted in fun colors and mounted using L brackets. I MEAN. Y'all, let your ledge love creativity spew forth here...just sayin'.
Pic by Bob Martus
This is the wall above my living room sofa. Some of y'all may actually need to shield your eyes here-- there's so much hardcore LEDGE action going down! Tangy! The vintage wooden skiis are repurposed ledges for my various art & tchotchke-- I AM A TOTAL HOT TCHOTCH-ET! OMG! But note I upped the ante even more, but adding in that blue and orange shadowbox into the mix. I'M INSANE. Again, not that there wasn't enough visual spice to feast on here with this SSGW installation, but I took y'all there with another ledge-ish type situ. It's adds another layer for display and keeps things dynamic and visually interesting in my large SSGW.
Pic by Bob Martus
This is the wall opposite my sofa in the living room and-- lo and behold-- just above that vase of spring branches (which gets changed out weekly-- SO NOT TRUE) is another ledge! YASSSSS! In this scenario, this ledge helps get another one of my globes (shocking, I collect globes too) up off the console and onto the wall, but it's also a great visual element in and of itself being a cool shape & metal, mixed in with the artwork.
So y'all, SSGW are awesome & I'm pretty sure they're here to stay, but take yours up a notch and add a ledge or two in the mix...hit up your local flea & thrift options or score some brand newbies at places like CB2, West Elm and Ballard Designs. Now go out and show me some ledge!