A picture would help to see how it relates...but another idea is to get some cool brackets & a shelf and place it under the picture. I love the look of a basket or cool pot with a big plant (way oversized) on a console, too.

Smiles:)

This picture shows the wall between my kitchen and butler's pantry. The pink beach towel on the floor shows the footprint of the console in question:

In this picture the light switch and air intake are more visible...

This is the Ballard design console. It is 33" tall and 50" wide. The console actually covers most of the intake but 2-3 inches would still peak through above the top...

Here is the console all done up : )

Thanks for the input!

I think it could work. Could you paint the vent the wall color?

You may want to consider putting the console up on two nicely stained and finished blocks of wood to raise the height of it above the top edge of the vent especially since it is off center. If it was done right it could look like the console sits on a wood plinth.

That is a beautiful console and will look great there and still allow airflow...good choice. If you decide not to try setting it up on blocks, you could try a low long planter/basket with a nice plant in front of the top of the vent. If you paint the grill same color as your wall like palimpsest suggested, it will blend in more. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

So after playing around with paintbrush, this is an approximation of the proportions...

I think I can get away with it by putting a tall pot with a full plant in it (fern maybe?) and possibly a lamp or some tall candlesticks. If that doesn't work, then I like the idea of the long basket with foliage that was suggested. And yes, we plan on painting the intake the same color as the wall - though I need help in that area as well!

Looks like you could lower the picture alittle w/o covering the light switch. You can hide the 2-3 inches of the intake with your ferns, etc.

I don't know why you asked the advise of this board - I think you resolved your problem PERFECTLY ! The console is beautiful and works well with picture...

jeannie01 - just having some pre-purchase dissonance. I wanted to make sure I wasn't making some huge mistake. Thanks for your vote of confidence!

Just for the record... there is a rule about hanging artwork, and that it that it be more or less at eye level, in other words the center of the painting would be at eye level, though if the picture was unusually large, a bit higher. You should not have to crane your neck to look at pictures and they look silly just plonked up high (as you realized, yourself).

Good point larke... though wouldn't that depend on the height of the person who hung the picture? My husband hung the frame. The center of the print is definitely at his eye level and he's 6'1". I'm 5'5", so the center of the picture is a little bit above my head...

IMO, ceiling height should be considered also. I have an 'art wall' about 25' in height, and have centered a cabinet with art work hung above as well as on each side. Since it is such a big wall, it wouldn't have looked right with the art hung only at eye level~the art extends almost 3/4 of the way up the wall, leaving about 8' of wall space. The art is also rather large in scale so it doesn't look like a wall of postage stamp sized pictures. ;o)

I always think of the art work that hangs in the White House....it's really high up. I'm sure they have a decorator....here's an example....

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Art at the White House is placed higher so that it's harder for visitors to touch any of it! Also, there's a tendency to want to "elevate" the art so it's almost exalted--designed to cement the iconic, hero-ic symbolism of presidents and first ladies.

Southernfrenchie, you might try moving the picture to the right so that you can lower it and still access the light switch. Pictures don't always have to be centered on walls.

I love palimpsest's idea of putting the console table on a riser.

The console has been ordered and should be here in a week or two.... I admit I'm having a hard time picturing what this piece would look like on a riser. It has little ball feet and it seems like they would need to be enclosed somehow?

You guys have all given me some great ideas though!

I had a similar problem with a different console (similar size, though) from Ballard a couple of years ago! I had a painting over the console and there seemed to be too much space between the art and the top of the console. I just put a few tall things on top of the console and it helped a lot. I think that's an easier solution than trying to add some type of riser to the bottom.

sueb20 - thanks for the reassurance. I'd love to see photos of your console. It's nerve wracking when you spend a lot of money to ship an item. The last thing I want to do is spend more money to ship it back!

graywings is right. Move it all over to the right. It doesn't have to be centered.