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lavender12145

Best website for art and accessories

5 years ago

What are some of your favorite websites for art, and accessories? It’s so confusing because everything has such a tremendous price range. not going to the store and being able to see in person, makes it even harder.


How can I tell if the quality is reasonable ? I don’t want to spend on v high end stuff but also don’t want poor quality either. Something reasonable that falls in between.


Sometimes even at the stores I can’t tell the quality myself especially art work or lamps or other decorative items unless it’s a fabulous piece that stands out. . Less so with online shopping.

I don’t have a fixed budget but i do want to know how to proceed especially now that I don’t plan on visiting stores because of pandemic .

Comments (28)

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    The best way? Get an interior designer. There is no one place for anything. Second best? Post pics of you rooms as they are, and Post inspo pics fo your dream rooms.

    Ready to go art is just that. It's wall decor. "Art" is what speaks to you........might be original, might not. Could be a local artist, it could be your kids drawings, framed.

    Accessories ? Did you travel? Do you collect anything? Do you read, play music........etc.

    Making "home" is not just "filling space" . That's HGTV. You want the YOU i n yours. An interior designer can help you find "you" in what you have, don't have, need etc: )

    lavender12145 thanked JAN MOYER
  • 5 years ago

    Thank you for your answer. thats what I used to think but then I realized that it isn’t always true. I hired one for an initial deposit who put together a layout and furnishings and they really did not appeal to us. She had very good reviews here on houzz. i let go. Then I hired another just for the living room. my Husband asked me to get someone with a good portfolio , been in local magazines etc , so I did. Again excellent reviews . I paid full fee upfront for a single room . But layouts proposed when put together didn’t look normal at all. Items suggested were just ok on the mood board. I m not even sure if I go higher on the budget which I can, I would get something to my liking.


    my conclusion : the pictures that really inspire me are usually done by designers who take on a very high end budget and work on big projects like whole house renovations etc . I know because by now I have contacted so many. And those are out of my budget.


    so now finally I am getting my dining room done by online designer. ( decorilla) she put together a mood board which I m liking .


    we had to swap the entire living for family room because we couldn’t get ANY layout to work . Looked good on paper but not in real. That is on hold for now, until we figure out our needs for the family room.


    foyer : I m just looking at pics and asking here and will put together shortly. So tired of not being able to achieve anything.


  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Yes, post the pics. If you have hired someone? Let that someone do it, or I have to ask what you are missing with whom you hired?

    How does that happen? It actually isn't about mood boards. It is a dialogue between the two of you. I am sorry for the bad experiences, there is a good and bad for everyone. But design is a process of two heads. Yours is as important as the designers. You can't be afraid to say "I'm not feeling it" and at the same time, most clients do need a little bit of push .To go just a wee bit out of their comfort zone, many times.

    The only reason to get a pro, is to get you where you want to go, better than you could get there yourself. It requires that you "click".

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Yes , thanks. Somehow i was expecting to get a lot of opinions and communication from an expert about what would look good and what not. What are the various options etc but the communication was minimal.

    2 years ago I hired an online designer to do my daughters room. She prepared a good design which looked fabulous on the computer. When I actually started buying the stuff, I realized she was so off with dimensions . In the picture , the bench looked grand. What I got was too tiny for the room. Very low height and looked v silly. She had put in a rug not accounting for the arch in the wall that curved around. So many things like this... I never finished that room.

    now my husband thinks I should stop experimenting with hiring more ppl And get work done. He is the one who actually came up with the idea of swapping family for living and that solved a lot of our functional issues.

    I guess hiring and working with designers is a skill too which I lack. And not that I have not tried .

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    There is no one stop shop for anything, that is why designers are a good idea but to work with a designer you need to know what you like and voice that all therough the process and BTW if the portfolio is not your style chances are neither will the outcome be. BTW there in IMO no way to design a space online . Waht might work on paper often just does not in real life.I went to your idea books for some idea for your other post and I find you are all over the map so maybe some fine tuning to narrow what you love would help.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Oh my ideabooks on houzz are from a long time ago. Now I don’t even save pictures. I just take screenshots. Many are from 2010. I need to edit and clean it up

  • 5 years ago

    See artwork directly from this practising artist and teacher in Manchester UK.

    Instagram - fiona.donaldx

    🌈

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    WHAT A PRO DOES:

    Comes to the house, or works from a highly accurate floor plan and elevations

    Shows ANY furniture you will or won't purchase, om a room by room floor plan with its accurate dimensions IN that plan. Your own " keepers" and any new./suggested purchases.

    Helps you develop, stick to a budget" Keeps you on track for "your" dram space.....and a cohesive room/ home in mind every step of the way. That does not mean matching.

    Give you OPTIONS for any selection, no more than three, is necessary. More is a decision killer.

    Advises all, and it isn't one from column A and One from B and if she says that? Believe her.

    Anything less is a wanna be STYLIST .................and a waste of money. Unless she is staging your home to sell it.

    It isn't MOOD BOARDS./ buy this or that. How many designers did these spaces...?

    In general · More Info



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    Answer is ONE. Every client is different ....as are their homes ( 8 above ) and their tastes.

    If you dumped the rooms into a designers lap, in much the same vein as the way you posted your question?

    I sense an issue of "read my mind"/ Get mad when it doesn't happen. Nobody CAN.

  • 5 years ago

    So you are asking about art and accessory on-line places to shop but yet it sounds like you may not really be at that point for such? We are a creative group here and if you post photos and tell us what you want to achieve we'll help you through it. And we are free. You just have to be responsive to our questions and open minded. I'm looking forward to seeing what you want to accomplish. And if you can start an Ideabook that is current of what you like that would be very helpful.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Post the room with the furnishings and the group here will fill it in for you. Some of us and cut and paste art and accessories on the furnishings to show you how they will appear to reduce your questions.






  • 5 years ago

    There are 1000’s of pictures on HOUZZ PHOTOS...try searching there for rooms that you like....use search words that describe features you have in your home...such as ....rooms with..... high ceilings...big windows...open floor plan...cozy spaces...or?...after saving rooms that appeal to you...your style becomes more apparent ..easier to describe...you will even see “items” ...”details “. ...you love ...(or hate)...then you can seek ways to incorporate these looks into your home...

  • 5 years ago

    Hey, Beverly what is that last chest you posted? It may work in another OP's entryway...

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Stanley Furniture Resort Ocean Breakers Dresser


  • 5 years ago

    Thank you :) How appropriate- OP lives in Hilton Head area.

  • 5 years ago

    Beverly,
    Could you please tell me who makes the chest of drawers in the first photo you posted? I love it.

  • 5 years ago

    Thank you for all the responses. I ll try to absorb in all the information.

  • 5 years ago

    to the original post, I love Minted.

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I think the dresser Beverly posted was either Stanley or Bernhardt and is discontinued. A similar below



    http://www.petercharlesdesigns.com/shop/wavy-front-3-drawer-accent-chest

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    @lavendar

    You COULD simply begin by posting PICTURES of a room or two. Start with.............unfinished business from two years ago.

    "2 years ago I hired an online designer to do my daughters room. She prepared a good design which looked fabulous on the computer. When I actually started buying the stuff, I realized she was so off with dimensions . In the picture , the bench looked grand. What I got was too tiny for the room. Very low height and looked v silly. She had put in a rug not accounting for the arch in the wall that curved around. So many things like this... I never finished that room."

  • 5 years ago

    If you are interested in prints.. I think artfullywalls.com has a good selection and is printed on nice paper.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Hi lavender-

    Why do you feel you can only shop online for the art and accessories you want?

    Do you live in the middle of nowhere with no shops?

    Why can't you put on a mask and go to the store yourself and socially distance?

    Covid isn't like leprosy in the Bible, it isn't growing on the walls.

    And if you want to purchase something large, it can be loaded into your car for your husband to unload when you get home.

    Or you can request it be delivered to your door.

    You've already said you recognize fabulous when you see it.

    Well, fabulous is what you should be buying.

    Your idea of fabulous.

    It's your home.

    Do you think you need to educate your eye on style or proportion or quality?

    Do some reading.

    The libraries are closed but many will allow you to get books as a drive through, you reserve them electronically, and then drive up and the librarian meets your car and hands them to you.

    Read books on interior design,

    Read design blogs by some great designers.

    Pay attention to what they say about proportion and scale.

    Go to the best store in town and look at the gifts, i.e. the vases and bowls.

    Pick them up and look at how they are blown or cut and shaped and transmit light.

    You'll never want low end stuff again.

    Because you can get used high quality for a song, and no one can see the faint etching on the bottom when the stems are in there anyway.

    Read about Oriental carpets.

    This is a great blog-

    https://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/category/interior-decorating-principles/

    this one is fun too-

    https://laurelberninteriors.com/interior-design-blog/

    There is nothing wrong with using an interior designer, but the more you know about what you want, the easier it will be to get what you want.

    Even if you get a great one, I don't think mindreading is part of the required coursework.

    And even the best one would be driven to distraction by having shown you infinite choices just so you can say this or that, when you can't specify your preferences.

    If it is hard to articulate what you like, maybe while you make your scrapbook (either cyber or clippings), accumulate not only what you like , save what you don't like.

    For every reason.

    For example-

    I like this painting- it makes me feel restful because of the colors, but I really wouldn't want a haystack.

    I like the organization of this bathroom, but not the materials.

    I hate the lamp, but the shade is good. Or vice versa.

    I have this sweater to show you the colors, these colors would be good for a throw. Which I do not want to have to knit myself!

    Do you have a friend whose home you really like?

    What is it about her house you like?

    The furniture? The wall colors? The curtains? The art? The objets d'art?

    Are you able to break down in your mind what about her house appeals to you?

    And maybe think about getting a designer that can come into your home.

    She/He can wear a mask and gloves and even a face shield if you want.

    She wouldn't want to get sick any more than you do.

    Or, since the vaccine will be available in less than a month and gradually to the various groups, maybe you want to wait just a few more months and really get this done right, rather than shopping blind.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    hoffmnds sorry but I could not find the supplier of that wood 3 drawer dresser. I'll keep looking.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Depends on your budget and what you're into, but you can check out my buddy's gallery online addictivearthouse.com

  • 5 years ago

    Hi Altair - can you put that link in again? I cannot make it work.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Hello! If your interested in a wide range of original and inspiring art check out our talented artists here https://www.avaulte.com, hope you enjoy and let us know if you have any questions!

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    LADIES............ the chest of drawers is DISCONTINUED. Scroll up, I posted a similar. above

    Here, again.......



    http://www.petercharlesdesigns.com/shop/wavy-front-3-drawer-accent-chest


  • 5 years ago

    Lulu and Georgia. Etsy. Emily Henderson under the shopping section. She has a wide variety of things.

  • 5 years ago
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