Sunday, August 3, 2014

The Four Quadrants of DC


There's a wall in my home, just to the right of the doorway into the kitchen from the hallway, that's given me grief since I moved in over a year ago.  It's the first wall you face when you walk into my apartment proper from the entry, so whatever I hang there makes a big statement about my decor and style sensibilities.  The problem is that the fusebox lives on this wall and it's off-center.  It's been almost impossible to find a piece of art that's the right dimensions for the width of the wall, hides the fusebox, and hangs evenly given the protrusion of the fusebox handle.  (You can see the fusebox in these photos from one of my experiments.)

Finally, I gave up on the idea of finding one frame that would tick all three of these boxes.  I caved a little on my refusal to have a gallery wall in my own home and arranged four vintage gold frames that I'd bought at Miss Pixie's months ago in a way that covered the fusebox but was centered against the width of the wall.  And then, of course, I took to Instagram, where Bethie and Kate and Beka inspired me to contact Cherry Blossom Creative, my favorite local collective of illustrators, about a commission to fill the frames.

Tori, the founder and principle designer at CBCreative, went above and beyond in working on this project for me.  I said I really liked their DC neighborhoods print but asked if it would be possible to get it in black and white, cut up into four pieces to fit the placement of the frames.  Here's an excerpt from the first email she sent me:
"We can make this work!  I'm a little worried that it'll be tough to make everything line up perfectly, so I did a quick mockup to experiment. What do you think?"
I was stunned - I hadn't even placed an order, and attached to the email was my original Instagram with her prints superimposed into the frames!  We went through a few tweaks (which, much to my chagrin, involved actually measuring things so the frames were spaced evenly on the wall, which they hadn't been before), and I'm so happy with how it turned out.  As you can tell from the photos below, the fusebox isn't totally invisible under the top right frame, so I might check with my building management to see if we can take the handle off the little door so that the frame hangs straight.  Regardless, I love it!  And I can't recommend Cherry Blossom Creative enough if you're looking for DC-related illustrations!









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25 comments:

  1. It looks awesome! I love that you commissioned it and that it's totally unique and yours. Glad you solved this design dilemma for once and for all!

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  2. What a unique and interesting idea! Looks so great and the gray scale will make it a piece that you can use for years.

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  3. I love it! I lived in McLean, VA, but spent a lot of time in the District for a few years. That artwork is such a cool way to show city love!

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  4. That is so unique! I love great customer service too. I have never tried to search for things that are specific to my city, definitely off to do so now!

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  5. that looks awesome! don't you love commissioning local artists? My current preceptor, a family doctor, does this and haunts local art festivals and galleries to find works to put in her exam rooms. it makes for such a beautiful departure from the typical faded, bland stock paintings of the ocean you usually see in doctors' offices, ha! you both have totally inspired me :)

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  6. Such a great idea - and what a great way to draw on the skills of a local artist! And I love the blend of grayscale and gold in the frames. It's both elegant and it will go just about anywhere. I'm contemplating a local commission to fill the back wall over our couch in our living room - it's either going to be a local artist's work or one of my pieces, but either way, it'll be a nice custom piece to round out the room's collection!

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  7. I think it's awesome that this is really unique to you, but I like even more that you got a local artist to work with you on it! x

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  8. thank you! wouldn't have thought of it without my social media community :)

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  9. haha I don't know about "for once and for all" but this arrangement will always have a place somewhere in my home!

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  10. oh do! it's such a fun way to show civic pride.

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  11. I had no idea how awesome they are when I got that peppers print at a street fair, but WOO!

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  12. Torie: Cherry Blossom CreativeAugust 4, 2014 at 2:08 PM

    Hooray! They look so wonderful! Thanks for the shoutouts - I love it when people come up with creative ways to hang our prints, so I'm always happy to help make that a reality :)

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  13. oh I love that! it's so fun discovering new local talent :)

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  14. that's what I'm hoping - I want this to be in every home we ever have!

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  15. It looks so good! I love how you worked with a local artist to create something that's uniquely you. :)

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  16. This looks really good! It sounds like they were super helpful, and it shows something that is obviously really important to you!

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  17. This is so cool! I'm looking at their DC prints now, and I definitely think I am going to get one.

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  18. AMAZING. I don't even live in DC, and I want it. Also, I have the SAME fuse box problem in my kitchen! Stupid thing hangs out on the only wall in the entire room, and I can't find something long enough to cover it.

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  19. thank YOU for working so hard on getting it how I pictured it even though it doesn't geographically make perfect sense!

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  20. thank you - wish I could take more credit for the work, but it was all Torie :)

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  21. one day it will be on the wall in our home in England and I'll be so glad to have a piece of DC with me :)

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  22. oh YAY let me know which one you end up getting!

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  23. UGH they are so annoying! can't electricity just happen magically?

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  24. That is wicked! I love that! I'm gonna steal that idea as soon as I'm settled in one place for more than a year haha xx

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