For a while now I’ve been thinking about bringing in a small bar cart to use in this space between where the kitchen cabinets end and the window. Apart from the fact that I love the look of a bar cart I also like the functionality they add for entertaining. Many times when I’m considering adding a new piece or making a design change rather than just trying to visualize how it will look I play around with the things I currently have in order to really see whether or not it will actually look as good in person as it does in my head.
Case in point………. I did a little playing around with this little space over the long weekend in order to see if a bar cart would really work here.
I just pulled in the trunk from my bedroom and sat an old vintage suitcase on top to mimic the height and width of a bar cart. I recently framed a few of my Janet Hill prints (for a different space), so I hung those with command strips to really get a good visual for what I was planning in this space.
Then I did the most important part of what I call “design role playing”…….I snapped a few pictures with my phone. There is just something about looking at a picture that helps you to really see and evaluate the space as a whole as opposed to taking in one element at a time when you’re standing in the space. Sounds odd, but it’s really true. If you’ve never done that, give it a try. Snap some photos of your home and then sit back and examine them. It can be a really helpful tool when you’re contemplating making a change or adding in something new. It’s also a great way to edit your spaces as a picture allows you to see everything at once so you can better see what you may need to remove.
In my case, this little exercise helped me to realize that a bar cart isn’t actually what I want here. I feel like it will look a little too clutter-y for my taste. I don’t want to overcrowd my open floor plan with too many little things, and I think the scale of this looks all wrong. In terms of art I think if I hang multiple frames here they should all be the same size, and the artwork itself will really have to be larger in order to visually fill the space. As pictured, the largest print here is an 11 x 14 and even in a 16 x 20 inch frame you can see from the first picture in this post that it really gets lost on the wall.
This little game of design role play helped me to figure out exactly what I want here. I’m now on the hunt for three (possibly two) coordinating art pieces. I want them in a horizontal orientation hung between the top of the cabinet and just before the floor. If I hadn’t taken the time to play around with what I have I might have purchased a bar cart only to find that I just don’t have the right spot for one. Do you ever use a stand in to help you visualize things in your home?
Love this idea. art will look amazing.