How to incorporate vintage posters into your home

Artfully arranged vintage posters can give a room a fun and colorful talking point. While authentic advertising posters are often pricey, there are many are readily available as reprints at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Below are a few of our favorite rooms that incorporate vintage posters and a few sources for buying your own

In order to avoid the college dorm look (at all costs!), frame the posters to elevate the look.

Casey Design/Planning Group Inc.

Color coordinating the poster with some of the other items in your home will make the space feel like it has a cohesive design direction.

abc design

Go oversized for a dramatic statement

Eleven Interiors

Arranging a few of the same size posters in a grid-like pattern makes them take on a more sophisticated look

Shirley Meisels

Art.com

AllPosters

Etsy

A Weekend Filled with Design Inspiration

Wow what an eventful weekend we just had! Full of design-filled experiences, we figured we'd share some of the highlights here:

Since the weather wasn't great during the day on Friday, we figured we'd hunker down and get some afternoon work done at the NoMad hotel. What a beautiful library room they have in the back - a perfect place to get a pot of tea and work for a few hours - you don't even need to be a hotel guest!

Nomad Hotel Library Room

After getting some much-needed work done, we headed out for a little leisurely shopping since the rain had stopped. We made a stop at RH Modern in Flatiron (they're new line is amazing!) and then hit up Club Monaco on 5th ave. Have to say that that store has some of the most beautiful design details throughout. From the entry all the way back to the dressing rooms, everything was simply stunning. 

RH Modern Store in Flatiron

Club Monaco Entry

Club Monaco Details

Friday evening we decided to get an early dinner at The Standard Grille. The outdoor patio area where you can get a drink beforehand was great. Walking in you don't even feel like you're in NYC anymore. We couldn't get a great picture of it, so here's one from their website to get an idea of what the place looked like. It felt like summer hadn't ended!

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Finishing dinner on the early side, we were able to make it to a show at the Bowery Ballroom where we saw one of our favorite bands as of late, Joseph. The band is comprised of three sisters who can do some of the most beautiful harmonies. The opening band William Wild was amazing as well.

Joseph

Saturday was the semi-annual NYJL house tour which showcased 6 stunning residences in Manhattan. 

Loved the brass detailing on this headboard

This colorful Chelsea apartment belongs to interior designer Scott Sanders

Great mirror at this bedroom vanity/desk area

Finished off Saturday with a late dinner in Soho with some great friends and spent the entire day Sunday in Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo roaming in and out of open houses. With all the design inspiration taken away from the house tour, it was easy to see the potential of some places that only needed a few design tweaks! 

Overall a great weekend that left us with so much design inspiration to think about all week. Already looking forward to the Spring NYJL house tour! 

get the look: a toronto living room by McGill Design Group

Living Room by Colleen McGill of McGill Design Group and Plum Furniture

1. Mirror / 2. Scarf Art / 3. Horn Sculpture / 4. Chair / 5. Sofa / 6. Rug / 7. Coffee Table

6 times matte black fixtures made a dramatic statement

We're loving the matte black fixture trend for kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Here are a few of our favorite examples of how the sleek and sophisticated look was achieved

Studio McGee

Aamodt / Plumb Architects

No Glitter No Glory

Tom Robertson Architects

Amber Interiors

Meir

coffee table essentials

Make your coffee table a chic focal point with a curated collection of decorative elements that tell a story and showcase your unique style. Below are a few ideas for you to create a layered look with a bit of personality.

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1. Anchor with a tray to create a mini-vignette

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Aerin, $365

ZGallerie, $49.95

2. Vary height for added interest - candles, boxes, and quirky objects are a great way to achieve this look

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Diptyque, $62

Swing Design, $130

Jonathan Adler, $78

3. Use books as a base and as a way to showcase your interests

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Amazon, $96.80

4. Bring the outdoors in with natural elements

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Cyan Design, $80

Choosing the right artwork for your space

Art has the ability to pull a room together, but choosing the right piece can be intimidating. It is often considered as an afterthought, causing a missed opportunity for making it seamlessly mesh with the existing decor.

1. Make art your focal point
Let the color and texture of your artwork guide your color and decor choices for the rest of the room. Use it as a framework for planning your space if you are starting with a blank canvas (no pun intended!). If you are choosing the artwork as the last piece in the puzzle, find something that has similar or complementary colors to the palette you are working with. Aim to strike a balance between the color, tone and stylistic composition of the interior and your artwork. In essence, the art should look like it belongs in that environment.

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2. Bigger is always better
Artwork that is too small will make it appear dwarfed by its surroundings. If you are going to choose artwork that is out of proportion, make a statement by making it bigger. A great way to make your existing artwork appear more substantial is by reframing it with a larger mat or a thicker frame. If you are hanging art above furniture, it should be at least 3/4 the width of what it hangs above. If you can't find something large enough, consider doing two pieces side by side or on top of each other to fill in the space.

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3. Orientation
If your wall is tall and narrow, pick a piece of artwork that has that same orientation. If you have wide walls, a landscape orientation looks and feels more natural.

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4. Content and style
Choose artwork that harmonizes with that same design aesthetic as your interior. Abstract or conceptual pieces function well in modern environments. For a traditional interior, classic pieces and things like landscapes work well. You may also want to consider the style of frame with this tip in mind. Skew simpler with clean lines for a modern space and more ornate with a traditional.

Change & Co

5. If you can, invest in original art

Owning original artwork that speaks to your tastes and is unique to your home is a great way to elevate your space. If you want something original but don't want to have to spend a ton of money, start with a place like Etsy where individuals sell their own art without gallery representation. Saatchi Art is another great resource since you can sort by price and take advantage of their free art advisory program.

Ian Smith Design