Dear Debbie: We have some fabulous landscape photos of our property that we would like to use as art for our walls. Do you know of an interesting way to do this? Simple frames just don鈥檛 work.
James
Dear James: We are all becoming amateur photographers these days due to the simplicity and the high quality of digital cameras. Even cellphones can take outstanding shots.
There are numerous options for displaying your favourite photos. You can now make books online, or set up a page for groups of photos that capture your latest vacation or special family event.
I discovered another option that will suit your desire to showcase your landscape photos in a manner that is both captivating and simple.
Aluminyze.com lets you upload any photo and have it printed onto aluminum. The photo is infused into a sheet of aluminum. Their raw silver aluminum surfacing adds a semi-transparent appearance to the picture. Whites become metallic silver, and colours shine with metallic hues. If you choose their standard white surface, you will see greater depth of saturated colours and stronger contrasts. Check out the website to view the firm鈥檚 gallery and your choice of shapes, sizes and mounts, everything from traditional rectangles, squares and circles to heart shapes, ornaments and even the letters of the alphabet.
You will want to ensure that the photos you send are high quality so that they can be enlarged, edited and cut to make whatever display you like. These aluminyzed photos are durable, waterproof and UV resistant. They don鈥檛 wrinkle like paper so they can stand in easels or self-mounted onto the wall as shown here.
Enjoy the creative process and be proud of your own masterpieces hanging for everyone to view.
听
Dear Debbie: We have lived in a traditional home for many years, with dark wood panelling in the dining room and wood floors throughout the main floor. I love the house, but am tired of all the dark. It feels heavy and I am looking for light without ruining the home鈥檚 style. What can I do?
Ilianna
Dear Ilianna: I know that you have a difficult decision to make, because there is much push-back when it comes to painting over dark wood panelling. Many people deem this as a sacrilege, but I have to disagree with that attitude. This is your home and you get to make decisions that work for you.
My advice is to paint the panelling white. Not only will it lift the room immeasurably, but it will also show off the handiwork in the panels themselves. Choose an interesting colour for the wall space between or above the panels. Pastel shades such as pale pink or violet are popular right now. Or look at the new wallpapers. Traditional florals have been blown up to invigorate any space. Stripes are always in style.
Your floors are easily lightened with area rugs, and won鈥檛 feel heavy once the dark panels are gone. And don鈥檛 forget lighting. Chandeliers and pendants come in an exciting array of historic-meets-contemporary designs. It will feel like a brand-new old home.
听
Debbie Travis鈥檚 House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to [email protected]. Follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit Debbie鈥檚 website, debbietravis.com.
