Hanging a Tapestry High Up on a Wall (and Other Delights)

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember a house we visited a couple of years back to help a couple of art collectors place their collection after they moved into their new home.

We really enjoyed ourselves, and even got help from their cat, who was very interested in one of the woodpecker sculptures which we mounted.

We spent a few days there, but even then, the homeowners didn't quite hang their whole collection.

​That's because they were planning a small addition, and they called us back once it was done, because they had a rather large and somewhat tricky piece to install.

Wow. I took a textiles class in college, and tried my hand at tapestry... which means I know just enough to know that this beautiful wall hanging took absolutely forever to weave. And the colors are wonderful!

Sadly I didn't take any closeup shots so you could see the talented tapestry-makers' skill. But maybe this zoomed-in view will help. Look how the duck on the left is "hiding" in the leaves. The more you look at it, the more charming it is.

This thing was pretty big - maybe five feet tall and seven feet wide. That meant it wouldn't fit on just any wall. Fortunately the homeowners did have a spot for it... about thirteen feet in the air.

We had to get out a couple of sturdy ladders for this, but the final effect was worth it. I really like the way the colors tie in with the sofa.

One of the challenges we had was deciding how to center this piece. As you can see, it hangs over a kitchen peninsula that's off center. The pendant lights are also off center. The best thing you can do in situations like this is have a couple of people hold it up while you step back and see where you like it.

We also installed this large blue piece in their dining room. This one was tricky as well, because they had ceramic tile which we had to drill through in order to add the hangers. If you have a situation like this, just let us know so we can bring the best bit for the job.

Over in their kitchen was a delightful row of still life paintings. Our clients mentioned that the artist who painted these had started his career in his seventies. His sense of color was incredible.

To the right of the stove was this little green gem of a painting.

​To me it looks like a tunnel through a forest. I would love to wake up to this one every morning with coffee. There's a certain cathedral-like sense to it.

We also moved a few pieces to new walls for them. Partly this was because of the renovation; there were new walls to utilize.

​And I think it was also because when you live with art, you sometimes find it refreshing to move your favorite paintings to a new space, and shake things up a little bit. It puts them in a new context and (literally) a new light.

For example, they had set up a media room with a TV and their rack of beautiful vintage guitars.

Now it seemed like the perfect place for this arresting picture of an eagle. Electric guitars and a bald eagle - does it get more American than that?

One of the best parts of our job is revisiting old clients and seeing how their collections change over the years. But you don't have to be an art collector to call us.

​Even if you have just one item to place in a tricky spot, we're happy to help. Our team has installed thousands of pictures in the Asheville area, and we love what we do.

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