It’s taken us a few months of remodeling, a couple months of having artwork in boxes in the middle of our living room, and some recent quarantine-time-inspired room rearranging, but after about nine months, our house is looking pretty put together (if I do say so myself). Like an almost-finished puzzle, we just have a few little pieces to fill in here and there.
I’m picky about my art and what I display on my walls. I enjoy finding handmade pieces, original paintings, antique or vintage finds, and pieces comprised of lots of different textures. We have prints, paintings, antique signs, macrame – all kinds of different items throughout the house but with a similar feel, color, and/or look. Most of our wall real estate is taken, but there are several spots scattered around the house where I still have white walls yearning for some company.
I walked in Jenni Kayne in Montecito a couple of months ago and saw these gorgeous, handmade bells and strands by Brooklyn-based artist MQuan hanging in the store. I thought that they were lovely, distinctive, and charmingly simple. I also appreciated that you could hang one bell or strand on its own or arrange a group for more of a statement piece. Alas, I didn’t think I had a spot for them. That was until I went a bit stir-crazy and recruited Patrick to help me completely redesign a couple of rooms during our shelter-at-home time. Exercise equipment, rugs, dressers etc. were all swapped around, and I ended up with a blank wall next to my desk.
I remembered the bells and called the shop. Since retail stores were still closed, the store manager was nice enough to text me photos, and I took a leap of faith and ordered the ceramic pieces. After a distanced, porch drop off, I unpacked the two bells (one round and one longer) and one strand, and, as I had hoped, I was thrilled with the look of the three items together.
Jenni Kayne sells wooden hooks to hang/display the bells and strands, but I thought that brass hooks would contrast nicely with the textured rope and match some of the accents that we already had in the room. Overall, I think the look came together nicely. The ceramic art is subtle enough that it doesn’t look too busy for the space but also interesting enough to capture the eye. Plus, now I have a couple of bells to ring in case I need Patrick to bring me something while I’m writing ;).
