Hey friends! Do you ever get that urge to create, but you are too scared you will mess it all up? I’ve been there and done that…many times. More often than not, things work out for the best when it comes to taking chances with art pieces or projects around your home, right? Let’s take those past projects that didn’t go so well, and think about what we learned from the experience. For me, it usually meant that I hadn’t properly prepared for what I wanted to attempt from start to finish. I didn't have the right supplies, or the right conditions and sometimes I didn't even have the patience. I simply had the urge and started. Lesson is: Prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.
With this basket wall art that I created on my front entry accent wall, I had prepared in a few different ways and I wanted to share with you how I did so in three easy steps. I had so many messages on Instagram from you saying that you had wanted to create a basket wall, but you were too afraid to do it because you were afraid you wouldn’t know how to place them once you started. So I hope that you’ll feel a bit more confident after seeing how I did it. It’s really about that perfect balance of planning and a having a creative eye. And most of all, not being afraid to do your décor, YOUR way!
1-Find some inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram
2-Shop for all of your baskets
3-Plan out your design on the floor before you place them
1-Researching for your Basket Art Project
Pinterest is your friend. When it comes to inspiration, Pinterest is a great place to start. Initially I was going to do my basket art wall in my bedroom against a white wall, but when I went on Pinterest, I realized that I was far more drawn to photos of baskets against dark walls. Here were my top three favorite basket wall art inspirations on Pinterest:
Some baskets are closely gathered together and leave very little space between each basket. I also loved the pop of black and white here.
This one above is from bloglovin.com . I loved the one long basket in this photo as well as the warmth the baskets gave against the dark blue wall.
Some incorporated a bright color to bring their room together. As you can see in this art wall, they have a bunch of baskets to the right that are all closely placed together, and then left a big space and dispersed the baskets a little more on that side. So really there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to art and what you want to do.
So I switched my focus and started to think about using my “Very Navy” accent wall in the front entry to create a dramatic focal point. I decided to go with my instincts, as did the others.
2-Where to Buy a Variety of Baskets
I started with my favorite "go to" website, Wayfair and also went to my favorite store, Homesense. I found two sets of baskets on Wayfair which I'll link here and here. I found the large, round gray and white basket at Homesense and the rest of the small ones (and my long vertical one!!!!) at my local thrift store. I highly recommend the thrift store. I think I spent ten dollars there and came back with at least half a dozen baskets.
I decided that I didn't want very much color, if any at all on the wall, so really, the only accent color iis a touch of gray and white.
3-Time to Create!
I laid out the general pattern on the floor of how I wanted the art to flow. I wanted to place a large mirror I already had as the focal point. I thought it was different, which expressed my own personal touch and also looked "baskety" enough, so I knew it would work.
My husband helped me out so much during this project. You'll definitely want to have a second person on hand to help you out. I had my husband stand on the ladder, and I would hand him the baskets, one by one, and he would nail it in place once I felt like it was in the perfect spot. We mostly used finishing nails for the baskets unless the basket was quite heavy.
I placed a few baskets to the left first. I knew I didn't want baskets pasta certain point, so I kept that in mind. It was a bit of trial and error. The pattern that I had laid on the floor changed slightly as pieces began going up. I just rolled with the art process as it progressed ;). Afterwards I started to expand around the mirror to the other sections I wanted to fill.
I made sure that the baskets with handles were not heading in the same direction to trick the eye into thinking that they were all different baskets up there, but in fact there were multiples of the same basket in different sizes!
I really preferred spreading the baskets out. I found that placing them too close together made me feel like the amount of baskets I had for the space wouldn't work out for what I wanted to achieve in the space.
As you can see, we have very high ceilings in this room. To give you an idea, I can't hang my wreath on my door unless I'm standing on a chair. I'm only 5'5, but still...it's a tall door and a very tall ceiling. We had to have it professionally painted last year because we literally couldn't reach the top of the wall, even with my huge ladder!
I'm so happy with how it turned out. When I walk past it, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I really wanted this wall to have a focal point, but I didn't know what to put on it. When I came across basket art, I knew that I had found EXACTLY what I wanted here. :)
Let me know what you've been thinking concerning basket wall art. Are you planning on doing one in your home? Thanks for reading! Head over to my Instagram to say hi! This post about my basket wall has the most like ever on any photo I've posted!!!! Thanks everyone :)