Antique Botanicals and an Update in the Family Room!
Antique botanicals are so charming, and they’re the perfect choice for everything from filling a big, blank wall to lining a hallway. Come see how they changed our family room and where to find them!
I know some of you follow me on Instagram, and if you do, you probably saw that I had recently acquired some antique botanicals and had them framed and hung in the family room. But I realized for those of you who aren’t on Instagram, you had never seen the new additions!
Just to go back a little, I fell in love with antique botanicals a few years ago. And I fell hard! This was the first photo that really had me wanting them…
I love everything about this! Via Southern Living.
And then my friend Loi Thai shared this magnificence, and I was even more smitten!
But the photo that really cemented the idea in my mind, was this breakfast room below by Lisa Luby Ryan.
I actually wrote a post all about my obsession two years ago. And yes, it’s taken me two years to find them! And all the while, my family room had a big, blank wall! You see, the true antique botanicals can be very expensive, so just finding them took awhile. I really didn’t want reproductions, and I didn’t want to pay several hundred a piece either.
Though I will say, some of the repros I’ve seen now are quite nice and definitely give a similar look – and they don’t take two years to acquire! Anyway, I finally found mine about a year ago, and embarrassing to admit, they sat for a whole year before I finally got them framed and hung!
And here they are! I am over the moon excited about how they turned out! I’ve framed a lot of art in my time, and to be honest, it does not always turn out how I’d planned.
I wanted a frame that looked vintage and this one has a great patina. It doesn’t look completely antique, but it comes close. It has small imperfections and dents and dings, and the gold is the perfect shade.
It’s quite a long wall over the sofa on that side, and it needed either a very large piece of art or a grouping like this. A definite benefit to going with a grouping is if I ever move, they can be used anywhere in another house. Whereas, one large piece of art is a big investment and may not fit in another home.
These could easily be split up, using some in a bedroom and some in a bathroom, or group them along a hallway (love that look!)
They’ve really added so much to the room! It made me wish I hadn’t dragged my feet for so long! 😉
So though I am hardly a patient person (my husband can confirm this for you), in this case, my patience really did pay off (or procrastination, haha!) I am so happy with the result and can’t wait to finally finish this room completely!
While shopping around, I was amazed at the nice reproductions I’ve found! In fact, had really nice reproductions been around when I was looking, I probably would have gone with those!
I’ve linked some of the better ones below, as well as some vintage ones. And if you’re interested in only antiques, I would suggest starting on Etsy as there are a ton of vendors selling authentic ones. Just bear in mind that you might spend more on the frames than the art! And this seller on Etsy has some of the prettiest ones I’ve ever seen!
Antique Botanical Resource List
*affiliate links included for your convenience*
Sheila
xo
Hi Sheila,
I was delighted to see your post on botanicals.
In the late 1980’s I started collecting
and now have approximately 20 of them…all beautifully framed (marbleized paper, hand colored matting, etc). At the time some were not expensive and some were very expensive.
However I love them as much today as I did so many years ago.
Best regards,
Clara
Oh I love hearing that Clara! sounds like you have an amazing collection! 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sheila
Beautiful! Thanks for the link…been looking for a few botanicals. Did I miss it…where’d you find frames? Professionally done?
Hi Mary and thank you! My frames were custom! 😉
Sheila
The botanicals are lovely. I have six 1795 Curtis botanicals framed by my friend who was an art historian. Love them. I like the way you grouped them close together 3 over 3. After I hang them I will send a photo
Thanks so much Julie!
Those look fabulous, Sheila. I bought some reproductions years ago and used cheap Hobby Lobby frames and mats and loved the look for quite some time. Of course now I no longer have them and kind of wish I did.
Thanks so much Kim! And I feel your pain on that one, haha! I’ve given away so many decor items that later I wish I hadn’t (insert major eye roll here!) Story of my life!
Happy Easter to you!
Sheila
xo
Beautiful room and art! Can I ask where did you find the frames? They are perfect!
Hi Maureen! Thanks so much for your kind comment! They were custom framed at a local framer.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sheila
Love them Sheila! I bought some frames to do something similar over my living room sofa but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. A year ago, I posted how I was going to freshen up my living room but its still not done. At least I ordered my plantation shutters which are getting installed in 2 weeks – yay! Seeing how beautiful your botanicals turned out has me motivated again. They are perfect for your room!
Shelley
Thanks so much Shelley! I definitely procrastinated on these so I feel your pain! But just think how happy you’ll be when you get all these new things done! You’ll be like me saying “why didn’t I do it sooner?!”
Thanks so much for your sweet compliment – I really appreciate it!
Sheila
xo
Gorgeous Sheila!
You have it so right with those frames, and the hanging style (I do not find this to be easy), your photography…..
cheers
Debra
Hi Debra!!
How nice to see you “here”! And thanks for your kind words. Yes – the hanging was a bit of a challenge, haha! Thanks to my husband they came out pretty good:)
Thanks so much for stopping by:)
Sheila
xo
Well worth the wait….they look so beautiful in the room!…..I too have been on the “hunt”, however, as you stated it is not easy to find antique prints at a moderate price. Have a great day Sheila!
Thanks so much Shirley! I ended up finding mine at a flea market, but before that the best ones I saw (antique, anyway) were on Ebay. Though I did spend a lot more on the framing than the actual prints!
Thanks again for stopping by my friend, and Happy Hump Day!
Sheila
xo