How to "Get Away" Without Leaving Home

Right about now I could use a walk on the beach. Or really, anywhere besides my 4 block radius. Quarantine can make it feel like the walls that once were our shelter are now our prison. But it doesn't have to be that way.

I firmly believe that our surroundings should nourish our bodies and souls. And for many of us, we've spent so little time awake at home, its a harsh reality that our homes are not supporting us too well right now.

As a design consultant at Latitudes Gallery, I get to see what a lot of people do with their walls. Usually its one of three problems:

• They ignored the walls completely until the blank walls were too much to take.
• Improper hanging- art is hung way too high.
• Improper sizing- art is too small, it's not balanced with the room or furnishings and the blank space completely overpowers the art.

And the main reason all this happens... it is so hard to visualize! We often look only at the tiny patch of wall and not how it relates to the rest of the space. We don't know where to put it so we hang the nail as high as we can reach and say "Eh. Good enough for now." But "now" seems to last a really long time. And "now" has snuck up on us and the lack of something good to look at is suffocating when you can't escape it.

We have been working hard for a few months making our website even more intuitive, creating guides you can download on proper sizing, hanging and style, and more.

But the cherry on top is the amazing new Live Preview tool. You can pick a photo and see it on your wall- instantly, right from your phone or desktop. You can resize, change walls, change photos and try on a bunch of new looks, right now!

What is great about the preview tool is you can see exactly how much a room can be transformed with art.

I love tying in the existing elements in the room by matching the colors and shapes (think: patterns, curves, and lines) and then really bringing the art into the space with some final accessories.

To help you see what some new art and some tiny changes can make, I have created some look books for you. Go ahead, click on a room and try out a new look for yourself!

How to Escape to Hawaii Without Leaving Home

How to Create a Classic Black and White Space

How to Find Your Calm Without Leaving Home