weird-size art for the dining room

I'm searching for art to hang over my sideboard in the dining room.

 The sideboard sits under a window, and the space between would be suitable for a piece that is approximately 20x40. I'd like a single, large piece of art in that space, as I feel there are lots of small collections on the first floor (especially in the dining room, which I haven't posted about yet). Twenty by forty is not exactly a common size, and I'm reluctant to invest lots of money into weird-size art that may not have a place in our next house.

I came across this picture on 20x200, and it has totally captured my imagination. Sadly, it doesn't come in the right size, and even if it did, its way out of my price range.

Think I could DIY something like this? I have learned making that attractive art is way harder than you think it should be.

black sideboard + nailhead mirror

After the previous black fiasco, I managed to procure some black high gloss paint (from a Benjamin Moore Store!  In latex! Without an attitude! Who knew such a thing was possible?).  Despite my children giving me the stomach plague this weekend, I managed to get a few coats on the sideboard.

Before we had a white sideboard with red handles, and two vintage travel posters.

Now it looks like this:

The mirror was from Lowe's a few years ago and has been sitting in my attic for a while.  It had a dull and rough silverleaf finish, with a nailhead trim effect around the edge.  I wanted more gold, however, so I gave it a very very light misting of gold spraypaint. Now its a not quite silver, not quite gold color.

I have been informed that our household is at the max capacity for mirrors.  One more mirror will throw the universe into chaos.

I'd have plans to add some hardware to the sideboard, but I'm still looking. 

terrible, horrible, no good, very bad paint

I have been itching to paint something a nice glossy black, and I decided on the sideboard for my intended victim.  I got my MIL to watch my barfy kids for an hour and I went to my friendly neighborhood Benjamin Moore Store.  As usual, my friends who run the store denied my request for the paint I wanted and interrogated me as to what nefarious plan I had for the paint.

Honest to Pete I hate this damn store.  And now, Grandma, you should avert your eyes and possibly not read further because I plan to USE MANY CURSEWORDS.

Those DOUCHENOZZLES refused to make a high gloss black paint, because they claim it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a high gloss black paint.  Even if they COULD, they would only make it in an oil-based paint, but they wouldn't  want to sell me THAT.

Breathing deeply, I agreed, I did not WANT to buy an oil-based paint because I planned on painting the sideboard in my dining room, and thus why would they not sell me a latex-based high gloss paint?  Mumble mumble oil no latex mumble mumble why you want it anyways mumble mumble NO.

We compromised by them giving me this:

THIS IS SHIT, by the way.

Shit is not the look I was going for.

I used a tinted primer and two coats of this crap on my sideboard, and it looks terrible.  Sort of a thin, watery, grayish, crappy, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad PIECE OF SHIT.  

But don't worry! I have plenty of time to do stuff like paint!  I don't have to wait till barfing children go to bed! No, I have lots of free time to do FORTY SEVEN coats of watery gray crap without interference.  NO PROBLEM.

Why do I keep going back to these jerks?

*shakes fist in rage at the sky*

tv wall

Here is the tv side of the living room. I'm not terribly enthralled with my decorating efforts in the living room so far. I probably won't post a pic of the whole room. I want a new sofa and a new rug. And new curtains. And a new coffee table. And while I like the red leather chair, I wish it weren't red. I'm annoyed at how its dictating the design scheme. If only I had another room to put it in.

So here is the before picture.


We bought the sideboard at Uhuru Used Furniture in Philly on Spruce St. Its got great used furniture---I think we paid $40 for this piece. It was pretty beat up when we got it, so I attempted a tortoiseshell kind of effect. I was inspired by Laurie on Trading Spaces and a coffee table she did (that tells you how long ago I got this piece, doesn't it?) I painted it gold and then stippled black and brown all over it. It was ok. Not a masterpiece.


I think the shelf is about at max capacity. The Mister wanted me to leave it blank, because ack, what if we put stuff on it and then the shelf fell on the precious tv??? Every time I add a piece his eyebrows go up and he asks "does that really need to be up there?"


The Buddha and the apothecary jars are all from Home Goods.


The picture of peaches is a picture painted by my grandmother after my wedding, based on our wedding favors of peach jam (you can see in the middle of the picture is a little jar of jam). The picture of sunflowers was taken at my husband's family's farm outside of Naples, Italy. The sumo wrestlers were bought in Japan while visiting a friend.


The red pulls are so pretty. They are the medium size red Empire pull from Schaub & Co.