Top Sources for Original Artwork in Collected Design

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If someone were to ask me what my interior design style is, I would say “collected.” Collected interior spaces are ones that can rarely be rushed or quickly pulled together, so they range from feeling as though they are not finished to sometimes being a little overly done. People who resonate with collected interior design are ones who wish to have their personality reflected in their spaces by featuring a mixture of old and new pieces, original artwork, items collected from travels, and multiple design styles.

Of all of these characteristics of collected interior design, the one that resonates the most with me is original artwork. Do you remember that fear of showing up to a homecoming dance and seeing another girl wearing the same exact dress as you? That’s how I feel about potentially walking into someone’s home and seeing the same exact mass produced artwork hanging on the wall.

In our family, artistic ability was highly treasured and encouraged. In my large, extended family I have multiple family members with an incredible gift for all types of artwork, ranging from jewelry design to painting to large scale commercial art installations. It’s for these reasons that I have found myself drawn to purchasing original artwork over the years to decorate my homes with.

Until now, I have closely guarded my source for much of this artwork. Today, for the first time ever, I am sharing where I have purchased original artwork for many years and a list of tips so that you can also find amazing pieces for your home or business. This began as a source that I used when I was a seller in the antiques industry. Initially, I kept this source close to the chest because sourcing artwork to resell can be difficult. Then, I kept quiet about it because I didn’t think people would take it seriously.

So are you ready for it? My source for a great deal of the original artwork in my home is GoodwillFinds.com. I know, I KNOW. Not what you were expecting, right? Let me tell you why this website has been such a success for me. You can discover hundreds of hard-to-find pieces and hidden gems. I have purchased a massive painting for $30, which turned out to be worth over $3,000. I purchased my treasured dog painting that you’ve seen in many pictures for only $100. And the best part? No one in the world has a painting exactly like mine.

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Here are just a few tips for successfully buying artwork on GoodwillFinds.com:

  • I’m listing this tip first because it’s often overlooked. Make sure you read the description carefully, especially the dimensions. You don’t want to be surprised when it’s delivered by receiving something much smaller or much larger than you expected.
  • Read to see if there is anything regarding delivery you need to know.
  • Before you start searching the website, create an account!
  • Use the search features wisely! At the top of the website is a search box, and you can also click on the top left to view by categories. Artwork can be found under the home category.
  • It can take a bit of digging to find something that you want to own and be proud of. Since artwork is unique and items are constantly being added, check back often to see what’s new on the website.

I hope you found this information helpful, and I wish you much success in your hunting! I have a few promo codes that will work for first time shoppers below. I was very hesitant to share this source, and my husband was actually surprised when I told him that I was going to. It would bring me great joy if you would share your finds with me in the comments or tag me on social media. (Facebook, Instagram) Happy hunting!

Promo codes:

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Transform Your Dining Room on a Budget

This article contains affiliate links and ads. You can find many of the pieces I feature by clicking on the links at the bottom of this article.

I’m happy to finally share the details on our dining room refresh. Months before our kitchen renovation began, we started on our dining room. This was a low cost project that we completed over a long weekend. With some paint, new draperies, an estate sale find, and collected antiques from the storage bins, I created a dining room that we look forward to hosting holiday dinners in.

The homeowner that did all of the major renovations on our home in the early 2000s painted it a sherbet green with a lighter shade of green on the ceiling. The seller we purchased it from didn’t make any changes to the dining room at all. Every room was kept exactly the way it was when they bought the house, right down to where the nails in the wall were. It was important to me to make this OUR home, and painting is an easy way to do that without changing the style and architecture of a historic home.

Before we purchased our home.
Before we purchased our home.

One of the changes we made with the biggest impact was to paint the ceiling. If you’re considering painting your ceilings a lighter shade of the wall colors, pause and think twice. Not necessarily because of resale value, but think of how you want people to feel while they’re in your home. If you’re wanting a dramatic effect and an artistic environment, then go for it! But if you want people to feel relaxed and settled, it’s not for you. It’s distracting and chaotic if it’s not done properly.

We painted our walls with Benjamin Moore “Revere Pewter,” and the ceiling is “White Dove.” The trim is Behr “China White.” The trim was already painted for us, and I like how it works with the Revere Pewter. China White reminds me of the color of antique ironstone dishes.

When we sold our last house three years ago, we sold most of our furniture, including the dining room table, chairs, and china cabinet. The rental house we were moving to didn’t have a dining room, and the dining set was looking a little dated, so we sold it on Facebook Marketplace. After we bought this house, I found an estate sale that was selling an Ethan Allen dining set for less than 1/10th of the retail cost. It’s currently on the Ethan Allen website, and the total cost for the table, 8 chairs, and buffet would’ve been over $11,000. We paid around $1,000. It’s worth it to check out estate sales!

I featured the drapery and hardware on an Instagram post several months ago. The drapery and hardware ended up being a source of frustration. The bay windows in our house do not match the measurements of modern bay windows. Modern bay windows have a larger center window with a smaller functional window on each side. Our original historic bay windows have a smaller center (functional) window, with a larger stationary window on each side. The drapery and hardware for our bay windows were custom made to fit them. And unfortunately, they were removed by the seller. I ended up finding hardware and drapery that I preferred, but it was time and money that we weren’t expecting to spend.

The other items in the room, like plates, pitchers, and artwork, are things that I’ve collected over the years. It was a little like Christmas opening all of my boxes that had been in storage for three years, and we’ve only had one broken crystal glass so far!

I’m lucky to have two pieces of artwork by my twin brother, Tyrus Lytton, displayed in our dining room. He painted a portrait of our daughter when she was two or three, and I found a frame online that complemented the antique mirror on the other side of the doorway. He also painted a small watercolor of our house. (Side note: my brother normally does large scale art installations all over the world. I’m very proud of him and thankful to have some of his artwork on a smaller scale.)

Below you can find a list of sources for the items that I used in our dining room. Some of the pieces are antiques, but I have linked similar ones that I found online. Click on the word to be taken to the source where you can find them.

P.S. There are also a few side-by-side- before and after photos below.

Before
Before
Before

As you can see, a little paint and some new draperies can make a big impact. I’m curious if you’ve ever purchased a house and had items removed that were supposed to stay. Let me know in the comments if you’ve experienced that, too!

Until next time,

Abby

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