Five reasons why I'm no longer an art snob (thanks to Desenio)

I'm going to start this post with a confession. Over the last year or so, I've seen other bloggers posting about the gallery walls they had created using Desenio prints, and as beautiful as they were, I didn't think it was for me. I was basing this assumption on very little other than the fact that I'm a bit of an art snob. Urgh I know, one of those. Or at least I was. But since collaborating with Desenio on creating the gallery wall in our new bathroom, I have thrown all of my pre-conceived notions out of the window. Here are my five reasons why I'm a Desenio convert...

1) They had EXACTLY what I had been looking for

I decided early on in the bathroom renovations that I wanted to create a gallery wall of nudes on the chimney breast. I'm talking abstract line drawings, rather than Playboy Bunnies. The decision was the easy part, but actually tracking them down was another story altogether. After several weeks of trawling the internet I had almost given up hope of finding them. Then I thought it couldn't harm to do a quick check on Desenio just to see, and there they all were! Hallelujah! After careful consideration and deliberation, I went for the (l-r) Behind, Hide, Back and Abstract Nudes No2 in varying sizes, and they are EXACTLY what I had in mind for this space.

From a design perspective, the white space around the line drawings helps to brighten up and bounce light around the room. And they look a lot more expensive than they are. Which brings me to...

2) The quality 

I wasn't expecting the prints to look anything like as good as they do. All of Desenio's posters are printed on uncoated, premium matt paper and are also age-resistant. But it's the non-reflective matte finish that really suggests appeals to this former art snob's better self.

3) The selection

I might have gone into Desenio with a clear idea of what I wanted to find but I ended up discovering a whole lot more than that and emerged with a rather large shopping list. The themes I have earmarked for upcoming projects include the fashion photography, the summery Palm Springs vibes and the pastel coloured architectural detail snaps. (l-r) Palm Springs Door, Irony in Texas, Palm Springs Pool. 

Since I made my selections, Desenio's Studio arm have launched their new Coast to Coast photo series with designs from Los Angeles, Miami and Palm Springs. Think California coastlines, desert cacti and Art Deco architecture. Perfect for this epic Summer we are currently experiencing!

4) The gallery wall generator tool = gamechanger

When it comes to gallery walls, you are either in the "anything goes" camp, or the "micromanaging" camp. I am definitely in the latter and given the massive selection of prints available, it's easy to get confused about what will go where. But Desenio's new gallery wall generator tool is a godsend. I would usually plan something like a gallery wall on Canva first, which works but is a bit of a faff. The new tool allows you to choose your wall colour and room set-up, choose your gallery wall layout, select your prints and then the frames to go with them. Then once you are happy with your design, you can just add it to your basket and you're all set.

5) The frames

I can't tell you how many times I have bought a new print and had it sat in the tube for months on end, waiting for me to pull my finger out and take it to the framers. I had never experienced the sheer joy of unrolling a set of new prints, then popping them straight into brand new perfectly fitting frames and ready to go on the wall within minutes. Why, oh why, have I never done this before?

The frames are available in black, white, copper, silver, gold and oak. I went with the simple black frame as I felt the bathroom had enough bling going on elsewhere and I like that the black frames echo the lines of the drawings.

With the bathroom done, I'm now plotting gallery walls in both of the kids rooms. If you're currently plotting one for your own home this discount code should come in useful.  The code “gold_is_a_neutral” gives 25% off posters* between July 3rd and July 5th. *Except for frames and  handpicked-/collaboration posters".

Happy shopping!