Show House 2011

Last night was the Preview Party for the 2011 DPVA Show House. Jean & I hung out and schmoozed with patrons as they toured the house before the public. Let me recap for you: our space- the upstairs hallway. You may be asking yourselves, "Wow, the Scouts had a big master bedroom in last year's show house. How did they end up with a hallway this year?"

A shot of last year's show house space designed by Vintage Scout Interiors

The process for room selection goes like this: designers are lumped in groups based on the number of Dayton show houses they have participated in and then names are drawn in random order. The Scouts find themselves in the "2 to 5 year category" and; surprise, surprise; are the last name drawn. This year the house has fewer spaces, so choices were limited. A discussion took place amongst the Scouts and it was decided that because two of the Scouts have seniors in high school graduating close to the time of the show house, that Vintage Scout should choose an "easy space". Here is the hallway "before", complete with a lovely 80's glossy Waverly wallpaper. And yes, there are two colors of carpet, navy and hunter green.

HA! One thing you have probably figured out about us by now is that we have a "go-big-or-go-home" philosophy. Dana got the inspiration for a gallery wall and in true Scout Style, we ran with it.

We thought you might like know how we hung almost 70 frames. It's actually kind of a funny story. Jean and I were at the house meeting with the photographer whose art we used, and all of us became really flustered about how we were going to pull this off. We headed back to the Studio where Dana was holding down the fort and proceeded to share our frustration with her. It was a true triumph for the redhead over the blondes that day, as her simple reply was "Make templates." DUH! And it wasn't like we didn't know... it was truly, a double blonde moment.

So our faithful intern, Yoko, began the tedious process of cutting out templates in the sizes of all the Ikea Ribba frames. We went with the Ikea frames simply because they look great, come with pre-cut mats and they are inexpensive. If you were doing this look in your own home, you may want to consider custom framing.

We spent several hours laying out our template on the walls (using painters tape so we had no peeling of the fresh paint) and finalizing the number and sizes of the frames we needed.

Then began the process of figuring out which photographs went where and hanging them. Let's just say we got lots of comments from the Peanut Gallery. Our favorite: "Now that's a labor of love." Yes, it was.

So that we weren't constantly having to straighten the frames, we applied sticky to the backs of the frames and made sure they were level once and for all. Our finished space in the Program Book.

The DPVA Show House & Gardens is open to the public today through May 15th. The house has made an incredible transformation and there are some very talented designers showcased. Meet the Designers day is Tuesday, May 3rd from 2 until 7; stop by and say "Hey" to us.

If you are interested in creating a gallery wall in your own home, contact Vintage Scout at 937-312-9461. The Scouts will be happy to help you design one. Or if you don't live in the Dayton/Cinci/Columbus area, email us at info@vintagescout.com and let us help you e-plan your photo gallery.