The Long Of It

There is a long narrow wall space in my kitchen that is crying out for some art work. It is a boxed in chimney for a walled in fireplace. The dimensions are 23 inches wide and 80 some odd inches tall.

Visual Vamp kitchen - then
The narrow wall in the the "then" kitchen
I want to hang some subway art on this wall
The shelving has been removed, revealing a tall clean expanse

I am in no mood to open up the wall to expose old crumbling brick, especially when the counter sits in front of this column like structure.

What would work is something that is predictable: A subway sign. There are many sites that have these graphic images, and I like them very much. I loved my typography classes in art school, and I love typography and poster art.

Nate Berkus living room with subway style typography art

Of course now that Nate Berkus and Pottery Barn (and the Jane Fonda movie "Monster On Law") have perhaps over saturated the decor world with subway art, it starts to slide in the realm of the "Oh that's so 2008", or "That's so over".

Jane Fonda and her subway art in the movie "Monster In Law"


Pottery Barn subway art circa 2008
And it was on sale then for $79.!

What is it about us that one minute we all love something that is truly good looking (zebra or cow hide rugs, Lucite, Ikat, Imperial Trellis, Sea Grass, white slipcovers, etc.), and then we collectively bash any long term enjoyment out of having it?

This can never be over
Jenna Lyons Townhouse

New York subway signs

Being a New Yorker has endeared subway signage to me. So what's stopping me from getting a piece of subway art that is being offered in droves. Price mainly. A single sign to fit my space is around $275. HERE

It really isn't a high price for a piece of "art", when considered in context, but for me it is a little expensive.

So off I go on the hunt for a budget friendly piece of long and narrow in scale art, subway or otherwise.

I found subway art at Wal Mart! Well priced of course, but the dimensions are not quite right, being on the smaller side. I want the art work to fill up the long space as much as possible. But still these are great looking pieces for a girl (or boy) on a budget.

Cute subway style art for $31.88 from Wal Mart HERE
26 inches long - 14 inches wide - not the right size for me

More cute subway stile art from Wal Mart HERE
Stacking three of them might work to give the long look I need
Each piece is 22 inches x 18 inches

From Wal Mart for $31.88 HERE

I also found a site that sells recycled museum banners, the kind used to hang around town or in the art museum for a particular show. These banners are huge.

A museum banner in a room looks grand

72 inches long - 31 inches wide
Too wide for my space $325. HERE

They look so regular in size when you see them hanging on a lamp post, but for home use they are grand and large. Unfortunately all that are offered are too wide for my space, and the price range is $325. up to $800.

The subject matter at Better Wall is wide ranging

Groovy museum banner

These banners are refurbished and cleaned, and they are gorgeous. They also come in small limited editions, and I think are a worthwhile investment, because once they are gone, there aren't any more.

Marie Antoinette museum banner - there are only 25 of them

Marie-Antoinette and the Petit Trianon at Versailles
Museum - Legion of Honor, San Francisco
72 inches long - 35 inches wide $479. HERE

I found another source for long wall art, from a company that specializes in modern home furnishings. The even had some typography, though the wording is a little too "Eat, Laugh, Love" for me. But the slats, as the company calls them, are the perfect size, and at $119. not so out of the realm of my budget.

Wall Slats from Inhabit HERE

78 inches long - 24 inches wide $119.

But to eBay I must go, and of course there are many listings for subway art there. Some of it is very expensive, because subway signage is highly collectible.


I also checked out Etsy, and found some great ink jet prints HERE that are just beautiful, but the long size I need wasn't there. I could hang two or three of these pieces in a row, but then I would be back to $100. - $150. or so for settling on something that works, but isn't what I really want.

Etsy subway sign art
12 inches wide - 36 inches long
I would need two @$50. each

Back to eBay where I found a couple of interesting pieces, in the form of actual scrolls from the subway, the kind that sits in the long window of the train and identifies which train it is and what route it is on.

NY Subway signage in the window of the train
It's like the one I got

They are not as glam looking as the black and white subway art, but still they had some graphic charm, and the opening bid was low. So I put in my highest bid for around $25. and forgot about it. And of course because I wasn't salivating over this auction, I won the thing.

My eBay win for $25.99
54 inches long x 12 inches wide

I'm awaiting (as the say in eBay language) my purchase to arrive. I will try it out in the space, and who knows, it just might work. If not, I can always give it to someone as a gift.

from Apartment Therapy

I know many of us have spaces with unusual dimensions. And I know many of us are on tight decorating budget too. What are some of the tricks you use to fill an awkward space? And what kind of budget art are you finding out there? Lots of us create our art work for a space, and I'd love to hear about what you guys are making too. Send me photos, and I'll post them in Readers Projects.

Posted in: Living With Art