We found these frames at a yard sale and talked the seller down to $10 apiece. We’ve been calling them our twig & berries pieces.
Right away we thought the tall, narrow shape would be perfect above the bedside lamps on our temporary side tables (they’re too small and have no drawers) on this unfinished side of our master bedroom:
The artwork inside was prints of Alaskan berries and wildflowers, which is fitting since we honeymooned there, but the images felt a little too “grandma” for our taste.
Still, we loved the long rectangular frames, so we hung them to see how they’d look. Ignore the empty space on either side of the wall — we still have furniture to add to fill this big room. Once we replace the side tables, we may raise the frames or move them farther from the bed depending on the new pieces.
We liked the frame shape, but the warm wood finish clashed with the darker tones of the thrifted wood candle holders on either side of the resin ram over the bed…
…and with the leaning mirror and the leather chair in the corner:
Yes, we realize not every couple wants to sleep under a giant resin ram head. We’re a little unusual — maybe akin to centaurs and unicorns. As for the art, we originally thought the prints might go, but over time they’ve grown on us.
As for the frames, I decided to do something out of character: I spray-painted them oil-rubbed-bronze. Given my recent ORB phase, that might not surprise some, but almost every frame we own is white, and dark frames aren’t usually my thing. Still, I wanted to try something different.
I’ll skip the step-by-step on spray painting, but here are two practical tips from the process:
- The glass was so tightly fitted I didn’t want to risk breaking it trying to remove it, so I covered it with newspaper before painting.
- I propped each frame on a large rock so the edges wouldn’t stick to the drop cloth and peel off when I picked them up.
I also removed the mats and gave them a fresh white coat for a cleaner, more graphic look.
Brace yourself for the most glamorous photo on the internet:
My white mom legs in black dress socks = spray-painting strategy. Instead of worrying about getting paint on shoes or tracking it inside, I wear dark socks, paint, and then slip them off at the back door. For the rest of my outfit I wear old painting clothes that I don’t bring back into the house.
A few minutes after that photo, John and I started getting excited about a new idea. He suggested putting the botanical prints back into the updated frames to see how they’d look with the new, more graphic finish. I agreed, mostly to be sure we were truly over the originals.
We hung them, and we loved them. Oddly, the prints that felt too traditional now read more sophisticated with the dark frame and crisp mat. They give the room a curated, editorial vibe and genuinely make us smile.
I’ll acknowledge that art is subjective — not everyone will agree about a ram head above the bed or these particular prints — but we’re happy with our flowers-and-berries combo. It helps that our bedroom is a private space; we don’t usually worry about guest opinions.
We had a small laugh when we realized we’d arranged the berry print over John’s side and the flower print over mine — apparently flowers for ladies and berries for guys. Eye roll accepted.
Then something unexpected happened: John used his veto power on the leafy duvet cover we bought months ago.
When we first ordered the duvet — a clearance find — John agreed to it on the condition that it wasn’t necessarily forever. He said if he later decided he didn’t love it, we’d find something we both liked and might even resell the original. At the time I didn’t think that day would come. But after seeing how well the yard-sale prints worked with simpler bedding, he preferred switching the duvet to something less pattern-heavy.
So we stripped the leafy cover off and used a plain white duvet insert from Ikea for now. The white insert is more compatible with the art, but it still doesn’t feel quite right. We’re leaning toward something with a subtle texture — a soft chevron, crosshatch, thin stripe, or another understated pattern — so we’ll be hunting at HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, and maybe Ikea for options.
The lesson for us: don’t settle too quickly. If something feels off, it’s worth waiting to find a bedding choice you both truly love. It feels like the Alaska prints found us at the right moment, and swapping a duvet is an easy course correction.
We might sell the old duvet online — we paid about $42 and have seen similar covers listed for much more — so there’s a chance we can recoup much of the cost.
When Clara wandered into the bedroom she gave the new art two enthusiastic thumbs up (she gives that gesture often). Burger, our dog, offered one paw sideways, proving he’s a bit of an art snob.
Have you ever made an unexpected decor swap, had a partner veto something, or spray-painted with a quirky technique? We’d love to hear about other small changes that ended up making a big difference.