Art Updates In The Carriage House

At first, I was going to call this post “New Art In The Carriage House” but then I realized that none of the art is actually new. Most of it is new to me though.

Semantics aside, I have some art updates in the Carriage House to share today.

As a refresher, our Carriage House is a building on our property, separate from the main house, that has storage space on the bottom floor and a studio apartment on the top floor. That apartment is also where Handy Husband works and guests stay when they visit.

At roughly 200 sq. ft., it’s a small but mighty space that performs multiple functions for sleeping, bathing, working, eating, etc.

It’s also a long and narrow space which makes it tricky to decorate. Along what I refer to as the “hallway” wall because that’s where people walk from one end of the space to the other, I’ve added some new art.

Longterm, I’d like to add a peg rail on this wall to add functionality and visual interest, but until then, art does the trick.

Above the bench where guests can rest their suitcases, I added a piece of horse lath art by Theodore Degroot. It was likely made in the 1960s right here in New Jersey. I don’t know how many of this particular design were created by Degroot’s art studio but I’d venture to say a lot.

I bought this lath art at a local antique shop and, come to find out, it hung in the house the shop’s owner grew up in.

I love having a back story on the art I purchase and you can bet I promised to give this piece a good home and love it for as long as possible.

Continuing with the horse theme, which is apropos of a building that used to store carriages and horse-related tack, I created a vignette that incorporates 3 horseshoes that I found on the property.

Two of the horseshoes I could nail directly into the wall. The other one I secured to a basket with leather ties since it did not have any holes.

This vignette is also functional as it includes a bulletin board where we can leave important info for guests like the wifi password! You might have to take a shower in a bathroom straight out of the 1970s, but we do have screaming fast internet. So, tradeoffs.

Our Carriage House is the very definition of slow decorating. We’ve lived here for four years and are nowhere near done with this space. However, little by little, it continues to evolve into a warm and welcoming place to sleep and work.

Are you a slow decorator too? How do you feel about horse art? I’d love to know. You can always comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

P.S. If you’re interested in Theodore Degroot’s lath art, you can find many pieces on Etsy. Just search “Degroot” or “Theodore Degroot” when you land on the Etsy homepage.

Thanks for being here today and following along with our renovating and decorating journey! Here are some other blog posts you might enjoy.

Carriage House Interior Before Photos

How To Make Child-Painted Horse Artwork (Adults Can Do This Too)

DIY Towel Bar From An Antique Harness

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