Reader help: Days late, dollars short, stickers ahoy

By Jonniker

Well! Nothing like a reader help question that you were SO SURE you answered, only to find that you DID NOT, and then feeling like a total stooge! Welcome to the land of Jonna being a total dumbass! WELCOME!

So! This one comes to us from reader Melissa, who is (or, uh, was) considering some wall quotes and, frankly, she is understandably unsure if they are, well, tacky. We here at Style Lush weren't sure either, and at first, we were pretty split. To illustrate what we're talking about here, take a look at this:

You know, it's like a vinyl decal that goes on the wall -- they're very popular right now in terms of wall art, but this is a different animal altogether, given that it's a quote, which can be a dicey proposition no matter what the medium, depending on your perspective.

So, readers. What say you?

Comments

[Nic]

I need an "it depends" option. I saw one that was a poem that went around the ceiling of the room. It was very subtle and sweet. I've also seen an alphabet version of that in a nursery. I don't like big declarations, though. Especially if they're Bible verses. I'll have to go for tacky on those.

[Swistle]

I don't like those things whether they're on stickers or on decoupaged chunks of wood or on throw pillows or whatever. For me it's not the wall sticker format that's a problem but the level of smug/preachy/cliche in the sentiment.

[Marie Green]

I have never been able to puzzle that out: WHICH wall art decals are for me, and how do I know if I'm picking a non-tacky one... or what if they are ALL tacky and I just don't know it?

I have a friend that put a cheesy "Welcome. Sit. Stay awhile." decal on a mirror in her entry way. It worked for her, but I'd feel dorky with it. She got compliments on it all the time though... in fact, when she moved, they had THREE offers that included "mirror in entryway". She was so pissed; she liked her mirror and didn't want to sell it with the house.

Finally, that very quote you exampled above is one that hangs over our fireplace, on a piece of art a local artist did. The quote itself is integrated into the artwork, so it's not really obvious, but I love it all the same. I think the whole quote is: "Our family is a circle of love and strength. With every birth and every union the circle grows. Every joy shared adds more love. Every obstacle faced together makes the circle stronger."

[HollyLynne]

I love the idea of decals . . .we have a slew of paper airplanes flying over our baby's crib. The quotes don't do it for me though . . . and for every awesome design (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_3&listing_id=31227217&ga_search_query=birch&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5988949) I've seen I've seen a tacky one (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40832915&ref=sr_gallery_16&&ga_search_query=wall+decal&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=2&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title) as well.

[Kerri Anne]

I'm a fan of artistic and tastefully done wall art (in the form of graphic decals used instead of traditional headboards, for example), but quotes? I'm not feeling it.

[becca]

Just as I don't want someone yelling quotes at me as I walk into their home, I don't like seeing then on their walls either. Photos, yes. Quotes, no. Unclassy.

[Adelle @ ready...GO!...get set]

To me, they simply add to the personality of the home and the homeowner. Quirky, creative, fun, hospitable...

HOWEVER - it is a rapidly growing trend and IMHO, trendy = bad. If everybody's doing it, then it is no longer unique and creative and quirky. It's just Target.

[Kader]

It definitely depends on the quote, the location, the style of the home, the personality of the homeowners, the size/font of the quote, etc.
I have friends who have a great quote about food in their dining room. Their dining room is dramatic, and the quote adds to it. Trite/cheesy quotes, however, are trite and/or cheesy. Uh, of course.

[Dr. Maureen]

What Swistle said. I lived in a house in college that had an old Puritan-y prayer or something stenciled subtly in the kitchen, and I liked that, but it wasn't schmaltzy.

[Annie]

Funny. We were just talking about this very thing today. I think it depends on how it's done...My boys sleep in the downstairs of our house - their rooms are the only thing down there. We want to put a little motto of sorts for them above the archway that leads the staircase that brings them upstairs to where they join the family and go out into their world. Something for them to see every day to remind them of what we, as a family, are all about. Something like, "Christ above all" or the Jesuit motto, "AMDG." We've also considered a Bible verse that we've adopted as our own motto for our marriage, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" to paint VERY SUBTLY somewhere in the house.

I think that wall quotes, like all decorating, needs to be done well - if it fits the family and the overall look of the home it could be quite nice.

[mrsgryphon]

I think it absolutely depends on what the quote is, where it's going in your house AND how many you have!

We put a quote on the wall in our baby's nursery ("Such a big miracle in such a little girl") and I think it fits and brings a bit of charm into her non-traditional nursery scheme. I also put both our daughter's names on the wall in their playroom. I've been considering doing a little something on our "gallery" wall, but I think, in our smallish house, that a 3rd vinyl decal is just too much. I have friends who have one in every room and it's getting a little overdone.

[alittlecoffee]

I voted tacky and I stand by that, but it *does* depend where you put it and what it says. I do like the idea that someone mentioned in the comments above of having a quote about food in a dramatic dining room or kitchen; that's kind of cool. And I think if the quote means something to you and exemplifies what your family stands for, that's great... in a private area like a bedroom or the archway leading down to the kids' bedrooms (like Annie suggested.) However, in the living room where you do your entertaining? Well, I wouldn't do it, is all I'm saying.

[kat]

it totally depends. i've seen this but not as a decal but a painted quote when you walked into someone's home. it totally fit their "style" - very funky, quirky. so i think it works.

i'd see this maybe in someone's personal office but not necessarily in a "public" room.