The modern eclectic - home of Evija aka @fromevijawithlove

ART & DESIGN

Posted on: Jul 21

Good morning, how are you today?

I hope you are having a nice weekend even if the weather hasn't been spoiling us.
I took a day off on Friday but it is a working weekend for me. Still, regardless of how busy I am, it is very important to me to find time and unwind preferably on a walk by the sea.... and today I'm taking you on to the seaside. With this week's home tour we are going to an island...

Welcome to ‘ART IN THE WORLD OF INTERIORS’ a cycle of short

features where we will be visiting fabulous homes around the world and

their owners who are passionate about art. Each home which we visit is

unique, with it’s own style & character. From castles, through to period

homes, cottages, flats, new-builds, terrace houses to semis, from cities,

towns, villages and country sides across the globe... I would like to

invite you to join me in this inspirational journey where we will explore

different ideas and styles in interior design and we will explore various

ways of styling art in your home.

A house that was bought in serious need of modernisation. The carpets were dated, the bathroom had a pink suite. but it had big rooms, beautiful views and LOTS of potential – the home of Evija aka @fromevijawithlove.

This week I am taking you almost equidistant between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, to the Celtic Isle of Man where you will find rugged coastline, medieval castles, plenty of mountains, forests, cute towns and villages.

It’s architecture includes Georgian neo-classical, Victorian stained glass, Edwardian baroque revival and mock castles plus the traditional Manx Cottage which would have traditionally consisted of two rooms, with flagstone floors and rafters made from driftwood.

The Isle of man is famous for the TT motorcycle road race, but it’s also known for having adorable cats with no tails. It has food, culture, views and a beautiful train station with loads of amazing retro posters.

I am taking you to the home of Evija who is studying, working at a law firm and enjoying the idyllic life on the beautiful Island, spending time with her husband Shaun and their baby girl Coco. Whenever she can she is painting, making, creating, sewing, drilling and upcycling… You name it, she has probably tried it!

Originally from Latvia, Evija moved to the Isle of Man after falling in love and leaving everything to follow her heart.

In Evija’a own words:

On choosing art…

I don't really have a "recipe" for choosing the right art for the house, it has taken me a long time to find and collect the pieces I have and absolutely love. I would always say go with what you like and buy what makes you happy and don't follow trends. There are so many great artists out there! Charity shops, auctions and print houses all offer artwork for affordable prices. Don't think you have to buy everything all at once, I always find that the right art always finds me and it takes time to collect.

On Travel and Art…

I have also started to collect pieces from our travels as it will always have the association with the place we visited, a memory of a beautiful time away. The latest painting I acquired from a trip was from Venice. I started talking to an amazing artist as we were walking through Venice and watched him create a piece on the spot using chalk. I bought a painting from him and listened to his stories and watched in awe as he quickly sketched a beautiful Venetian scene using simple black chalk.. He turned a white piece of paper into a beautiful artwork in front of my eyes. He gifted me the piece he had just created, I will always treasure it.

On her wall galleries...

I usually have a good idea of the pieces I want to put up, but always end up getting more artwork that I need so I can play around with them. I like to visualise as I go along and normally don't have an exact layout planned. In the beginning I would use paper templates, but now I just go for it! I start by putting the main piece (usually the biggest) just off centre and then work around it. It's all trial and error really. I try to keep similar colours and tones although I don't like to have a gallery wall that's too "matchy". Each individual piece is special in it's own right. I like to match modern with traditional and play with various colour palettes.

On framing Art...

IKEA is great for affordable minimalist frames, but I usually tend to reuse old frames I have found either in charity shops or amenity sites. I have found so many old paintings with gorgeous gilded frames that have been put on a burn pile! I clean them up and restore them, sometimes painting them to match the decor. Most of my frames end up black or gold.

On choosing Art for her home...

Each piece in our house has a story and most of them have a meaning. I love finding new art online, Instagram is absolutely amazing for finding new artists, I have come across so many wonderful artists on there, Etsy is great for prints too and charity shops or Ebay are good for vintage art and posters. I like something a bit different, I love moody paintings and interesting portraits, something a little quirky. Sometimes if I can't find something that I like I paint it myself. I love doing abstracts and it is a great way of reusing an old canvas or artwork you have at home and breathing a new life into them.

On which comes first - Art or Decor...

I have redecorated so many times so it is definitely the case of art dictating the decor. I usually buy pieces I love on the spot. I see something and it is like I have to have it - there is no plan! Sometimes I will look at 100 paintings before one will have an effect on me and I won't be able to forget it. Whether it goes with my decor or not, I am sure it will find it's right place one day! It helps that I keep moving things around to keep things fresh.

On styling tips...

Art is such an amazing way of bringing character into your home. Select pieces you love looking at and put them around your house where you will see them all the time. Surround yourself with pieces that make you happy and don’t be afraid to move things around. I had this gorgeous painting in the hallway and it looked amazing, but once I’d moved it to our living room gallery wall and the whole wall came to life!

On her interior style and home...

It is very hard to describe our home as it is a bit of a mismatch. I love dark colours especially black and love playing with contrasting colours. I’ve been adding a touch of pink here and there but it’s slowly taking over the whole house! Our home is filled with upcycled furniture, old books, artwork and plants! It's a mixture of modern and eclectic I would say.

On finding home décor inspiration...

I am terrible at planning and never have a design worked out from start to finish. Each room in the house normally starts with an idea and then develops as I start working on it. I see something on TV, in a magazine or online and it kind of goes from there. I love to collect things and am always in and out of charity shops trying to find that one special piece. When it comes to decorating our house I’m changing things constantly.