With Mill and Leaf, I occasionally go out on private design projects. Most recently, I worked for about 2 months converting a “vanilla box” family room into a collector’s trove of sports and music memorabilia. Near completion, I quickly shot some pictures to share with our readers. Pardon the photo quality…but enjoy the post from my designer’s perspective!
From a young age, this Austin, TX area home owner collected all types of signatures and items that seemed important at the time. From General Patton’s signature on his original Life magazine cover to Elvis and Buddy Holly, even Mickey Mantle and several other sports giants, I never knew what would show up on the list next.
Framed Life Magazine from 1941 signed by General Patton himself!
Yes there was a list. An Excel with over 200 items sorted by category and person/team with measurements and notes on each item. This list proved invaluable, initially to calculated the largest parts of the collection (in sq inches) and later to sort by frames needed to purchase, etc.
After the initial list was made (of course more items showed up later) I began sketches for the final project sign off.
Here are a couple of the walls I saw at first walk through.
Sofa wall before
Doorway to existing bedroom
It became apparent that transforming just one room would be inadequate for the full collection. So we choose to take out the bedroom door and open up the bedroom wall into the main room to combine both spaces. This made a unique opportunity to make the former bedroom into the music bar area and the current family room into the sports den.
The large bar would relocate into the bedroom area, giving ample floor space in the family room. Large plank wood flooring was run throughout the two spaces to keep continuity in the design even though the subject matter changed.
Here’s a look after the wall was out and decor almost finished…
New wall opening and old doorway removed (was located where red polo hangs)
But I am jumping ahead… let’s back up to the original sketches.
We spent a few hours photographing each item so I could envision how the items related. As an example, the homeowner had worked for Kodak as VP of Sales and Marketing for years. Sponsoring racing drivers and cars was a common event. So he started collecting Jimmy Vassar items (one of the Kodalux drivers.) An authentic racing suit, worn in formula races, trophy replica, signed thank you photos and even a Wheaties box featuring the driver were a few of the items pulled out of storage.
The back of the actual Jimmy Vasser racing suit
So the adventure of designing each area, perfect for the items to be displayed began.
Jimmy V on the Wheaties box
The sketch out of a portion of the race area where Vasser racing suit would be hung
Specific “bump out” display shelving was designed for certain items in the collection to differentiate them from the mix. The Jimmy Vasser suit would be encased in a type of plexiglass “door” with chrome hinges and handle. This would allow the piece to be swung out into the room to see both sides of the piece.
Racing Suit case on hinges to reveal back
The “bump out” areas were textured like the existing walls, but painted a lighter grey than the room walls inside the shelving areas to make them visually stand out. LED lighting was run in strips along the sides of the shelving and LED gimbal recessed can lights (mini spots that tip) were placed at the tops of shelving areas and in wall boxes at the top along the ceiling where displays would mount below.
View of the completed Vasser display area
The plexiglass box with racing suit had an additional plexi layer mounting the poster of Vasser in the Kodalux car and Certificate of Authenticity concerning the suit. This kept the lower portion of the suit (no logos on the legs) from being too non-eventful, also visually balancing out the busy display on the left.
Without belaboring the process, the design continued around the room. For the baseball area, I converted the large valance by recovering and attaching two huge hand stitched baseballs. The many balls, bats cards and collectors magazines were layered by adding a block behind some pieces to hang them out 1.5 inches from the wall so they could layer over a corner of another piece that was flat on the wall. This optimized our scant wall space for such a large collection, while adding a natural design rhythm to the groupings.
Large 108 inch window valance before
Baseballs attached to recovered valance. Team collections on right and left wall areas.
One area of the baseball section featured older items. During the project, they discovered a vintage suit worn by a family member nearly 80 years ago was still with a sister.They managed to procure the piece and I placed it in a protective box with Grandpa’s vintage glove and hankie. This section really echoed the Hall of Fame feel.
With Mantle and Maris on the Life covers and a family heirloom baseball uniform, this area became a mini Cooperstown.
Football was also quite the draw, so we incorporated seats at the 50 yard line to watch the game on the TV on the opposite wall.
The field graphic was a shot I had taken years ago when a company outing took my husband and I to a skybox at a Husker game in Lincoln, NE. The photo was first cleaned and skewed in Photoshop, then enlarged to 91 inches and spray mounted to masonite sheeting. Mounting plexiglass over the top made it a more professional looking graphic. Spacing it 1.5 inches off the wall, lights were run behind to give the effect of upward stadium lights at night. A large shelf was added below with additional lighting and a place to prop large signed items. (Cowboys and Oakland Raiders items on the same shelf…hope they behave.) With the wall nearly full, I added a corner unit to make 22″ of wall become 34 on the angle so a 30 inch plexi box with a signed Joe Montana jersey could hang.
Seats at the 50 yard line
Corner custom display for the Joe Montana Jersey
For music fans who have been patiently waiting for some tunes in this post, here we go.
The bar area was accented with Lone Star, True Grit, Waylon and Willie as well as many other heartbroken and lonely country stars (like the three Hanks). Again signatures abound. Most could be framed, but a Clint Black signed jacket and actual guitar with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s signatures needed a larger case. So we made the awkward area where the door used to enter the bedroom into a floor to ceiling display area. Every inch of the room was hung with record covers lining the ceiling border.
Edison bulb fixtures and the new Lone Star LED sign layered over a vintage poster keep the bar area interesting, while cool and efficient LED spots accent the albums
No respectable bar in the Austin area would miss a collage of the renowned WN. The table in the foreground was the owners childhood game table. A collage of old music clippings, Texas map and concert posters under glass hide the original top.
Next to Willie are the “Three Hanks.” Even the sliding doors were decked out with thin pieces on the right so the closet is still functional.
The former room entry area is now an enclosed display case
A bit of “Jail House Rock” and “Riding High” keep the rhythm going
The Waylon album collection continued over the archway back into the Sports den
No rope accent should be without its glitzy LED light rope partner. This section is filled with Hollywood and wine tasting memorabilia
The homeowners tell me they have a great time relaxing in their newly displayed memory rooms. They might be able to charge a cover to offset the design fees! I would… (just kidding). But overall what a fun project for me and a great space for their entertaining hours.
