My Houzz: Quirky Art and Oddities Intrigue in an Ohio Rental
What do skulls, colorful decals, fabric art and insects have in common? They make for an unforgettably artistic family home
Not being able to paint the white walls in their Toledo, Ohio, rental house could not stop artists Jose and Danielle Herrera from adding their own creative strokes. The walls simply became their blank canvas. Dramatic nature-inspired hand-cut vinyl decals, wild collections of artfully displayed bugs and butterflies, and original artwork using repurposed materials turned this interior into the family's own gallery.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jose and Danielle Herrera, son Elijah (10), daughter Dahlia (5) and 2 parakeets
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Size: 1,009 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, basement art studios
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jose and Danielle Herrera, son Elijah (10), daughter Dahlia (5) and 2 parakeets
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Size: 1,009 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, basement art studios
Framed butterflies, animal skulls, hand-cut artwork and brightly painted thrift store frames amuse in the living room.
The couple cut these tree-branch wall decals by hand from black vinyl. The family's pet parakeets, Oodie and Yuki, are housed together in this room; they served as inspiration for a few original paintings.
Wood cube ottoman: T.J.Maxx
Wood cube ottoman: T.J.Maxx
Danielle makes much of her original artwork, like the parakeet portrait of Oodie, from repurposed fabrics, intricately cutting and piecing together different pieces. She describes the pet bird as the "boss of the home," hence the sheriff's hat.
An appreciation of anatomy and the beauty in bone structure inspires some of the decor. Here a gray coyote skull found on eBay is displayed in a cloche on top of anatomy books.
A vertical display of artwork gives the perception of more height in the living room. The pieces are a collection of preserved insects.
"I've always loved the detail and beauty of something as small as an insect," Danielle says. "I appreciate the fine detail found in small creatures and love to really look into them." Her favorite bug in the collection is the tarantula near the ceiling.
"I've always loved the detail and beauty of something as small as an insect," Danielle says. "I appreciate the fine detail found in small creatures and love to really look into them." Her favorite bug in the collection is the tarantula near the ceiling.
The apartment is short on storage, so the couple used a space-saving stacking bookshelf in the living room next to more original artwork, including a painting inspired by Roy Lichtenstein.
Vertical bookshelf: Array, CB2; accent chair: Coaster Home Furnishings
Vertical bookshelf: Array, CB2; accent chair: Coaster Home Furnishings
The couple plans to continue adding to their gallery wall collection and are always on the lookout for one-of-a-kind pieces.
Lamp: Target
Lamp: Target
A compact table and chairs helps maximize space in the dining room. Danielle and Jose cut out the base of a decorative newspaper vase from T.J.Maxx and repurposed it as a light fixture.
Table: Fusion, Ikea
Table: Fusion, Ikea
A coat of green spray paint transformed this thrift store moose head on the kitchen wall.
Wall decals from Target brighten up another wall.
Wall decals from Target brighten up another wall.
In the unit's half bathroom, Danielle's Mr. T art piece reflects her love of the 1980s and its pop culture.
Jose built the couple's bed and covered it in shaggy fabric.
Bright bedding, spray painted thrift store deer heads and dandelion decals cut by Danielle add an additional graphic punch.
Bright bedding, spray painted thrift store deer heads and dandelion decals cut by Danielle add an additional graphic punch.
Feminine details like pink paper pom-poms and colorful frame decals perk up daughter Dahlia's bedroom.
Son Elijah's room includes a loft bed with room below for a small couch, TV and computer. Elijah's collection of license plates started from a family car game of pointing out different states. He would like to collect some from his birth state of Arizona.
The couple repurposed strips of cardboard to make a unique wall display for their son's collection of paper cutout robots from Cubeecraft.
Jose and Danielle split the basement for their own studios. Jose makes creatures from polymer clay. The "creaturitas," as he calls them, were born of his love of special effects in sci-fi movies.
Danielle creates custom art and portraits by piecing together repurposed fabrics. Here she works on a portrait of Willie Nelson inspired from a portrait in Rolling Stone magazine.
"I'm a recycle artist, and the vision I have is to reuse things — denim, zippers, newspaper and even dryer lint and other materials that would otherwise be considered junk — and turn them into art," she says. "I like to take scraps of fabric and transform them into portraits of people, places and things. I've taken the zippers and buttons of pants and made them into trees."
Danielle's artwork is regularly displayed at galleries throughout Toledo, and was recently shown at Gallery 27 in Chicago and Bottleneck Gallery in New York City.
"I'm a recycle artist, and the vision I have is to reuse things — denim, zippers, newspaper and even dryer lint and other materials that would otherwise be considered junk — and turn them into art," she says. "I like to take scraps of fabric and transform them into portraits of people, places and things. I've taken the zippers and buttons of pants and made them into trees."
Danielle's artwork is regularly displayed at galleries throughout Toledo, and was recently shown at Gallery 27 in Chicago and Bottleneck Gallery in New York City.
Jose, Dahlia, Danielle and Elijah relax in their living room.