Making A Statement

I’ve been collecting 18th c. Francois Martinet bird engravings for so many years. It started with my first one that I found at the Paris Flea Market – and then and there I was hooked. Slowly I would stumble upon or seek out interesting birds that had great expressions and coloring. The majority are vertical (as you see here), and a healthy handful of horizontals round out the collection on another wall.

This collection was captured in my first book, Nora Murphy’s Country House Style, in the pass through from the 1767 original house to the 1857 “Chicken Coop” (our main bedroom suite) in our former country house in Newtown, CT.  And in my second book, Country House Living, in our “new” 1820 country house by the Connecticut River, we’ve created a striking visual focal point at the top of the stairs.

It’s one thing to collect, and it’s quite another to frame so many! To everyone’s surprise I opted for ready made unfinished wood frames that I painted myself. And instead of investing in glass, I used the acrylic sheets that were included. This decision made it so much easier (and faster) to get them out of a portfolio case and up onto a wall for us to finally enjoy!

This beloved collection has caught the attention of so many. But amassing a collection can surely be daunting. So to “get the look” we took the same wood frames that are painted white and added reproduction John Derian’s bird prints. This way a collection can get started – and at a fraction of the cost of originals!

We’ve framed up a beautiful assortment of birds that are now available for purchase on my Hunt Club! www.noramurphycountryhouse.com/huntclub/

Happy collecting & decorating!

Love, Nora